Senior Rent Officer and Head of Public Relations at the Rent Control Department, Emmanuel Xove Kporsu, has cautioned that it is illegal for anyone to operate as a real estate agent or broker without a valid licence.
According to him, this comes under the Real Estate Agency Act, 2020 (Act 1047), which regulates agency practice and commercial property transactions in Ghana.
Speaking on Channel One TV on November 21, and monitored by NewsDesksGH, the Senior Rent Officer explained that the law was introduced to check the industry and control rent fees.
“What this act seeks to correct is the fees and charges that agents and brokers charge,” he said.
He added that a council, the Real Estate Agency Council, has also been established to oversee implementation of the Act.
“They prescribe fees and charges for anybody who calls himself agent or broker. They’ll issue license, they’ll issue certificates.”
“They’ll be inspecting your offices, you shouldn’t sit under a tree and call yourself agent,” Mr. Kporsu added.
He further warned that under the law, operating without a licence is a criminal offence.
“It is an offense to call yourself an agent or broker if you don’t have a license,” he stressed.
Mr. Kporsu also pointed to the role some unregulated agents play in worsening Ghana’s rent challenges.
“The agents are contributing to the high rent in Ghana. What the law says is that the landlord has no right to demand more than 6 months rent advance. But we’ve seen that there’s a gap in the law,” he said.
“Those agents and brokers collude with the landlords because they want higher fees,” he added.
He disclosed that ongoing discussions are underway to review the law to strengthen enforcement.
