Rent Control orders UGEL, private hostel operators to refund excess rent by November 17

The Rent Control Department (RCD) has directed the University of Ghana Enterprises Limited (UGEL) and all private hostel operators across the country to suspend rent increases that have not undergone the required legal assessment and refund excess rent paid by affected tenants by November 17, 2026.

The directive, issued on November 2, 2026, requires affected operators to immediately restore previous rental rates and stop collecting increased rents until the applicable assessment process has been completed and statutory requirements satisfied.

The Department said the decision followed a petition from the University of Ghana Students’ Representative Council (UGSRC), seeking a review of proposed residential fees by UGEL.

Following the petition, the Rent Control Department requested clarification from UGEL.

After considering the matter, the Department extended the directive to all private hostel owners and operators nationwide.

The RCD maintained that private hostel accommodation falling within the scope of Ghana’s rent laws is subject to its regulatory oversight, stressing that describing premises as student accommodation or a private hostel does not automatically exempt operators from complying with rent legislation.

Under the directive, operators are required to maintain previous rental rates until the necessary assessment and statutory procedures for implementing revised rents have been completed.

The Department has also ordered operators to refund the difference between the previous rental rate and the increased amount actually paid by affected tenants.

The refund exercise is expected to run from November 3 to November 17, 2026, with operators required to identify affected tenants, calculate excess payments and provide documentary evidence of refunds for verification.

However, the Department clarified that refunds will cover only the difference resulting from the increased rental rates and will not include original rent payable under previous arrangements or separate legitimate charges unrelated to the increases.

The RCD has also warned hostel operators against intimidating, threatening, harassing or victimising tenants who question rent increases, seek refunds or report suspected violations.

It further cautioned against using threats of eviction, denial of accommodation or other unlawful means to compel tenants to accept unassessed increases or abandon complaints.

The Department said it would conduct inspections, examine tenancy and payment records, verify refunds and investigate complaints as part of its monitoring and enforcement measures.

It cited provisions of the Rent Act, 1963 (Act 220), including sections 25(1)(b), 25(1)(i), 26(1) and 27(1), warning that operators found to have contravened the law could face the prescribed legal consequences.

The directive applies not only to UGEL and University of Ghana-affiliated accommodation facilities but also to all private hostel owners and operators nationwide whose accommodation falls within the scope of applicable rent laws.

The Acting Rent Commissioner, Frederick Opoku, signed the directive, which was issued by Sylvia Kenou, Head of the Corporate Affairs and Communications Unit of the Rent Control Department.

The Department has urged all affected operators to comply immediately, warning that failure to suspend unassessed rent increases and refund excess payments by November 17 could attract enforcement action in accordance with the law