<<Print>>

In view of the current deficit in housing in Accra, some people are taking advantage to defraud unsuspecting people seeking accommodation to rent. Others take advantage to arbitrarily increase rent for hapless tenants. Currently, the trend is that some fraudsters act as real estate agents and lure people to high end residential areas such as East Airport, East Legon, West Lands, Airport Residential Area, North Legon, Legon Hills, Spintex, Labone, Cantonments, Tesano, among others, where negotiations over rent payment for a house are conducted and the keys to the house handed over. Unfortunately, when the potential tenant attempts to move into the house, he or she is told that the agent was fake and that the 'owner' with whom the tenant negotiated occupancy rented the house temporarily and had since moved out. Other fraudsters also advertise online and in the newspapers with enticing inscriptions such as, "Houses and apartments, 1,2,3,4 and more bedrooms, air conditioners, high ceilings, big windows, bright natural light, clean bathrooms and kitchens with marble, granite or porcelain work tops. Rent is on weekly and monthly basis. Prices range from US$1,500 to US$5,000 and above per month, depending on locations and number of rooms. Responding to one of such adverts, two students of the University of Professional Studies recently fell victim to a fraudster by parting with a whopping GH�3,500 each to one Manfred, who, unsurprisingly, have vanished into thin air with the funds mobilised by the unsuspecting students. Samata Adams, a teacher at one of the private schools in Accra, who recently fell victim to one of the fraudsters, shared her bitter experience with The Mirror. Samata explained that she saw a banner advertising the services of a rental agent around the East Legon Police Station and decided to call the agent since she was desperately in need of a house to rent. According to her, a certain gentleman picked the call and confirmed that he and his mum had a house to rent, therefore they arranged for a meeting and met the said mother who asked her to pay GH�6,000 for a two-year rental of a two-bedroom house which she did. Later when she decided to move into the house, she met three other people with their belongings also waiting for the old lady to be given the green light to occupy the same house. "Interestingly, we all had separate keys yet none could open the door to the apartment as the old lady and her son had changed the locks completely several times over and were nowhere to be found". Currently, efforts by Samata to retrieve her money have proved futile as the said woman is alleged to be having over 10 similar potential real estate fraud cases pending at various police stations in Accra. In another development, a man, believed to be the ringleader of a syndicate defrauding people looking for accommodation, was recently arrested by the Kaneshie District Police but was granted bail by the Abeka Magistrate Court where he was standing trial for allegedly defrauding four accommodation seekers. Another two prospective accommodation seekers, who saw a poster on a building, claimed they paid GH�5,250 to the suspect, Daniel Nii Quartey. While the police were searching for Quartey, two foreign students at the Central University College reported to them that a man who had posed as the owner of a building had allegedly defrauded them. The victims told the police that the suspect had given them a tenancy agreement. However, when they moved into the house, another man, who claimed to be the caretaker, angrily threw them out. Police investigations discovered that the owner of the house was not Quartey but a woman resident abroad. Due to stories about the myriad of rental accommodation issues in Accra, The Mirror visited the Rent Control Office located at the Tema Station in Accra on Wednesday morning. Rent Control Offices have the critical mandate of resolving disputes between landlords and tenants in Ghana. This is a delicate task because such disputes have the potential to develop into bigger crises, including violent conflicts. While the police are typically responsible for investigating fraudulent real estate schemes, Rent Control Offices often deal with cases where a landlord-tenant relationship of some sort genuinely exists but the parties are in disagreement over the terms of the tenancy. There was a long-winding queue of people with frustration and distress showing on their faces all waiting their turn to be attended to. Though, there appeared to be little chance of that happening. This reporter had the chance to enter Room Two where some form of mediation was taking place between landlords and tenants. There were several piles of dusty dockets, which is evidence of numerous accommodation problems within the system. Some of the complainants said they had been trooping to the office for some months now just to have their cases addressed. Unfortunately, all attempts to speak to the Chief Rent Officer proved futile as this reporter was curtly directed to the headquarters located around the Kinbu-Aflao Station. However, I was told he was out of office and the staff in the general office were not willing to give out any contact number to reach him so we could discuss the current accommodation menace in the city. Exactly a year ago, Parliamentarians expressed concern over high rent charges in the country and called on government to amend the Rent Act of 1963, to address the changing trends regarding housing and accommodation in the country. It seems, though, that any reforms will also need to address the resourcing and mandate of Rent Control Departments across the country.