Acting Rent Control Commissioner Frederick Opoku has warned landlords against demanding more than six months’ rent from prospective tenants, stressing that such practices violate Ghana’s rent laws.
Speaking at an event on June 22, 2026, Opoku stated that landlords who collect rent advances exceeding six months under new tenancy agreements could face legal action.
According to him, President John Dramani Mahama has made it clear that landlords who breach the law should be dealt with through the rent courts.
“President John Dramani Mahama is the first president to have stated that any landlord who breaches the law and takes more than six months should face the rent courts. After the president gave that green light, it is clear that you cannot and it’s forbidden in this country to take more than six months’ rent,” he said.
Opoku clarified that existing tenancy agreements involving rent advances beyond six months would not be affected. However, he stressed that all future agreements must comply with the legal limit unless the law is amended.
“Unless the law is reviewed, if you have already taken two years, that is granted, but make sure that no new agreement will look at more than six months,” he stated.
The Acting Rent Control Commissioner said the department is committed to enforcing the law and ensuring compliance with the president’s directive.
He reiterated that any landlord who demands more than six months’ rent under a new tenancy agreement is acting unlawfully.
“He says that respect the rent laws under section 25. Any landlord from today who, with a new tenancy, tries to take more than six months has fouled the law, though it is there already, but we are reminding you that you cannot do that any longer,” he added.
Opoku also advised tenants to fulfil their rent obligations and avoid accumulating rent arrears, warning that failure to pay rent could lead to eviction.
According to him, tenants are not expected to owe rent beyond the agreed payment period.
“No tenant in this country is expected to owe their landlord one month. Look, in Ghana, we do short tenancies, one month, two months, three months, to a maximum of six. It means that you can’t owe your landlord even one month. Don’t dare,” he said.
He explained that non-payment of rent remains one of the legal grounds upon which a landlord can seek the eviction of a tenant.
“If you owe your landlord one month, he has the right to get you out. The grounds on which a landlord can evict you are that you don’t pay your rent, and that if you default on paying your rent, you are out of the room,” he concluded.
