"Unlawful evictions...:We won't sit for the country to become a lawless country." - Frederick Opoku

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:02]Commissioner is interesting for the very first time the rent control commission exercise like they went on site to actually go and work. This is the very first time it's been a long time since we had um a rent commissioner.

[00:00:29]>> Okay.

[00:00:41]Ed, the president of the Republic of Ghana, his excellency reset agenda and legacy building project.

[00:00:55]After 63 years, first rent commissioner has been appointed.

[00:01:00]>> After 63 years, >> section two of the rent law, they should be appointed a rent commissioner. But come government come and go, nobody saw the need to appoint a commissioner, meaning housing issues were not prioritized.

[00:01:17]Now the vision of the president is that we need to do something about the law.

[00:01:23]the laws of rent in Ghana must work.

[00:01:26]He's the fourth time city.

[00:01:31]>> He reeled again. He's the fourth time the president of the republic has made mention of the rent laws must work.

[00:01:38]Indirectly the president was referring to me because I am the only person the department head the leader of rent control responsible to ensuring that the rent laws of Ghana work. Yes. over the years because there were no rent commission appointed. We had rent officers, rent managers and they never had any power to enforce anything here.

[00:02:03]They were dealing with settlement of dispute.

[00:02:07]But today you can see reforms, you can see changes, you can see actions because today there is a commissioner and the commissioner is responsible to ensuring the laws of the republic in terms of rent happen and it does not matter who is involved the law will happen. I always say sir the law is not respect of anybody in this country. So long, so far as the president believes the law must work. Who am I? I am here to get the vision of the president.

[00:02:47]said uh after 63 years I mean so how has the range control commission been run without an um a commissioner how how are they running it that was someone your chief rent manager the chief rent manager more or less is the operations head or the head of the rent officers who sit on cases to adjudicate matters or to settle on issues but administratively didn't have that power to do Okay. Okay. Only power to enforce the law.

[00:03:22]>> No, he has the power but not the the law mention the rent commissioner. Not rent commissioner. How do you do that? Tell me you.

[00:03:32]So now your vision is to enforce all the rent control uh legislations >> currently. What are some of the so far discover problems discover it needs immediate attention?

[00:03:48]>> First of all, I think um the only institution in this country that is close with the power to check how rent increases or reduces rent control and to do that there should be an assessment. I realize nobody, no landlord, no property owner, nobody is going by the law and that it is not like you want to make sure how the government for example but we expect the government to intervene free market and so forth and so on. Why? The point is people have been increasing rent habitually without any recourse to any reason.

[00:04:48]The law says there must be reason. It could be the fact and for that reason it has brought improve and enhancement.

[00:05:14]How do you make the this country lawless country? Ghana is becoming a lawless country today because people are and some theorists are saying when when demand is high, supply is low, they should allow people to market to force it to happen but that becomes a lawless country and the president of the republic believes the rent laws must work. So number one assessment. Number two unlawful evictions. Unlawful evictions.

[00:05:46]And unlignity and that's not right. That's a recovery of possession. Anyhow, anyway and so on the law say under section 25 subsection 5 section no landlord is expected to take advant 95.

[00:06:21]>> No, it is clear in the law. Now for example, what do you do?

[00:06:43]That is not lawful and am I responsible to ensure that all these go to control what this is what the law has commissioner it's based on projections market projections and future projections.

[00:07:19]The cost of materials most of them that's their justification for increasing rent justifiable justifiable. Why can it be justifiable?

[00:07:38]Now you have a responsibility as a landlord, property owner to go for inspection anytime you give notice.

[00:07:45]Therefore, you don't allow somebody to damage spo your property before you can do everything. So what I'm trying to let you know is that the law has to work >> and that you cannot do anything like that. Go for your question. You can't tell me look inflation. Let's assume that you inflation inflation cost you 2%. Then you increase your rent at 100%. What what do you mean of that?

[00:08:10]>> Yeah.

[00:08:11]>> Why?

[00:08:12]>> Economically you see people are taking advantage of the law is not working and trust me people are challenging. Let's see how it works.

[00:08:19]>> I'm not threatening anybody.

[00:08:20]>> Yeah.

[00:08:21]>> So long there there's law. Nobody is above the law. If they go higher you shame.

[00:08:28]>> One of sectors are very exploited.

[00:08:33]housing system a lot of money for I mean >> recently recently which I were just because I had I received a petition from you and I took action >> okay >> I want people to know I'm not a commissioner of math I'm a commission of action yes we do to that and every question will be addressed >> and we reverse You promised to reverse the charges.

[00:09:04]>> I am telling you a fact that it must be assessed. Don't mean that you are in Ghana and Ghana is a country of laws. So you cannot invest and say we shouldn't apply our laws. Who more you >> because some of these host are even owned by these state unities.

[00:09:20]>> Forget about forget about this. Forget about this.

[00:09:23]>> Nobody's above the law. You see you see if you go to Europe you believe the law works.

[00:09:28]>> But when it come to who is a big man here? Nobody is a big man in this country.

[00:09:31]>> Nice.

[00:09:33]>> Everybody I'm telling you.

[00:09:35]>> So look in fact the president believe the law must work. Nobody can stop it.

[00:09:39]>> What's your plan to decentralize your power?

[00:09:42]>> Oh we have we have actually control office in 66 offices.

[00:09:46]So therefore I'm going to make sure I'm going to work with some of the MMDs assemblies 260 within the time I'm in office. So I'm going to work with them closely so that they can we can talk to them. We can get offices across all so that we can give our service will be convenient access to our services. As of now we have 66 officers.

[00:10:10]66 officers he watch their state not too bad not too good rent control lack resources rent control has only two vehicles but I know I have been promised that your office has been set up the government the minister the ministry the certain ministry they are doing everything possible to ensure that the the resource I'm hoping and praying down rent control is resourced and rent control with that this can do nothing so the public should and their voices to that because is a very important institution because not allow it to suffer.

[00:10:47]>> If as they putting money in other places it's about people's rent people's life then the only institution responsible cannot have two vehicles.

[00:10:55]>> Yeah.

[00:10:55]>> How do they go for assessment?

[00:10:56]>> Yes.

[00:10:57]>> That is why we want all of you to put your mouth in and put the pressure to be done. So in modern times uh what what's modern day practice for rent rent rent control uh and rent regulations? Uh are you looking at finding some digital means uh using innovative technology?

[00:11:16]Trust me you're going to launch a lot of apps in the next few month few months ahead of us and trust me rent could also be a hub of all information of rents.

[00:11:26]Every landlord will register. Every tenant to register, you register a property to even this week or next week.

[00:11:33]I'm creating a platform for student to launch their complaint on hostiles.

[00:11:36]>> Oh, okay.

[00:11:37]>> It's a cal down on host and it won't it won't end until they conform to the law of rent.

[00:11:42]>> Do you know of the Airbnb? Do you know of the Airbnb system?

[00:11:45]>> I'm aware.

[00:11:46]>> Uh does rent control?

[00:11:48]>> It has has power over that.

[00:11:50]>> No, it has. Don't don't talk much. It has it's about rent. Anything called rent you take money I give you room is rent whether one day one day is rent >> so it means we extending to hotels no not really >> okay because most of these Airbnb uh system work sort of like hotels >> how they registered >> where do you register and which law did you register the law will determine how we apply it >> so your immediate action or timelines or action plan is to reduce host fees and also make um um enforce compliance.

[00:12:29]>> No, not to not to reduce is to go and assess. It can be more can be less. It's assessment that determ >> Okay. Okay.

[00:12:36]>> When is assess and you taking 10,000 then assessment by I'm going to partner with surveys.

[00:12:42]>> Okay.

[00:12:42]>> Value value and assess >> that will determine how much you must get based on your your your your your input into building that property so that they are fair to you. so that it doesn't disincentivize the investors.

[00:12:56]>> Who are the people reporting to you most often? Ever since you started this uh uh clamp directly, >> everybody is reporting. But today I received a former that's why you can see I act in that direction. I'm going to act with a sense of agency and without delay at all.

[00:13:18]exercise.

[00:13:25]We wish you well.

[00:13:28]All right.

[00:13:30]Mr. Frederick, acting rent commissioner.