Rent control P.R.O. speaks on Three-month grace period for tenants

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There has been some form of confusion as to whether or not a landlord should grant a tenant grace period to vacate a premises after the expiry of the tenancy agreement.

Many tenants say they are entitled to such an arrangement while they find a new place.

However, the Public Relations Officer at the Rent Control Department, Emmanuel Hovey Kporsu, speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, said such a claim is a misconception as there is no such provision in the rent laws.

“This notion in the minds of tenants that when you are being evicted, you should be given three months grace period is not in our laws,” he said. According to him, a landlord owes no tenant any grace period, let alone permitting the tenant to stay for the period on free rent.

“So there’s no free rent, and there’s no grace period,” he said on Thursday.

He added that Section 31 of the Rent Law indicates that, “nothing should prevent the landlord from collecting his rent from any tenant.”

Mr Kporsu wondered why a landlord would pay their annual or property rate, only for a tenant after the rent period to say, “I should divide that property rate into how many sections, then give you three months free, who is going to pay for that.”

The PRO, however, explained: “The scenario is that if you’ve come to stay on somebody’s premises and you want to dwell in for a year, getting to the third or second month to the end of your tenancy, you should start a conversation, start talking to the landlord whether you will renew it or you want to vacate.”

He further noted that the engagement will afford the landlord, since he is a commercial venture, also to start looking for somebody to come and dwell in the room when the incumbent tenant moves out.

“But you wait till the end of your tenancy before you go to the landlord or you run to the Rent Control Department that you want grace period and then also that the grace period must be free, this as I said, there’s no grace period, and there’s no free rent,” he stressed.