The Rent Control Department has announced plans to enforce mandatory professional valuations for student hostels as part of efforts to regulate accommodation pricing within Ghana’s tertiary education sector.
The move, according to Acting Rent Commissioner Frederick Opoku, is intended to ensure that hostel charges comply with provisions under the Rent Act, 1963 (Act 220).
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM, Mr. Opoku disclosed that the department has engaged the Ghana Institution of Surveyors to conduct assessments of student accommodation facilities across the country.
“We have officially engaged the Ghana Institution of Surveyors to undertake professional valuation exercises for student hostels to ensure that charges are in line with the law,” he stated.
He explained that the exercise would involve valuation, estate and quantity surveyors who would assess hostel facilities and determine appropriate rent levels based on approved legal and economic considerations.
According to him, the initiative forms part of broader efforts to address concerns over rising accommodation costs within university communities.
Mr. Opoku noted that although developers may incur high construction and operational costs, hostel pricing must still comply with the legal framework established under the Rent Act.
“The law does not give anyone a blank cheque to charge arbitrary rents simply because they invested huge sums into a project. There must be a professional assessment to determine the recoverable rent,” he said.
He added that the Rent Act takes into account factors such as land value, maintenance costs, bank interest rates and other related expenses when determining rent levels.
The Acting Rent Commissioner stressed that hostel operators and property developers would be expected to comply with the regulatory process rather than independently fixing prices without oversight.
“We are moving away from rhetoric to a more structured enforcement regime that protects both the investor and the tenant. Ghana is governed by law, and compliance will be expected,” he indicated.
Mr. Opoku further stated that the department’s approach seeks to strike a balance between ensuring fair returns on investments and protecting students and parents from excessive accommodation costs.
He added that the department would work closely with relevant professional bodies to ensure effective implementation of the exercise across tertiary institutions nationwide.
