Changing family systems in Ghana and its effects on access to urban rental housing: a study of the Offinso Municipality

Individualization of the family system in Ghana has implications for residential housing access particularly in urban areas. In this paper, the authors examined the effects of the changing family system on access, demand and supply of rental housing. The cross-sectional study design was adopted with Offinso Municipality as a case study. Through a multi-stage sampling approach, structured and unstructured questionnaires were used to collect data from 100 renters and 100 landlords. Findings revealed a reduction in the supply of rental housing while increasing demand as a result of the changing family system. Rental housing prices were also found to have increased by 86.17% between the years 2010 and 2015. Findings from the study based on preferences of new family systems for privacy and comfort are also likely to address the problem of scarcity of rental housing and associated escalating rental housing prices.