Acting Rent Control Commissioner, Frederick Opoku, has warned private hostels, particularly Vikings and Pent Hostel on the University of Ghana campus, against taking decisions on hostel prices without approval from the Rent Control Department.
He made the remarks during the launch of the NUGS RENTCARE App on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at the SRC Union Building on the University of Ghana campus.
The RentCare Unit App, developed and launched by the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), is a digital initiative specifically designed to address the persistent accommodation and housing challenges faced by tertiary students across Ghana.
Speaking at the programme, he reiterated the need for private hostel operators to act lawfully and comply with directives from the Rent Control Department.
“I was here, this hostel Vikings, right? So disrespectful. I don’t know those who are behind that hostel, and they are warned on this campus, Legon. Vikings, I’m repeating, I was there, and then they won’t come out. I will put them on the spotlight,” he said.
He further warned that sanctions would be imposed on any hostel that acts contrary to the directive.
“But I am telling them that if they are a private hostel, if they play the game, I will close it down here on Legon campus! They can go to wherever they want to go, if they move a step! And Pent, these hostels, if they move a step and give anything contrary to my directive, Pent will be closed down, Vikings will be closed down! They should hold on,” he stated.
The Commissioner emphasized that the directives apply to all private hostels operating within the university community, stressing that no institution is above the law.
He also urged students to act as whistleblowers and report any hostel operators who fail to comply with the directive.
“And if you receive anything from them that they defy our directive, kindly report here, and let us do justice to them. This directive applies to all of them, and none of them is above the law,” he added.
The warning comes amid growing concerns over rising hostel prices and accommodation challenges facing students on university campuses.
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Story by Abraham Aboagye | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Erica Odeenyin Odoom
