Greetings to all!!

Hey Henry -- Great reading from you and too bad life in The Netherlands has become too hectic for you.

I would love to hear more about your business venture and potentially be of assistance. On a personal note, I have developed a great interest in homes build using shipping containers. Would you consider constructing modern housing utilizing shipping containers ?

I will be in Mauritius from now until after the New Year, please reach out.

Best,

N

Hi everyone,

Container structures for housing and offices already exist on the island and was started by a transportation and logistic company called Velogic Ltd.

The demand for containing housing definitely exists but there is already a nationwide plan by the government to build houses through the National Housing and Development Corporation (NHDC) and several major products are already underway.
However, you can contact the Ministry of Land and Housing and you can explain your business plan and work things out with them.

That said, most of the demand for container structures comes from people looking to open offices or small businesses like SMEs and start-ups.
Container housing has also gained some popularity among the middle classes especially those who already own an agricultural plot of land. Containers being mobile structures, there is no need for a Building and Land use Permit and also no need for land conversion.

Container housing for foreigners will not work out as there are legal restrictions for foreigners regarding purchase of properties in Mauritius - the 'Non Citizen Property Restriction Act'.
Foreigners can only buy apartments with a minimum starting price of MUR 6 million and located in a building of more than 2 storeys.
Other than apartments, expats can only buy in specific programs namely Integrated resort Scheme (IRS), Real Estate Scheme (RES) and Invest Hotel Scheme (IHS) each with different conditions and pricing scale.

Thank you WinstonH,

I have tried to contact the government but they are not very willing.
From what I've heard there is a real hierarchy in the government.
Friends get contracts with friend, so to speak.
They are very set on building concrete houses too. Not interested in alternative solutions.
I'm also in contact with someone in Mauritius who has a construction company who is very interested in building sustainable self-sufficient container houses.

So yes, if I want this to work out it will probably be building on customer request.

Getting involved with the government will be difficult. They are already working on a current program with their own guidelines and schemes.

Working in partnership with a private company or contractor is more viable.
Or you could ultimately set up your own company.

Setting up my own company is what I want.
Possibly a joined venture.
Guessing from not getting a reply to my emails and phone calls since January I think they're not interested either.

Navigating through government bureaucracy is not an easy task sometimes in Mauritius.

Setting up your own company or a joint venture with a local firm is the way to go. The construction and realty sector is experiencing double digit growth as from this year and incentives are being granted to facilitate transfer of expertise and and technology.