According to Emmanuel Kprosu, the Public Relations Officer of the Rent Control Department, a landlord cannot lock out a tenant from their apartment due to debt.
Kprosu emphasized that regardless of the offence, the landlord must report any criminal activity to the police. If the issue pertains to rent, the landlord must report it to the department.
Kprosu stressed that there are procedures in place for resolving tenancy disputes, and Rent Control is the legal entity responsible for handling them. He also stated that there is no such thing as free rent in Ghana, and the notion that landlords are required to provide tenants with three months’ notice or amnesty is not supported by the law.
“A landlord has no right to lock out a tenant, no matter what the tenant has done. If it is a criminal offence, then you have to report it to the police. If the issues are related to rent, you have to come to the department. You cannot lock out the tenant or disconnect his electricity or water. That is a criminal offence. Unless a court has granted that order, the Department and the Police will enforce this order.”
“Even if the tenant is indebted to a landlord, you have no right to lock out the tenant. It is a criminal offence. You have to report the person, so we will assist you in addressing the issue.”
“There is no law that mandates the landlord to grant you three months’ notice before evicting you. It will be out of the landlord’s own will to do so. But tenants are required to pay their rent for the period they stayed in a rented apartment,” he emphasised as quoted by Ghanaweb.
