Renting a home in Accra is becoming an uphill battle for many residents, as high costs, advance payment demands, and a lack of affordable housing continue to persist.
Recent reports place Accra as the 5th most expensive city in Africa for renting accommodation. A one-bedroom apartment in central Accra now goes for hundreds of cedis monthly, while three-bedroom homes in prime areas such as East Legon and Cantonments fetch thousands of dollars.
Residential property prices have also risen between 5 to 8 percent year-on-year, worsening the affordability gap.
At the heart of the crisis is the practice of landlords demanding one to two years’ rent in advance. For salaried workers and those in the informal sector, the demand is nearly impossible to meet. Others face arbitrary annual rent hikes, often imposed without renovation or improvement to the property.
“I was asked to pay two years’ rent upfront for a single room self-contain at over 1,000 cedis a month. It’s unbearable,” lamented a tenant in Accra.
Another added, “My rent increased from 1,000 to 1,500 cedis in just a year, with no changes made to the building.”
There is little to no enforcement of Ghana’s rent laws. Although the law clearly stipulates that landlords cannot demand more than six months’ rent in advance, in practice, enforcement is almost non-existent. Many landlords continue to demand two to three years’ rent upfront, in blatant violation of the Rent Act, 1963 (Act 220).
Authorities have moved to digitize rent control services, hoping to ease complaints and speed up dispute resolution. However, housing advocates insist more must be done to protect tenants, including regulating rent increases and curbing large advance payments.
Analysts also point to a shortage of affordable housing as a major driver of rent hikes. With demand in urban areas far outstripping supply, many renters are pushed into overcrowded spaces or forced to relocate to distant suburbs, raising commuting costs.
Unless policy reforms and affordable housing investments take hold, experts warn, Accra’s rent pressures could worsen inequality and place secure housing further out of reach for ordinary families.
