Acting Rent Control Commissioner Fredrick Opoku has warned that landlords who demand rent payments in US dollars could be publicly exposed as part of efforts to clamp down on the practice.
Speaking to Nana Aba Anamoah on Morning Starr on Starr FM, Mr Opoku said the Rent Control Department would intensify its efforts to identify landlords engaging in dollar-denominated rent transactions and report them to the Bank of Ghana.
He said the department had previously approached the leadership of the Bank of Ghana to propose collaboration aimed at addressing the use of foreign currencies in domestic rental transactions.
According to him, the engagement was intended to allow both institutions to combine their efforts to tackle the practice, with the central bank playing the leading role in enforcing measures against the use of dollars in domestic transactions.
Mr Opoku, however, said the department had received no response from the Bank of Ghana five months after the meeting, raising concerns about the level of cooperation between the two institutions.
He maintained that although the Rent Control Department was prepared to support the central bank’s efforts, it could not independently assume the full responsibility of an institution mandated to address the issue.
Despite the lack of response, the Acting Commissioner Fredrick Opoku said the department would not abandon its efforts to identify landlords demanding rent in dollars.
He disclosed that the department planned to deploy its task force from next year to monitor rental transactions, identify property owners collecting rent in foreign currencies and report them to the Bank of Ghana.
Mr Opoku stressed that the department would carry out its responsibilities in the national interest, regardless of whether other institutions offered the expected support.
He warned that landlords involved in the practice could be publicly identified, regardless of their social standing or connections.
“Any way, they could be named and shamed. We’ll bring them out, whoever is involved taking dollars, no matter your pedigree in society, we’ll bring you out and call your name,” he said.
He insisted that the department would not allow the status of individuals to influence its efforts to address the practice.
He said the department remained committed to supporting the Bank of Ghana in tackling dollarisation, adding that its responsibility to the country would continue regardless of the level of cooperation it received from other institutions.
Mr Opoku reiterated that the planned task force operations would focus on identifying landlords demanding rent in dollars and referring the cases to the central bank for further action.
Story By Pamela Quayson
