Why Liberia Needs a Rental History Tracking System Now

Dear Editor,

This is a public policy prescription to the Legislature to enact a bill to be signed into law for the establishment of: A Rental History Tracking System in Liberia – to keep track of a tenant’s past rental behavior, including payment history, lease compliance, property condition at move-out, outstanding balances and court actions and positive references (HUD, 2023.)

Problem: The rental housing sector in Liberia continues to face growing tension between landlords and tenants due to the absence of a formal system to track rental history.

Evidently and on a daily basis, this policy gap continues to create an endless imbalance that affects not only property owners, but responsible tenants and the housing market as well – many people are becoming very reluctant to invest in the housing industry. Currently, there are no verifiable records of rent payment behavior, lease compliance, or property damage, and landlords are unable to properly assess risk. As a result, habitual defaulters and lease violators can move from one property to another without accountability. Similarly, responsible tenants are often and unnecessary subjected to unfair screening practices. These situations fuel mistrust and frequent disputes, many of which end up in our already uncertain court system.

This is why, we prescribe that a regulated rental history tracking system be established through legislation and managed by relevant authorities or local governments to promote fairness, transparency and accountability in the housing sector. Such a system should require regular landlord reporting, protect tenant rights through dispute mechanisms and ensure information collected are solely for housing purposes.

The policy goal here is not to punish tenants, rather to protect responsible renters by rewarding good rental behavior and creating a more predictable and stable housing environment in Liberia. For landlords, it would reduce financial losses and encourage continued investment in Liberia housing market.

As Liberia continues to urbanize, especially in Monrovia and other growing cities, we ask our Legislative branch to know that a sustainable housing sector requires modern system. So, we call on the lawmakers and relevant entities to initiate discussions toward enacting rental history tracking System and lease registration policies that serve both tenants and landlords. Undoubtedly, a regulated housing market benefits everyone. That is why, we are prescribing this policy for the lawmakers to enact a bill to be signed into law – A Rental History Tracking System in Liberia.

A housing market without regulations is like a country without a constitution.

Thanks,

Jesse Fahngon