Ghanaian Economist, Emmanuel Amoah Darkwah has stated that the minimum advancement in rent payments should be for at least six months not two years like Ghanaians have been accustomed to.
His statement was a response to the survey which proved that Accra is rated the second most expensive city in the world.
According to Emmanuel Amoah, this is because the cost of living is quite sophisticated due to the prices of goods and renting issues in the city.
Speaking in an interview with Nana Appiah on Dadi FM, he bemoaned that the expenses placed on renting by house owners are a major contributing factor to making Accra an expensive city.
“There is no law that states that as a tenant you must pay at least two years advancement, you can even pay for six months but we’ve become used to it so it has become normal, he added.
He stressed that the government should initiate policies that will check the pricing of goods being sold in the city.
“This two years payment has not been addressed because the government is quiet about it, if the government should check these renting issues, these costs will be reduced”.
He added that the government should be interested in how every sector is dealing with prices in our market to reduce the cost of living in Accra.
“There should be laws governing the pricing of goods so that goods will be priced adequately and residents can also be freed from the choking expenses in the city”, he said.
Speaking on the same issue of overpriced houses and rooms in Accra, Senior Rent Manager, Mr. Paul Kofi Appiah, admitted that landlords overprice their properties.
He encouraged that, as a sector, the Minister of Housing, Samuel Atta-Akyea is working on limiting house rents and payments to a year.
He also advised tenants to ensure that they are dealing with the rightful owners of houses and properties to curb duping in the country.
“Before you pay for a room or house you need to make sure you’re working with the right owner of the property so you don’t get duped”.
Source: Mybryfmonline.com/Gladys Amoah Konadu
