Private hostel owners operating around the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have challenged the authority of the Rent Control Department to regulate fees charged by purpose-built student hostels.
The hostel owners argue that the Rent Act, 1963 (Act 220), and the Rent Control Law, 1989 (PNDCL 138), do not apply to purpose-built student accommodation, which they say operates under a different regulatory and licensing framework.
The dispute follows an ongoing enforcement exercise by the Rent Control Department targeting private hostels around public universities amid concerns over high accommodation fees. Some KNUST students have reported paying between GH¢5,000 and GH¢10,000 annually for hostel accommodation.
President of the KNUST Hostel Owners Association of Ghana, Bishop Dr Akwasi Owusu-Bi, has called on the Rent Control Department to clarify its jurisdiction and follow due process.
The association’s lawyer, Michael Gyang Owusu, also called for dialogue, arguing that the existing rent laws were enacted before the current model of purpose-built student accommodation became common.
The hostel owners say forcing operators to reduce their fees or withdraw their services could further worsen the shortage of accommodation available to students.