Sikadan homes has a very simple approach in dealing with tenants who really deserve to be evicted due to refusal to pay rent, causing a nuisance and using the premises for an illegal purpose. We call it the Fair Play Tenancy Termination Policy (FPTTP) where we hold series of resolution meetings to amicably terminate the tenancy agreement and ask you to vacate due to the reasons stated above.
Nonetheless, if the FPTTP fails then we will resort to a more legal means in the following seven (7) steps. The entire duration of this action could take up to three (3) months or earlier. The steps are as follows:
- A Complaint form (Form 7) from the general office of the Rent Control Department would be filled with reasons that we believe would warrant an eviction of the tenant. Forms will then be Submitted to the Rent Office and payment of fifty Ghana cedis (GHs50) will be made;
- A summons will be issued inviting the respondent (our tenant) to appear before the Rent Officer at a specified date and time. This summons is to be served on the tenant. If our tenant does not appear after the summons is served on him, a new summons will be issued and sent to the police station closest to where the tenant resides and the police will be instructed to serve the new summons on the tenant to appear at the adjourned date until the matter is disposed of. On the day of the hearing, the Complainant (sikadan homes) is required to drop the summons in a complaint box at the room where the case is to be heard;
- The parties will be called into the Rent Officer’s office after the Rent Officer has picked up the forms;
- The Rent Officer will listen to both sides and review their evidence before making a determination on a party’s favor;
- If the determination is in favour of the landlord (Sikadan Homes), then we will pick up a reference form and send it to the District Court for the Magistrate to enforce the Rent Officer’s decision;
- The District Court upon receiving the Rent Officer’s reference will issue hearing notices to our tenant to appear in court on a set date for the Magistrate to either adopt the Rent Officer’s decision or ask for the tenant’s side of the story before making a determination;
- If the Magistrate makes a determination in favor of us (the landlord), then we will apply for a formal decree from the District Court which may state the amount of rent to be recovered and if it is an eviction, it will state when the keys to the premises should be handed over to us (the landlord).
