Searching for a room to rent in Accra is not for the faint-hearted, as it demands a lot of time and energy to move around.
For those who may want to conduct the search themselves, it may take recommendations from friends and loved ones to show them the way, or probably, the grace of God to locate one just when needed.
The others who cannot go through the personal search depend on agents.
But the question is, how trustworthy is an agent? Is he or she ready to deliver according to your specifications and budget, or is the person only interested in taking your money in the name of a “moving fee”?
This issue of agents has, in recent times, become a concern for many, especially home seekers, as they fail to deliver, yet cash out from what they call ‘moving fees.’
Moving fee
Just as its name suggests, it is the amount of money you pay to the agent before he or she takes you to the rooms he or she has found, based on your request.
These days, some agents go to the extent of asking the house seeker to fund their transportation to the location they claim to have found in order to show you what they have found, and to confirm if you are interested or not.
They charge from GH¢100 and above as their “moving fee” to the destination where the house is located.
Getting to the location
After getting to the specified location, some of these agents take people to places that do not match their specifications.
Sometimes, where the house is located is nothing to write home about, with access to the main road a distance away, with other issues such as shared electricity meters. Other issues include security deposits of GH¢1,500, GH¢2,000 among other shortfalls.
Once the person announces his or her displeasure, these agents mostly have some other rooms available at different locations and suggest to the person for viewing.
If you are lucky, you can settle for one among the lot; if not, the search and walk continues from one place to the other.
Even if you don’t get a place of your choice for the scheduled time, you still will pay for the moving fee.
All the times you step out with an agent to look at the rooms he or she has found, you have to foot the bill of their time, i.e.; moving fee and sometimes their transportation.
Payment of 10 percent commission
These agents, after securing you a place, demand a 10% commission from the total amount you will be paying to your landlord.
So, if your rent, for instance, for a single-room self-contained, costs GH¢1,000 and you pay for 2 years, that will be GH¢24,000. Now, the agent is usually “entitled” to 10% (GH¢2,400) of the GH¢24,000 paid to the landlord.
The payment of this 10% has caused several controversies, with many thinking it is unnecessary and undeserving for the agents to receive that money.
The reason is that the huge amount paid to the landlord is already financially draining, and giving out that “free” money to the agent is pretty annoying.
However, the agents think otherwise, stating that there was an understanding from the start on the 10% commission before the search for the room or house began.
Acquisition of the room, house
After paying the 2 years or 1 year rent, the tenant moves into the house, which becomes his or her new home until the expiration of the contract.
What does the law say?
In Ghana, room agency laws are not explicitly stated in the Rent Act or the Landlord and Tenant Act. However, the laws governing tenancy relationships can be applied to room agency arrangements.
A room agency is an arrangement where a landlord or property owner rents out a room or a portion of their property to a tenant.
To ensure a smooth and lawful room agency arrangement, landlords and tenants should first enter into a written agreement.
Enter into a written agreement: This agreement should outline the terms and conditions of the tenancy, including rent payments, notice periods, and responsibilities for repairs and maintenance.
Comply with rent control regulations: Landlords should ensure that they comply with rent control regulations, which regulates the maximum rent that can be charged for certain premises. However, this barely happens as they mostly charge two years advance rent or at least one year.
This financially weighs down the tenant as the monies they make from their jobs are woefully inadequate.
Respect of rights
Landlords should respect tenants’ rights, including their right to quiet enjoyment of the premises and their right to security of tenure and vice versa, if the landlord lives in the same house.
Hike in rent prices
Every year, the prices of rent shoot up astronomically. A single room that was going for GH¢1,000 could be increased to GH¢1,200 or GH¢1,500 depending on the location.
And these landlords expect two years rent or at least a year rent once the initial contract expires.
Also, tenants are expected to give the landlord at least 3 months’ notice before the expiration of the tenancy agreement. This is to inform the landlord whether or not you’ll be staying in their property.
If you are moving out, then the landlord can make arrangements to look for a new tenant.
Some Ghanaians complain about high rent charges
Some Ghanaians have recently bemoaned the high prices of rent in the country.
While sharing their grievances on social media, they noted that rent takes a chunk of their salaries, leaving them unable to save as there is little or nothing left to set aside as savings.
According to them, their salaries range between GH¢1,500 to GH¢4,000, and their rent takes more than 80% of their salaries.
Some say this is literally working to give all their “life savings” to their landlords.
Shelter is one of the basic needs of every human being; however, it is gradually breaking the backs of many due to its high cost.
Landlords, on the other hand, attribute the price increases to the high cost of building materials on the market.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
