Beware when Renting accomodation in Mauritius

Hi Everyone...

I have been living in Mauritius for almost 3 years now and have had a very bad experience with most of the accommodation I have rented. This article serves to bring awareness to the issues I have experienced and possibly bring people who have experienced similar circumstances together and then maybe we can make a difference.

Let it be known that I rent 'middle income' property in good areas from what seem like decent people, initially, and then they turn into devious greedy monsters when things need to be repaired and  the rental deposit needs to be refunded.

The agencies I have used are very eager to take their commission but never help when there are problems  to be sorted out. I dont see the point of paying comission if they are not going to protect you 'the leesee' when necessary.

It seems there is no where to turn and no one who can help. Even the contract isn't worth the paper it is written on if poor people like me don't have the money or time to take small disputes to court.

I feel lost and alone and unsupported by the system with regards to this issue. Im certain I am not the only one. Lets get together with our stories and our breeched contracts and try to put an end to this fiasco!!!

so sad to hear your story my dear.  And you did a good job bringing it up for others to learn from it and take precautions.

thanks Clinton. I've got other friends who are in the same situation and thought we should try do something to rectify the situation.

Has anyone got their deposit back from a landlord, ever?

Hello Trish,
As we are now approaching the general elections, this is the best time to put forward  your "deposit" and "repair" problems to the candidates. You can ask people around you when the candidates are touring your area and have a chat with them. May I suggest that you prepare a small documents with all the facts and presnt it to the candidates when they ask for it.
Another suggestion is to present your case and that of other people whom you know are in the same situation to the police.
If you are not satisfied with the police, please contact the newspapers and the radio.

Unfortunately there are dishonest people all over the world; tourists and foreigners do often get ripped off; please note that  the legal system here works at an unusually slow pace.

My two cents worth !

Enjoy your weekend all the same :-)

Cheers,
Chad

As mentioned in the French Forum and if you don't understand a bit of French :
Try to contact this "radio man"

Finlay Salesse, c'est le pourfendeur des causes perdues, grand défenseur de la veuve et l'orphelin !
"Enquête en direct" de 9h à 11h du lundi au vendredi sur Radio One.
Tél: 210 89 10
Il est préférable de téléphoner avant 9h.
www.r1.mu

Translation:
Finlay Salesse, defender of the lost causes, from the widow to the orphan
His radio show is on Radio one from 9 AM to 11:00 AM M-Monday to Friday
Try to call him before 9 AM to explain your case before he goes on the air and then see what he  will suggest you to do to get your case on his show.

Thank you Chad. Your advice is valued.

We have lived in mauritius for 14 years and rented 5 properties! For 4 of them we've had major landlord problems, like you said, started out nice until something went wrong and then out to fleece every rupee they can. Don't know how to advise you. We did however have one landlord that was excellent and very professional, so they are around, just hard to find.

If you reported landloards here over this forum might give an idea for people to avoid them.

Hi,

I have been reading the different posts on the bad experience while renting which some of you have had during their rent and I would like say that I have had the same experience in France while trying to get my deposit back.  I agree that there might be landlords that might not play according to the agreed rules but we should not generalised as there are also dishonest people from the lessee side also.  When someone is renting according to a lease agreement the most important aspect is the trust that should exist between the one is paying a rent the landlord who is leasing usually renting with a deposit which will in most cases never cover the damages but is just a way to remind the lessee to take good care of the property. Be constructive with each other when to come across an issue through a lease agreement as it will be financially more interesting for for to find a mutual agreement since most of the time it comes from a misunderstanding of the lease agreement. How many lessee will inform the landlord about a damage that will impact on his deposit if the landlord have not notices/detected it during the check out ?

As for the post concerning the report of the landlords I would expect that those people wishing to go in this direction to check the data protection act prevailing in Mauritius as you might be ahead of big trouble by disclosing private information online and potentionally causing harm by doing so.

Hope I have been able to provide a new way of handling these situations.

Regards,

Acmez

acmez wrote:

Hi,
As for the post concerning the report of the landlords I would expect that those people wishing to go in this direction to check the data protection act prevailing in Mauritius as you might be ahead of big trouble by disclosing private information online and potentionally causing harm by doing so.
Acmez


You are totally right about this part.

Hi
i am the complete opposite. I have had nightmare tenants who didnt pay and destroyed my things and my house was new then.
Its abit of both.
I have forked out loads of money due to bad tenants.
Havent taken any new ones on yet but am now reconsidering it as moving back the uk early next year.

lne1 wrote:

Hi
i am the complete opposite. I have had nightmare tenants who didnt pay and destroyed my things and my house was new then.
Its abit of both.
I have forked out loads of money due to bad tenants.
Havent taken any new ones on yet but am now reconsidering it as moving back the uk early next year.


You said they destroyed your property.. that's a pity I don't know what to tell you.. you have all the right to keep the insurance. I have the same problem here when thinking of renting my flat to someone.. I have to be careful. which is hard..

Good luck with your next tenants.

Tamer.........

Hello All,
I have been on a lot of websites, tourist forums, etc. and none are very complementary about renting property in Mauritius, whether for holiday or long term stay. However, everybody should by now have developed some Mauritian friends and contacts. I have been renting in Mauritius for more than 10 years, and all the accommodation was arranged through contacts and friends. I have had no regrets so far and am grateful for all their advise and guidance in finding the right accommodation. That is the method I recommend - forget about the agents.

I have always been in good hands for two years now,  the few houses i lived in ,there was no issues.   I'm cool and  i always  keep it neat and use the properties with care. currently where am staying the landlord is good. And there is a flat  for long term rent though. :)

put it  all down to experience, i rented my property, to it seems decent persons, they wrecked my place  the deposit was not enough to cover my expenses.it is not the land lord who is to be blame it is the tenants who thinks every thing is permitted they refuse you access to the premises and don't respect the terms of the contract.[moderated: offensive post]

hi, thank for sharing this information am planning to relocate to Mauritius next year these information will really help me.

Also be aware RE Agents in Mauritius also charge both the landlord AND prospective tenant commission on the deal (typically one month each) and basically do nothing in return for either party apart from getting the lease. A nice little earner for little work. Try to rent privately if you can. The RE Agent does nothing for you

Hi. Yes u r right

I have experienced this also, this altitude is mostly melted on foreigners. I usually don't agree to pay deposit because you rarely get it back even if you do, they would find a way to deduct your money on flimsy excuses. Very few are kind and keep to their words. It is worse if you are an expatriate.
I hope the affected  landlords on this Island change their perspective on this matter.

I am intending to come to Mauritius as a student.  I have discovered that the University I will be attending does not offer residence.  the university is in in Bonne Terre.  Can anyone please advise me how I should go about to get reason priced yet good accommodation.... and how much is student accommodation.  Thank you..

Hi everyone,

@ Sima Dube, please drop an advert in the Housing in Mauritius  or browse through the l'express property website : https://www.lexpressproperty.com/en/.

@ Honesty_Man, please drop an advert in the housing section. In any case, the North is way too far from Bonne Terre.

All the best,
Bhavna

@Bhavna, thank you very much for the information...

very sorry to hear that  but to a certain extent you are right particularly how the "locals" treat you . If you were interested we are English based in grand bay , we have apartments for long term rental which you can find on the housing site  if you need any further assistance to see them let me know
Regards
Sue

I have places personal houses at eben for rent.

Sad to hear this. But you should be cautious from what kind of people you are renting from and negociate well before renting. ***

Moderated by Christine 6 years ago
Reason : please post your ad in the housing section. Thank you.

Hi me jay living in north I rent villa for short and long term without the need to pay commission to agent and at an affordable price and away from the problem you are facing and my marketing  for next year's and for future it will be people like and if you are interested let me know and the place is trou aux biches. Thnks and take care

Hi sir I am experimenting the same problem they don't pay and they switch off their phone. Do you have any tip for me anything will help. Thank

Hi sir how did you get them out. Thank

Hi

I'm looking to relocate to Mauritius (I am a barrister), where is your property located and how much is the rent?

Thank you
( I am interested in purchasing a small property, preferably in tamarin/flic en flaq, but am open to suggestions. Also, preferably on the beach!)

Regards,
Françoise

Hi Sue.

I really hope you can help me, I need a good lawyer in the Quatre Bornes/ Rose Hill area. If you can help with this I would be most grateful.

Best Regards.

Mike Somers

Just to share based on my experience here, and that is not to waste your time and money with an agent. Be prepared to write off your deposit as the landlord becomes a different being once you terminate the lease and they have to refund your deposit. At least you would save on the commission being paid to an agent.