Ghana Rent Control Offices - A Bloody Joke Or What?

There seems to be something seriously wrong with the way things are being run at Ghana's Rent Control Offices in Accra. Talk about Piss-taking! I have been trying to get rid of a tenant from my property for the best part of five months now [ tis excludes the three months grace period given to her on paper]. I have blogged the events leading to her eviction on this blog, so if you are interested, you are welcome to read and acquaint yourself with the details. So this officer at the Rent Control Offices has been asking my representative in Accra [ and the tenant] to turn up at his office and on each occasion, he has had a story to tell as to why he hasn't come to a conclusion on what action needs to be taken. As of this Monday, the 17th, my representative has been to his office 4 times, and on each occasion, he has given her another date to return to his office. On her last trip, when she got there, he told her that he had not finished writing out the judgement. What the hell. Is this guy for real?

So I did a quick search on the internet and below is what I came up with regarding the Rent Control Offices in Accra, Ghana

Department Flooded with Complaints, Unable to Address Renter’s Needs

In Ghana, the Rent Control Department is mandated to settle disputes between landlords, tenants, and other interested parties. Long delays and inconsistent practices have marred the department’s reputation in recent years.

Madam Comfort, a tenant at Buashie in Accra who lodged a complaint against her landlord for unlawfully trying to evict her.  But after multiple visits where no progress was made, Comfort says she eventually stopped going back. “I went there several times and waited several hours. I stopped going there because I was wasting money and time at the place,” she says.

A visit to the Rent Control Department in Accra revealed a flood of unhappy landlords and angry tenants with a variety of complaints. Fred Tawiah of the Accra office of Rent Control Department says he hears complaints of “nuisance” and “unpaid rents” everyday. With a pile of documented rent cases on his desk, Tawiah admits that the office is understaffed and unable to adequately hear all of the cases. With a long sigh Tawiah says there is a strong need to build more houses in Accra and says he encourages government leaders to invest in housing construction.

The above was sourced from www.globalpressinstitute.org. There are several key points to this snipet

1. The Rent Control Department is mandated to settle disputes between Landlords and Tenants - this is obviously not the case. Interestedly enough, the person who has been tossing my representative up and down is the same person named in this article: Fred Tawiah. With a cut and dry case like this, why has he resorted to changing dates so many times? ]

2. Madam Comfort has been to the offices several times, only to be disappointed on each visit because nothing could be done to assist her. Just imagine the amount of money this poor lady had to spend on each trip. With the people placed in charge to resolve issues dragging their feet, how are things supposed to progress in a positive manner there?

3. Of course Mr Tawiah will have a "truck load" of cases pending on his desk, because he is dragging his feet on the ones he can easily resolve. Is this what the tax payers money is being used for?

Another link I found on the web is on MC Modern Ghana webpage. Check it out. This article was written in June this year!!

I am simply pissed off with this guy and intend to do something about this.