September 22, 2026 Westimmo

Is Your Mauritius Real Estate Agent REAA Registered? How to Check

Since 1 August 2026, acting as a real estate agent in Mauritius without being registered with the Real Estate Agent Authority is an offence. How to check this status before signing, for a purchase or a rental.

Since 1 August 2026, no one may legally act as a real estate agent in Mauritius, for a sale or a rental, without being registered with the Real Estate Agent Authority (REAA). Acting without this registration is an offence punishable by a fine of up to Rs 100,000 and up to two years in prison. There is no public online register yet: checking an agent’s status means contacting the REAA directly or inspecting the register in person.

What changed on 1 August 2026

The Real Estate Agent Authority Act 2020 received presidential assent on 4 September 2020, but its registration provisions sat dormant for years. The government proclaimed the Act’s operative sections through Proclamation No. 14 of 2026, and the registration requirement took effect on 1 August 2026. The REAA opened its registration process on the same date, through the Economic Development Board’s platform (business.edbmauritius.org).

An official REAA notice dated 18 September 2026 sets out the timeline for professionals already operating: applying by 31 October 2026 is the recommended date, but the legal deadline is 31 January 2027, after which practising without a certificate of registration is an offence. This is worth being precise about, because articles published in July 2026 only mentioned the 31 October date — the September notice is the more recent version and is the one that governs.

Who needs to be registered, for both sales and rentals

The Act defines a real estate agent broadly: negotiating a sale, exchange, purchase or lease, taking part in procuring a vendor, purchaser, landlord or tenant, carrying out real estate management as a consultant or as an agent, or holding oneself out as doing this work. The requirement therefore explicitly covers letting and property management, not just sales. It also extends to land promoters and property developers, registered under the same Authority but with different fees. It does not apply to an owner selling or letting their own property, or to someone acting under a power of attorney without being paid for it.

For an individual, registration requires being at least 21 years old and holding a diploma in real estate approved by the Board, or having at least five years’ experience in real estate transactions. A company must have at least one director registered as an agent; a partnership, at least one registered partner or member.

How to check that an agent is actually registered

The REAA’s own website does not currently offer a public lookup tool where a name can be entered to check registration status online. The law requires the Authority to keep a Register of Real Estate Agents, open to inspection by any person on payment of a prescribed fee, but that inspection is arranged directly with the REAA rather than through a self-service interface. In practice, two things are worth doing before signing a mandate or paying a fee: contact the REAA by phone (+230 490 7801) or email (cr@reaamauritius.org) with the exact name of the agent or agency, or ask the agent directly for their certificate of registration, which the REAA issues once an application is approved.

Warning signs

Several red flags follow directly from the legal obligations, and can help spot an intermediary operating outside the rules. The law requires a written contract between an agent and their client before any transaction: an agent who avoids putting the arrangement in writing, or who deals only verbally, is not following the rules, registered or not. An unregistered agent also cannot legally sue for a commission in a Mauritian court — that is a direct consequence of the Act, not a mere recommendation. No REAA certificate on request, or hesitation to give a registration number, are signals worth taking seriously rather than waving off out of politeness.

What registration actually guarantees

A registered agent must lodge a financial security with the Authority, in the form of a cash deposit, a bank bond, an insurance policy or a mortgage, which can be drawn on if the agent is at fault in the course of their work. Agents are also subject to anti-money laundering obligations: any suspicious transaction must be reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit within five working days, on pain of a fine of up to Rs 1 million and up to five years in prison for the agent. Finally, agents must comply with a Code of Conduct and Practice, and can face disciplinary action from the Authority — up to suspension or removal from the register — for a breach. A client who believes they have encountered professional misconduct can file a complaint directly with the REAA, which has three months to investigate.

Penalties for operating without registration

Acting, holding oneself out, or conducting oneself as a real estate agent without being registered, or after being struck off, is an offence punishable by a fine of up to Rs 100,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. The same penalty applies to anyone who fraudulently obtains registration. These penalties fall on the agent, not on a client who dealt with them in good faith — but they are one more reason to check beforehand rather than find out afterwards.

Frequently asked questions

Does this requirement apply to an agency that only handles rentals?

Yes. The legal definition of a real estate agent explicitly includes negotiating a lease and managing a rental property, whether as a consultant or as an agent, on the same footing as a sale.

Do property developers also need to register with the REAA?

Yes, land promoters and property developers are covered by the Act, with separate and higher registration fees than an individual agent’s.

What can be done after finding out an intermediary was unregistered?

Report it to the REAA, which can carry out a preliminary investigation into any complaint of professional misconduct. An unregistered agent faces prosecution, but that does not remove the need to check one’s own contracts and any commission paid before handing over money.

Did this requirement exist before 2026?

The Act itself dates from 2020, but its registration provisions only took effect once its operative sections were proclaimed on 1 August 2026; the period since then is a transition phase, with a legal deadline of 31 January 2027 for professionals already in business.

For a long-term rental, the full step-by-step method to find a long-term rental in Mauritius also covers the legal framework of a lease. Comparing an estate agency and a developer helps place each intermediary’s role for a new-build purchase. Westimmo’s new-build programme in Mauritius and its long-term rental listings in Mauritius both work through registered intermediaries.

Sources and verification

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