5 steps to buy a property in Mauritius

Are you dreaming of buying a property on an island paradise in the Indian Ocean? Mauritius is the perfect destination for you. There you will enjoy tropical nature, rich culture and sights. A wonderful climate characterized by the warmest month being February and the coldest in August. The island is suitable for living and vacationing all year round, and its magnetic atmosphere will leave you breathless.

If you are tempted to buy property in Mauritius, here are the five steps to use.

1. Identify the ideal property
Whether you are planning to move to Mauritius or simply investing in a booming sector like real estate, there are several criteria to consider when finding the right property. Look for an apartment or house that best suits your expectations and your lifestyle: will you live there all year or part of the year? Do you want space and a garden or a property that is easy to close and maintain when you are not on the island? Will you be renting out the property?

2. Consult a professional real estate agent
If you want the transaction to go smoothly, you will need the services of experienced professionals. Using a real estate agent ensures the success of your purchase because they will act as an intermediary between the seller or investor and you, the buyer. One of his tasks is to evaluate the property for sale at its real price and to accompany you in the negotiation and purchase process. Considering the experience of the agencies, they will be able to guide you to make the right choice. They will present to you the strengths and weaknesses of a given property or project in an objective and independent manner, based on which you will be able to make your decision.

3. Check that all documents are in order
When buying a property, you need to make sure that the documents are in order. This is mostly the seller's title deed, which is a proof that the seller is indeed the owner and has the right to sell their property to you. That is why it is important to be accompanied by a qualified real estate agent who will have already checked all these elements and avoid any risks. He will then accompany you through the buying process, which is not easy when buying a property abroad.

4. Consult a notary
In Mauritius, it is up to the buyer to choose the notary who will prepare the sale, except in certain cases such as the acquisition of a property in a specific real estate project when the notary has been nominated by the developer. The notary remains impartial and will provide his objective advice to both parties, buyer and seller. He will advise on the various clauses to be included in a promise of sale and subsequently in the sales contract, and also on the most appropriate way to buy, if under your own name or using a legal entity, for a better structuring of your assets and your inheritance. The notary will therefore take care of the preliminary formalities and the signing of the final documents. He is responsible for checking whether the property is free from any mortgages and charges. Finally, he will be responsible for registering the deed of sale with the Registration Department within a few days following the signature of the sale, and deliver a copy duly registered to the buyer thereafter.

5. Paying fees
The fees that you will have to pay to the notary as the purchaser of real estate in Mauritius are: Registration Fees currently set at 5%; notary fees established according to a specific scale of fees ; Agency Fees amounting to 2% plus 15% VAT on these 2%. In some real estate projects, all these expenses are often included in the selling price, or at least agency fees, and notary fees are sometimes fixed at a flat rate of 1% plus VAT. Buying a property in a project through a reputable real estate agency will not represent an additional cost for the buyer since it is the developer who in most cases remunerates the real estate agency. The buyer can therefore trust the real estate agent who will give him this objective opinion on each project that he will need to make the best choice.

Unique Estates and our official partner in Mauritius - the island's leading luxury real estate agency Park Lane Properties, a member of the global network Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® and Luxury Portfolio International, will offer you professional service and premium assistance.

Impressive properties for purchase and investment on the island of Mauritius can be found in our portfolio HERE.