The Rent Control Department has cautioned tenants and prospective tenants against paying rent with sex or barter.
According to the Department, tenants are only permitted to pay their rent in cash and cannot trade anything else with their landlords.
Speaking to Accra-based Rainbow Radio, Emmanuel Kporsu, the Public Relations Officer of the Rent Control Department referred to Section 31 of the Rent Act (Act 220), which explicitly prohibits barter trade between tenants and landlords. He clarified that the law was formulated with careful consideration, specifically addressing this issue.
“The Rent Law is emphatic and states that we cannot use any other thing in place of money to pay your rent. So to extend this explanation, you cannot engage in a barter trade with your landlord. If you have anything that you would want to give as a barter, then sell it yourself and use the money to pay your rent.”
“You cannot trade sex as payment for your rent as a woman who has rented from your landlord. You cannot also trade sex with your landlady if you are a man paying for your rent. That is unlawful. Apart from money, you cannot use anything else to pay your rent. So you cannot pay in kind or use any property as barter but can only pay in cash.”
Kporsu highlighted Section 17 of the Rent Act, which allows landlords to evict tenants who fail to pay rent for a month. He advised tenants to communicate openly with their landlords and reach mutually acceptable arrangements for rent payment.
“If you do have money, negotiate with your landlord and agree on a period during which you can pay the rent. Section 17 of the Rent Act states that when you do not pay your rent for a month, the landlord can evict you. So if you are facing any challenges, speak with your landlord, negotiate with him, and if he or she agrees, you pay within an agreed period,” he added.
“This is not a loan system that requires you to have collateral before you get the loan. It is rent, and you can only pay your rent with cash and not in kind, sex, or any other process.”
