Accessing Private Rental Housing in the Absence of Housing Information in Ghana
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Accessing Private Rental Housing in the Absence of Housing Information in Ghana Albert Adu-Gyamfi 1 & Patrick Brandful Cobbinah 2 & Eric Gaisie 2 Divine Delai Kpodo 1
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# Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract While housing research in the developed world illustrates rental information channels, little is known about the situation in developing countries. This study examines the channels of information that are used in the private rental housing market by renters using Kumasi metropolis in Ghana as a case study. Using qualitative research methods involving interviews, findings show that unlike the developed world where rental information is readily available online, renters rely on a network of friends, relatives, co-worshippers and informal agents to find rental properties. A personal search is also common amongst renters. The use of these channels of information is founded on the absence of publicly available rental data. It is suggested that the rental space be regulated as a starting point to ensuring more formality and a better flow of information in the rental market. Keywords Private rental sector . Rental information; landlords . Renters; informal agents .
Kumasi . Ghana
* Albert Adu-Gyamfi [email protected]; [email protected] Patrick Brandful Cobbinah [email protected] Eric Gaisie [email protected] Divine Delai Kpodo [email protected]
1
Department of Planning, College of Art and Built Environment, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
2
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
A. Adu-Gyamfi et al.
Introduction Given the socioeconomic and health outcomes of decent housing, its promotion has become a popular development strategy and economic slogan for many governments worldwide (Soederberg 2018). With private rental being a common form of tenure, the promotion, production and availability of decent rental housing units have profound implications for the economic, social and health outcomes in countries globally (Gulyani et al. 2018). The support for private rental tenure is particularly the case in situation where emphasis is placed on housing availability and accessibility, although commonly endorsed with minimal regard for actual implementation and outcomes. This practice is frequently attributed to the common belief that available and accessible housing intrinsically improves the quality of life of all, particularly the poor and the disadvantaged in society (Akaabre et al. 2018; Adu-Gyamfi 2018). However, evidence has demonstrated that this characterisation of housing does not always lead to overall community improvement and benefit (Clarke and Ginsburg 1975; Oruwari 1994). While across the developed world, there is evidence of transparency in the private rental housing market in terms of easily accessible information and strong regulatory framework, the dynamics are different across developing countries particularly those in Africa. In Africa, rent
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