The impact of households characteristics on the state of housing in the Offinso South Municipality (OSM), Ghana

Housing deprivation is a major problem confronting Ghanaian households both in the urban and rural environments. This paper investigates the housing condition in the Offinso South Municipality (OSM). It finds out the adequacy of housing to households in the municipality. It sampled eight neighbourhoods in the OSM for data collection. Questionnaires were employed to garner empirical data from the households and property owners in the OSM. The paper finds out that there is high room occupancy rate and high household and population concentration in the housing units in the OSM. It notes that characteristics such as the level of education, authorization status of the house, annual household income, household size and autochthony correlate with measures of housing adequacy. The paper suggests that the municipal authority put in place appropriate standards to guide developers on the minimum acceptable housing facilities. Also, the municipal authority should adopt innovative approaches to encourage voluntary compliance to its building regulations.