The Rent Control Department (RCD) has ordered the University of Ghana Enterprises Limited (UGEL) and private hostel owners and operators throughout the country to immediately suspend rental increases that have not undergone the legally prescribed assessment process and reimburse tenants who have already paid the increased charges by November 17, 2026.
The directive, issued on November 2, 2026, instructs affected accommodation providers to reinstate their previous rental charges and discontinue the collection of higher amounts until the requisite assessment procedures have been completed and all applicable statutory requirements fulfilled.
The Department explained that its intervention followed a petition submitted by the University of Ghana Students’ Representative Council (UGSRC), which requested a review of proposed accommodation charges introduced by UGEL.
In response to the petition, the Rent Control Department sought further clarification from UGEL before examining the circumstances surrounding the proposed adjustments. Following its consideration of the matter, the Department extended its regulatory directive beyond the university’s accommodation facilities to cover private hostel proprietors and operators across the country.
The RCD emphasised that privately operated hostels and other student accommodation facilities that fall within the jurisdiction of Ghana’s rent legislation remain subject to its regulatory authority. It stressed that describing a property as a student hostel or private accommodation establishment does not automatically exempt its owner or operator from complying with the country’s rent control laws.
Consequently, all affected operators have been instructed to retain their previous rental charges until the necessary assessments and statutory procedures governing rent adjustments have been completed.
Beyond suspending the disputed increases, the Department has directed accommodation providers to reimburse tenants for the additional amounts collected as a consequence of the revised rental charges.
The refund exercise is scheduled to take place between November 3 and November 17, 2026. During this period, affected operators are expected to identify tenants who have paid the increased rates, establish the excess amounts received and provide documentary evidence demonstrating that the required reimbursements have been made.
The Department, however, clarified that the refund obligation is limited to the difference between the previous rental charges and the increased amounts actually paid by tenants. It explained that the exercise does not cover rent lawfully payable under earlier tenancy arrangements or separate legitimate charges that are unrelated to the disputed increases.
The RCD has also cautioned hostel proprietors and accommodation managers against intimidating, threatening, harassing or victimising tenants who challenge increased rental charges, demand reimbursement or report suspected breaches of the law.
It specifically warned operators against threatening tenants with eviction, withholding accommodation or employing other unlawful measures to pressure residents into accepting rental adjustments that have not received the necessary assessment or abandoning legitimate complaints.
To ensure compliance, the Department has announced plans to undertake inspections, scrutinise tenancy agreements and payment records, authenticate refund transactions and investigate complaints submitted by affected occupants.
The enforcement exercise will be guided by provisions of the Rent Act, 1963 (Act 220), particularly sections 25(1)(b), 25(1)(i), 26(1) and 27(1). The Department warned that accommodation providers found to have breached the applicable legal requirements could face the sanctions prescribed under the legislation.
The directive applies to UGEL, university affiliated residential facilities and independently operated private hostels throughout Ghana, provided their accommodation arrangements fall within the scope of the country’s applicable rent control laws.
The notice was signed by Acting Rent Commissioner Frederick Opoku and issued by Sylvia Kenou, Head of the Corporate Affairs and Communications Unit of the Rent Control Department.
The Department has consequently called on all affected accommodation providers to comply with the instructions without delay, warning that failure to discontinue unassessed rental increases and reimburse excess payments by November 17, 2026, could trigger enforcement proceedings in accordance with the law.
