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From 1 August 2026, registration with the Real Estate Agent Authority (REAA) becomes mandatory for property agents. The authority has announced the official launch of its process, with the aim of professionalising the property sector and strengthening consumer protection.
Created under the Real Estate Agent Authority Act 2020, the REAA operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Housing and Lands. Its principal missions are to promote transparency and integrity in property dealings, while protecting citizens engaged in renting, buying or selling property. The regulator will centralise licences, maintain a public register, set the standards of the sector and investigate complaints received.
This regulatory awakening also answers external pressure. During their on-site mission of June 2017, assessors from the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) judged the oversight of the local property sector rudimentary against the strict controls imposed on banks.
Who Must Register First
This first stage concerns exclusively three categories of operator: property agents specifically involved in the sale and purchase of property, land promoters and property developers. Registration arrangements for the other categories of property agent will be communicated at a later date.
Three Months to Act
Operators concerned, whether they practise individually, as a company, a société or a partnership, and already holding a BRN with the Companies and Business Registration Department (CBRD) as at 31 July 2026, have a three month window. From 1 August to 31 October 2026. Applications are made online through the NELS platform (National Electronic Licensing System) of the Economic Development Board. The required documents are detailed at www.reaamauritius.org.
Applicable Fees and Terms
Each application carries a non-refundable processing fee of Rs 2,000. Annual registration and renewal fees stand at Rs 20,000 for a property agent and Rs 100,000 for a land promoter as for a property developer. These fees are cumulative if the operator carries out several of these activities. The certificate, issued once the application is validated and the fees paid, is renewable annually. Registered operators will no longer pay Trade Fees to the CBRD. Any payment already made for the current financial year will be set against the initial registration fees.
Zero Tolerance for Illegal Practice
The law provides severe sanctions for anyone practising without valid registration, usurping the title of agent, or attempting to obtain registration fraudulently. Offenders face a maximum fine of Rs 100,000 and a prison sentence of up to two years. More deterrent still for the profession, no unregistered agent will be able to claim or sue for the recovery of commissions on property services.
The benefit for the market is immediate. From 1 August, the Mauritian buyer and the foreign investor alike will be able to verify that an agent is registered, bound by a code of conduct and answerable to an authority. Mauritius is aligning its property sector with the standards it already applies to its financial centre. For agencies that have worked properly for years, the register turns a reputation into verifiable proof.
