Tenancy agreement (rent agreement)

A tenancy agreement turns an informal deal into terms both sides can point to later. Rent Control asks for it when it hears a dispute, and it is the first document to check if anything goes wrong.

What a good agreement contains:

• the names and contact details of the landlord and tenant, and of any agent;
• the address and a description of the property;
• the rent, how often it is paid and how;
• the advance paid, stated truthfully;
• any security deposit and the conditions for its return;
• the start date and length of the tenancy, and how it can be renewed;
• who pays for utilities, and who is responsible for which repairs;
• notice periods and the grounds for ending the tenancy;
• signatures of both parties and witnesses.

Registration. Under PNDCL 138 the landlord must register residential tenancies with Rent Control within the time shown in the figures. Rent Control has warned that landlords who do not provide and register agreements can be penalised, and in 2026 set a deadline for landlords to bring their records up to date.

Agents. Where a licensed agent brokers a longer tenancy, the Real Estate Agency Act applies: payments must not be in cash.

Where the Documents service is available, you can build a tenancy agreement from a template; see the link under Find property.

The same laws apply nationally. Agreements in Greater Accra are more often drafted by lawyers or agents; in smaller towns, short handwritten agreements are common. Whatever the form, the key terms above should be written down and signed.