The Government has announced plans to overhaul Ghana’s outdated rent laws in a bid to curb the persistent exploitation of tenants and create a fairer rental housing system.

The Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, disclosed this while responding to an urgent question on the floor of Parliament.

The minister revealed that the ministry had begun a comprehensive review of the country’s rent regulatory framework, describing the current laws as obsolete and unable to meet the demands of Ghana’s evolving housing market.

According to him, the government intends to repeal the existing laws and replace them with a modern Consolidated Rent Act that will harmonise all rental housing legislation under a single legal framework.

He explained that the proposed law would address long-standing challenges in the rental sector while creating incentives to encourage private sector investment in rental housing.

The minister said the new legislation would strengthen protections for low-income and vulnerable tenants by preventing arbitrary rent increases, unfair rental practices and other forms of abuse, while balancing the legitimate interests of landlords.

Responding to concerns over the immediate measures being implemented to address the exploitation currently faced by tenants before the passage of the proposed law, the minister acknowledged that the reforms being pursued through the legislative process were intended to address those challenges comprehensively.

He maintained that the government’s ongoing legislative reforms would provide a lasting solution to the persistent issues within Ghana’s rental housing sector.