October 30, 2026 Westimmo

After Buying Property in Mauritius: What to Do Once the Deed Is Signed

Electricity and water accounts, co-ownership, municipal rate and residence permit: the steps to take after signing the deed on a property in Mauritius.

Once the deed is signed, five things remain: put the electricity (CEB) and water (CWA) accounts in your name, introduce yourself to the managing agent if the property is in a co-ownership, pay the municipal rate if the property falls under a municipal council, and apply for a residence permit if the purchase qualifies. The two utility accounts come first, because neither one passes automatically from the seller to the buyer.

This guide starts the day the deed is signed. What comes before it (the promise to sell, the checks, the choice of purchase route) is in our guide to buying as a foreigner, and what the purchase costs is on the purchase costs page.

Papers to ask the notary for at signing

For a non-citizen buyer, the EDB guidelines of January 2025 say the notary has the deed registered with the Registrar-General within 8 days of its date and pays the registration duty. The property is then treated as acquired and registered. Every step below starts from that deed.

Ask the notary for several copies of the deed (your title), and, if a residence permit is at stake, for the certificate confirming that the deed is registered and transcribed. The CWA asks for a copy of the title and checks the original; the CEB accepts a copy of the transcription instead of the title where the land has been transcribed to you.

Electricity: a new account in your name

CEB accounts cannot be transferred. The seller asks the CEB to close their account, and the new occupier then opens one with their own papers. The seller can also lodge the application for you, with the required details. The CEB advises closing the leaving customer’s account so that a new occupier does not consume on it; it closes the account once the bills are paid.

A domestic account application includes:

your national identity card or passport;
a copy of the title deed, or of the transcription if the land has been transcribed to you;
the Building and Land Use Permit for the property, where one applies;
a list of the domestic appliances to be connected, in watts or kilowatts.

When the occupier changes, the CEB also lists the sale deed among the new occupier’s documents. You apply in person or in writing at a Customer Service Centre, by email to customerservice@ceb.mu, or online through MoKouran eServices.

A technician visits the property. The CEB commits to a first inspection within 5 working days of the application and to connecting the supply within 10 working days of payment of the fees. The installation must have a residual current device (RCD), which is compulsory. For a domestic supply the CEB charges a connection fee of Rs 750 plus a security deposit of Rs 200, Rs 600 or Rs 1,200 depending on the tariff. The CEB does not say whether these amounts also apply when you only take over an existing connection, so ask at the counter. The first bill arrives about two months after connection.

Water: transferring the account at the CWA

The Central Water Authority handles a change of account holder in person, at one of its Customer Care Offices (St Paul, Rose Hill, Mahébourg, Souillac, Rose Belle, Flacq, Pamplemousses, Port Louis, Mutual Aid). You need:

a copy of the title deed (the original is shown and returned);
a letter of authorisation from the previous owner;
a copy of the previous owner’s identity document and their latest CWA bill;
your own identity card or passport.

All arrears must be cleared before the transfer, and an administration fee of Rs 200 applies. If the property has no connection at all, you apply for a new domestic supply instead: title deed, identity card, two copies of the site plan and the Building and Land Use Permit where one applies, with a non-refundable processing fee of Rs 500 and installation fees of Rs 2,200 on top.

Co-ownership: rules, charges and the general meeting

In a residence or a building divided into lots, the Mauritian Civil Code (articles 664-1 onwards) makes you a member of the co-owners’ association, which is a legal entity. The sale deed must state that you knew the co-ownership rules before buying, and those rules are then binding on you.

Charges are shared between co-owners according to the relative value of each lot’s private parts, and according to how useful each shared service is to each lot. The association secures what it is owed with a statutory mortgage on the lot, which the managing agent (syndic) can register after a formal demand has gone unanswered, so unpaid charges do not simply lapse. A general meeting is held at least once a year, called by the syndic.

When you collect the keys, ask the syndic for the co-ownership rules, the breakdown of charges, the amount of the calls to come and the minutes of the last meetings. To compare what the charges of a residence cover, see our page on secure residences.

Municipal rate: the owner pays

Within a municipal council’s area, the law puts the general rate on the owner of a property entered on the valuation list, provided its net annual value exceeds Rs 1,750. Each council sets its rate as a percentage of that value. The rate falls due from 1 July, in two instalments, and a 10% surcharge is added to anything not paid on time. It is due even if you have received no notice.

The owner must also report additions and alterations to the council; failing to do so is an offence carrying a fine of up to Rs 5,000. In the coastal villages where most foreigners buy, our guide to owner taxes and costs says there is no equivalent of an annual property tax. If you are unsure which council your property falls under, ask the notary.

Residence permit: the application follows registration of the deed

A non-citizen gets a residence permit only if the residential property acquired is worth more than USD 375,000, under the IRS, RES or PDS. According to the EDB guidelines (January 2025), the property counts as acquired once the registration duty has been paid to the Registrar-General. The scheme company (or the buyer’s representative) then informs the EDB by letter to the Chief Executive and attaches the notary’s certificate that the deed is registered and transcribed.

The file contains, for the main applicant and each dependant: certified copies of the passport and birth certificate, two passport photos, a medical certificate and a certificate of morality issued within the last 6 months (the latter for those over 18), the notary’s certificate, and, for a couple, the marriage certificate or an equivalent document. The fee is MUR 25,000 per application, non-refundable. The permit stays valid for as long as you hold the property.

A purchase outside these schemes does not carry this right. The page on buying as a foreigner sets out the purchase routes.

Summary of the steps

Steps after the deed: where to go, with what, and what the body publishes
Step	Where	Key document	Published time or cost
Electricity account	CEB Customer Service Centre or MoKouran	Title or transcription, ID	Connection within 10 working days of payment; Rs 750 + deposit
Water account	CWA, in person	Title, letter from the previous owner	Rs 200; arrears cleared
Managing agent	Syndic of the co-ownership	Co-ownership rules	General meeting at least once a year
Municipal rate	Municipal council	—	Due from 1 July, 2 instalments
Residence permit	EDB	Notary’s certificate	MUR 25,000 per application

What this list does not settle

Insurance, letting and upkeep are separate decisions. To insure the property, see villa insurance in Mauritius. If you plan to let it, tax on rental income and long-term letting come next. And to budget for the year, the cost of maintaining a villa puts figures on the recurring items.

Sources and checks

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