TAKORADI LANDLORDS PAINT HOUSES ....(Page 29)

Story: Moses Dotsey Aklorboru, Takoradi
After the Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly (SAEMA) started prosecuting some property owners in the metropolis for non-compliance with the assembly’s directives to them to paint their houses which have not seen paint in the past five years, the vogue now is that almost every landlord is painting his/her house.
The demand for painters far exceeds what is available as property owners are rushing to paint their houses to escape the wrath of the metropolitan assembly.
People who occupy family property, who initially refused to finance the painting of the houses because they did not belong to them, are now doing so.
Corporate bodies, who were warned by the SAEMA, have either contacted the property owners to paint the houses or are through their own initiative painting them.
Before the celebration of Ghana’s 50th independence anniversary, the assembly held a series of meetings with property owners in the metropolis at which it impressed upon them to paint their buildings but they did not heed to the friendly advice given them by the assembly on many occasions.
In December last year, the assembly decided to enforce its regulations and bye-laws, after many persuasions had failed to yield the desired results, and to compel the property owners to paint their buildings.
When the SAEMA moved into action many buildings which hitherto did not look habitable have now been given a facelift with a few buckets of paint making one to wonder why the property owners had to wait to be told to do the right thing.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the assembly, Mr John Laste, property owners were expected to paint their houses every five years. “We at the assembly thought that property owners will voluntarily paint their buildings because of the horrible state of the structures.”
He said most of the buildings were being rented to individuals and corporate bodies and it was just right that when rents were taken, the property owners would spend a few cedis to paint them to enhance the beauty of the metropolis.
“It is not the wish of the assembly to go chasing people to paint their properties. Ours is to prosecute as stated in the laws governing the metropolis but we decided first to appeal to the property owners to do so but the appeal fell on death ears. We were compelled to enforce the law and we will continue to prosecute all recalcitrant landlords,” he said.
Mr Laste said there were many on the list to appear before court and more were yet to be added.