The reasons, the rules, and what tenants can do.
Sekondi-Takoradi, in the Western Region, was once known for affordable rent. Today, tenants describe leases that become a nightmare when they expire, with some landlords asking for up to two years of rent in advance. A September 2025 opinion article by a Takoradi based journalist set out why, and this guide goes through his argument, adds what the Rent Control Department has said in 2026, and turns it into advice for tenants.
This guide is general information only. It draws on one writer's opinion, news reports, and statements from the Rent Control Department. Ghana does not publish an official rent index for Takoradi, so every figure here is reported, not verified. For prices, see our Takoradi renting guide.
The writer starts with the 2021 census, which counted 42,162 housing units for 96,535 households in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis, with the population growing about 2.6 percent a year. By simple division, that is about 2.3 households for every housing unit, which suggests why competition for rooms is so strong.
He also compares rents then and now. By his figures, a two bedroom flat in prime areas such as Beach Road, Chapel Hill, Windy Ridge, and Airport Ridge rose from about GH₵700 to GH₵1,000 a month to about GH₵1,500 to GH₵2,000. For a single room in areas such as New Takoradi, Amanful, Essikado, Kwesimintsim, and Effiakuma, he says the rent rose from GH₵40 to GH₵60 a month between 2010 and 2015 to about GH₵1,200 to GH₵1,500 today. Treat that last comparison with caution, because the two periods may describe different kinds of rooms, but the direction is clear.
A new single room self contained apartment in Anaji, Kwesimintsim, or Windy Ridge, he says, costs about GH₵700 to GH₵1,200 a month.
People keep arriving. Migration for jobs, education, and business, together with company expansion and institutions such as Takoradi Technical University, has outpaced the supply of homes.
The oil and gas sector. Since Ghana's oil discovery in 2007, the industrial area around Takoradi has drawn expatriates and skilled workers. Their higher incomes raise demand for good quality housing, and landlords price accordingly, which pulls the rest of the market upward.
Building has become expensive. The writer says cement, iron rods, roofing sheets, timber, and labour have all risen steeply over five to six years, which discourages the building of cheap rooms.
Homes are being converted. When landlords turn houses into shops and offices, the number of homes available to rent falls.
Developers build for the top. The writer argues that private developers focus on high end apartments, which leaves low and middle income residents with few choices, and he warns that ordinary families may be pushed into overcrowded or poorly serviced communities on the edge of the city.
The writer says the worst moment for tenants comes when a lease ends and the landlord names a new, higher price, sometimes with up to two years of rent demanded upfront. Two things are worth knowing here.
First, the Rent Act, 1963 (Act 220) says advance rent should not be more than six months. A June 2026 report on Rent Control said that landlords demanding more than six months would be prosecuted, although strict enforcement would only begin after a period of public education.
Second, in a May 2026 interview the Acting Rent Commissioner said that no landlord has the right to raise rent at will, calling it illegal, and that a landlord must apply to the Rent Control Department with evidence of maintenance or improvements to justify an increase. He added that a landlord who has not maintained a building for years cannot credibly blame rising costs. Our guide on negotiating rent and advance explains what you can ask for.
The article ends with six proposals: government and private developers should prioritise affordable housing schemes, the Rent Control Department should be strengthened to enforce the rules on advance payments, developers should get tax relief, subsidised land, or low interest loans for affordable projects, well serviced satellite communities should be planned to ease pressure on the centre, the conversion of homes to commercial use should be regulated, and worker and community cooperative housing schemes should be supported. These are one writer's views, and none of them will change a tenant's situation next month, but they show where the pressure points are.
Know the limits before you negotiate. Six months is the legal ceiling for advance rent, and increases need approval. Read our guide on the Rent Control Department before you meet a landlord.
Ask for the rent card. From August 2026, landlords on monthly tenancies are expected to issue one within seven days. See our guide on moving in.
Compare areas, not just prices. A cheaper room on the edge of the city may lack services or cost more in transport, so add that to your budget.
Avoid agents who charge to show a room. Read our guide on renting without an agent and our guide on spotting a rental scam.
Check the basics. Water and flooding vary a lot across the twin city, and our Takoradi renting guide lists the reports we found.
Rents in Takoradi have risen because demand has grown faster than the supply of affordable homes, and the cost of renting is now as much about the lump sum as the monthly figure. Knowing the legal limits, comparing the total cost, and keeping every receipt are the best protections a tenant has.
ModernGhana, opinion article on the rising cost of rent in Sekondi-Takoradi, September 2025
Graphic Online, No repairs, no justification for rent increase, Rent Control boss tells landlords, May 2026
Ghanaian Times, Suspend rent increases or face legal action, June 2026
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