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Renting in Mauritius as an Expat: Leases and Costs

By Rory Phillips · Updated October 2026

Renting in Mauritius as an expat typically costs Rs 42,500 to Rs 70,000 a month for a two-bedroom apartment and Rs 85,000 to Rs 120,000 for a three or four-bedroom house in the coastal areas we compared, going by the median asking rent in each area in online property listings we read on 28 October 2026. Asking rents can differ from what people agree to pay, and some of our figures rest on five or fewer listings. Fixed-duration leases carry 1.25% registration duty, and the Landlord and Tenant Act 1999 covers rent books, repairs and possession for premises within its scope. Our sources do not confirm usual deposits, notice periods or agent fees, so agree each one in writing.

This guide is for people planning to rent on the island. It covers asking rents by area, the Landlord and Tenant Act, the registration duty, what to agree in writing and what to check before you sign. To pick an area first, try the where to live quiz or read our guide to the best places to live in Mauritius.

What are rents in Mauritius by area?

These are asking rents for long lets, taken from online property listings we read on 28 October 2026. We read about 300 listings across three property portals and agency sites and used 128 that fitted the areas and home types below. Asking rents can differ from what people agree to pay. Each cell gives the typical ask (the median), the range and the number of listings; a cell that rests on five or fewer listings is marked indicative only.

Three-bedroom apartments vary by area. The typical ask was Rs 61,000 in Flic en Flac (18 listings), Rs 77,500 in Grand Baie and Pereybère (8), Rs 79,000 in Tamarin and Black River (7) and Rs 134,000 on the rest of the north coast (14 listings, ranging from Rs 40,000 to Rs 225,000).

Read the figures with caution. We pooled the three sources without removing duplicates, so one home may count twice, and the sources differ: Grand Baie and Pereybère houses had a median of Rs 87,500 on one source (10 ads) and Rs 160,000 on another (4 ads). On the largest source, 41 of 160 ads were more than six months old, which suggests some asking rents are stale; another source loads its results in batches, so our reading of it may be partial. We left out 11 listings with no property type, mostly three or four-bedroom homes in Tamarin and Black River asking Rs 115,000 to Rs 175,000, which would lift that area’s house figure.

Elsewhere we found only a handful of ads: two three-bedroom houses in La Gaulette at Rs 80,000 and Rs 70,000, a four-bedroom villa in Mahébourg at Rs 200,000 (the ad was four months old) and a four-bedroom house in Port Louis at Rs 45,000 (negotiable, but the ad was ten months old and may be stale). We found nothing for Bel Ombre or Le Morne, and at Blue Bay only a wanted ad. For the other monthly costs, see our cost of living guide.

What does the Landlord and Tenant Act 1999 cover?

The Landlord and Tenant Act 1999 (Act 6 of 1999) deals with the rent and possession of premises let in Mauritius. The copy we read is hosted by the FAO’s FAOLEX database, so it is a secondary source, and it is the original 1999 text: we did not check later amendments. Treat what follows as a guide, and ask a Mauritian lawyer what applies today.

• Scope (section 3). The Act applies to premises generally, with listed exceptions. One is premises let in good faith at a rent that includes payment for furniture, or for board and attendance, or for equipment, and the Minister may exclude other categories by regulation (we did not check for any). A furnished let whose rent includes payment for the furniture may therefore fall outside the Act, but whether yours does is a question for a lawyer.
• Written agreements and fair rent (sections 4, 6 and 7). A written agreement is allowed, and the rent agreed in it counts as the fair rent. The Fair Rent Tribunal cannot review or vary a written agreement for three years from its date, unless the Act’s own exceptions apply. For a home let after 15 August 1999 the fair rent is the amount agreed or the amount the Tribunal fixes; a landlord may not ask for or recover more, and a tenant may recover or deduct any excess.
• The rent book (section 5). Unless the tenant has made effective arrangements to pay by standing order to a domestic bank, the landlord must hand over a rent book against a written receipt, record every payment in it and sign beside each entry. Section 4(2) says this applies even when there is a written agreement.
• Rises and passed-on costs (sections 8 and 9). Moving a burden the landlord used to carry onto the tenant is treated as an alteration of the rent, and as an increase if the terms become less favourable overall. A landlord may pass on rises in the taxes, rates or service charges the landlord pays and, for homes let after 15 August 1999, the cost of restoration, improvement or structural alteration (spread over five years, with interest), but not decoration or minor repairs.
• Possession (sections 16 to 26). The District Court may order possession only on listed grounds, among them unpaid rent or another breach, nuisance, deterioration of the premises, subletting without written consent, overcrowding, reconstruction, a tenant’s written notice to quit that the landlord has acted on, and the landlord’s reasonable need of the home for personal or family use. On that last ground the Court weighs the hardship to each side and may order compensation, and in most cases it must also consider the order reasonable.
• Subletting (section 28). A tenant may not sublet or assign the tenancy without the landlord’s consent, and an agreement made in breach is void.
• Repairs (section 31). If the tenant is not responsible for the repairs or for the damage, the District Court can order the landlord to carry them out, after considering the landlord’s finances, and can reduce the rent until they are done.

The text we read has no rule on deposits and no general notice period, so we give no customary figures for either.

What is the registration duty on a lease?

The Registration Duty Act sets duty of 1.25% on a lease, sublease or subrogation of lease of immovable property of fixed duration (First Schedule, Part I, paragraph B, item 4). The Second Schedule assesses it on the rent plus the value of any other charges imposed on the tenant, for the length of the lease or the first ten years, whichever is shorter, and section 3 applies the rate in force when the lease is registered.

On our reading, a 12-month lease at an example rent of Rs 50,000 a month, with no other charges on the tenant, is assessed on Rs 600,000, so the duty is Rs 7,500. That is our own arithmetic, not an official quotation.

We could not confirm three points: who bears the duty, what rate applies to a lease with no fixed duration, and the deadline and penalty for registering a lease signed privately. Agree in the lease who pays, and ask a Mauritian lawyer about the rest. Buying a home brings different duties, which our guide to buying property in Mauritius covers.

What should you agree in writing?

Our sources do not confirm usual deposits, notice periods or agent fees, so we cannot tell you what is customary. Settle each of these in the lease instead, and ask for anything promised in conversation to be added.

• Rent and payment. The monthly amount, the due date and the payment method. The Act’s rent book rule does not apply where the tenant pays by standing order to a domestic bank, so settle which method you will use.
• Deposit. The amount, what it covers, and when and how it is returned.
• Term, early exit and notice. The length of the lease, what happens at the end, whether either side can leave early, and the notice each must give.
• Agent or letting fee. Whether one is charged, how much, who pays it and when.
• Registration duty. Who pays the 1.25%, and who arranges the registration.
• Bills. Which of electricity, water, internet and any building or estate charges the tenant pays, and whose name the meters and accounts are in.
• Rent changes. Whether the rent can rise during the term, when and by how much, bearing in mind the Act’s rules on passed-on costs.
• Repairs and upkeep. Who looks after the roof, plumbing, air conditioning, pool and garden, and who pays.
• Subletting and guests. Who may stay, given that the Act requires the landlord’s consent to subletting.
• Inventory. A signed list of the contents and their condition, which matters most for a furnished let.

Photograph everything: on the day you collect the keys, date the photos, and have both sides sign the inventory. Keep a copy of each with your copy of the lease.

What should you check before you sign?

Asking rents come from listings that can be months old, so first confirm that the home exists and is still available at the advertised rent.

• See the place. Visit in person, or send someone you trust if you are still abroad, and test the taps, drains, doors, windows and any air conditioning.
• Get it in writing. Read the agreement against the list above before you pay anything.
• Ask for recent bills. Request the last electricity and water bills, including one from a summer month, to see what the home costs to run. Our cost of living guide sets out the electricity blocks and the water tariff.
• Ask about water. Is the supply continuous, or on a schedule? Is there a storage tank and a pump, and who maintains them? How often has the supply been interrupted? If there is a pool, who pays for the water it uses? The Central Water Authority lists a Rs 500 swimming pool fee above 50 m³ a month; its page is undated, so check the fee is current.
• Ask about cyclones. Do the windows and doors have shutters or other protection? What condition is the roof in? Does the plot or the access road flood in heavy rain? Where would you park a car? Who looks after the property if you are away?

The official cyclone season runs from 1 November to 15 May. At Class III the Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) tell households to secure doors, windows and vehicles and store loose articles, and at Class IV to stay inside in the safest part of the house. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office adds that you are not allowed to leave your accommodation during a cyclone. Our guide to cyclone season in Mauritius explains the warning classes.

Why does the climate matter when you rent?

Because it changes a lot over short distances. In the Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) normals for 1971 to 2000, the station on the central plateau is the coolest and, with the east, the wettest of the five regional stations, and the one on the west coast much the driest. Our guide to the best places to live in Mauritius sets all five side by side.

That leads to two checks. In the warmer west and north, ask what cooling the home has and who pays to run it: the MMS outlook of 27 October 2026 expects above-normal temperatures in summer 2026-27, with maxima that may reach around 36°C on western coasts. On the plateau, ask about damp and ventilation, and look for mould in wardrobes and bathrooms when you view.

Frequently asked questions

Sources, checked 28 October 2026

Official pages come first, and the two secondary items, a copy of the Landlord and Tenant Act hosted by the FAO and our reading of online listings, come last.

• Registration Duty Act (published by the Mauritius Revenue Authority): the 1.25% duty on leases of fixed duration, how it is assessed and the rate in force at registration.
• Climate of Mauritius and the regional climatological tables (Mauritius Meteorological Services): Centre, West, North, East and South, for the 1971 to 2000 temperatures and rainfall.
• Seasonal climate forecast (Mauritius Meteorological Services, 27 October 2026): the cyclone season dates and the summer 2026-27 temperature outlook.
• Cyclone precautions (Mauritius Meteorological Services): what households are told to do at Class III and Class IV. The warning system page explains what the classes mean.
• Water tariffs (Central Water Authority): the swimming pool fee for domestic consumers. The page is undated.
• Mauritius travel advice: safety and security (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office): conduct during a cyclone.
• Secondary: the Landlord and Tenant Act 1999 (Act 6 of 1999), a copy hosted by the FAO’s FAOLEX database: the provisions summarised above. We read the original text and did not check amendments.
• Secondary: online property listings: long lets on three property portals and agency sites, read 28 October 2026 (no link): the asking rents, listing counts and caveats.

General information only, not immigration, tax, legal or financial advice. Mauritius often changes these rules in its June Budget, so check the official pages above and speak to a qualified professional before you act.