You’ll be liable if you fail to check tenants’ background – Police to landlords

The Police has warned that landlords who fail to do rigorous background checks on potential tenants, especially foreigners, will be held liable if they are involved in any crime.

Director of Operations at the Accra Regional Police Command, ACP Kwesi Ofori, said landlords should take and keep some form of identity and have a lot of information about people who come to them to hire or buy their properties.

He told Joy News’ Gifty Andoh Appiah on The Pulse Friday, that landlords will be considered as accomplices and they will be seriously dealt with.

“People cannot come and use your property as a prison to detain others and maltreat them…investigations will seriously count them in [when their tenants commit crimes],” he said.

Police are on a manhunt for three Nigerian men who kidnapped a Consular General and Head of Mission of Estonia in Accra last Thursday, April 18.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Police command, DSP Efia Tenge, 61-year-old Nabil Makram Bashbous was on his usual morning walk in his neighbourhood when he was abducted.

The diplomat said he could not make out the location he was driven to but was detained in a room and held hostage for payment of ransom.

The police followed up on the intelligence and located the house at Sakumono, but their attempts to enter the house was met with resistance from the occupants. In the process, all three occupants scaled over a fence wall at the back of the house and escaped.

Mr. Makram Basbous came out from one of the rooms, subsequently.

On Friday, a 30-year-old Indian businessman abducted on Thursday night was also rescued by the police.

Umpakan Chodri sought refuge in a house on the premises of Akokoamon primary/JHS school in the Ashanti region after he begged some women in the house to be hidden as he narrowly escaped his pistol-wielding captors.

Through the help of the women, he contacted his brother who also contacted the police. 

On the back of this, ACP Ofori is warning landlords to do the needful when contacted by would-be tenants.

He said in the Sakumono case, the landlord has been invited to answer questions for allowing his property to be used for that. 

The Director of Operations at the Accra Regional Police Command wants Parliament to pass legislation which empowers all landlords to take some form of identity card before hiring out or selling their property. 

Below are some safety tips for the public from ACP Ofori.  

– The moment you see any struggle between two people in which someone/people is/are trying to push someone/people into a vehicle you should immediately call the police emergency numbers or any local police. 

-The public should take interest in the police officers around their area and have their contacts if possible.

– People should study their environment well and not take things for granted when they notice someone/people following them when they are on foot or driving.

– He is urging those who find themselves in such situations to immediately toot their horns, do something unusual to raise alarm or drive to the nearest police station.

– ACP Ofori is also discouraging people from going to the ATM at night when the place has less human activity.

– For those withdrawing money from the banks, he said they should solicit for off-the-counter-service so they don’t draw unnecessary attention to themselves.

– According to him, one can never tell the bad people loitering so they should not go around pulling wad of cash in public places or business areas like the mall.