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Use a lease calculator in Mauritius to estimate monthly rent, total lease cost, stamp duty, and VAT. Plain-English guide for tenants and landlords.
A lease calculator for Mauritius is a tool that takes your key lease variables, monthly rent, lease duration, security deposit, VAT applicability, and stamp duty, and turns them into a clear picture of what you will actually pay or receive over the life of a lease. Rather than working through the arithmetic by hand or discovering unexpected costs at signing, you enter the figures once and get a reliable breakdown. This guide explains each input, how Mauritian law shapes the numbers, and how to interpret the output whether you are a tenant, a landlord, or a foreign investor comparing rental yield against purchase cost.
The starting point is the agreed monthly rent in Mauritian rupees (MUR). For residential leases this is typically negotiated freely between the parties. For commercial premises, rent may be quoted per square metre per month, so the calculator first multiplies the area by the rate to arrive at a monthly figure.
If the lease includes a rent escalation clause, a well-designed calculator will ask for the annual percentage increase. For example, a lease starting at MUR 60,000 per month with a 5 percent annual escalation will cost MUR 63,000 in month 13, MUR 66,150 in month 25, and so on. The total cost over a three-year lease is meaningfully higher than MUR 60,000 multiplied by 36.
Mauritius does not impose a statutory maximum on private lease durations, though leases exceeding 20 years on certain land categories require specific regulatory attention. Most residential leases run 12 months, renewable. Commercial leases commonly run three to five years. Enter the duration in months for the most precise output.
The security deposit is not a cost in the accounting sense, because the tenant should recover it at the end of the tenancy, but it is a cash flow item. A calculator should show it separately so a tenant can plan for the upfront outlay. In Mauritius, security deposits are typically one to three months of rent. There is no statutory cap for private residential leases, so the amount is whatever the parties agree.
This is the input that most surprises first-time tenants in Mauritius. VAT in Mauritius is set at 15 percent. Whether rent attracts VAT depends on the landlord's registration status and the nature of the property:
If VAT applies, a monthly rent of MUR 80,000 becomes MUR 92,000 all-inclusive. Over a three-year commercial lease that difference is MUR 432,000, a figure that matters when comparing properties. Always confirm VAT treatment with the landlord and, if in doubt, with the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA).
In Mauritius, leases above a certain value or duration are subject to registration and stamp duty. The rates and thresholds are set by the Registration Duty Act and are administered by the MRA. Rather than quoting a specific figure that may change with each Finance Act, the practical approach is to ask your notary or the MRA what duty applies to your specific lease before signing. A lease calculator should include a field for stamp duty so you can enter the figure your notary provides and see the true total cost of entering the lease.
For context, the duty is typically a percentage of the total rent payable over the lease term, or of the annual rent, depending on the category of lease. Your notary will calculate this precisely.
A good lease calculator produces at least four outputs:
Some calculators also show a monthly equivalent of all costs, which is useful for budgeting. Others produce an amortisation schedule showing how much rent accumulates by each quarter, helpful for commercial tenants who need to match lease liabilities against revenue forecasts.
Suppose you are renting a three-bedroom apartment in Grand Baie for MUR 75,000 per month on a 12-month lease, with a two-month security deposit and no VAT (residential use).
| Item | Calculation | Amount (MUR) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly rent | MUR 75,000 | 75,000 |
| Lease term | 12 months | |
| Total rent payable | 75,000 x 12 | 900,000 |
| Security deposit | 75,000 x 2 | 150,000 |
| VAT | Not applicable | 0 |
| Stamp duty | Confirm with notary | TBC |
| Upfront cash required at signing | First month + deposit | 225,000 |
| Total outflow over 12 months | Rent + deposit (recoverable) | 1,050,000 |
The deposit is recoverable, so the net cost over the year is MUR 900,000 plus any stamp duty and agency fees, not MUR 1,050,000.
Now consider a small office in Ebene leased at MUR 50,000 per month (excluding VAT) for 36 months, with a 5 percent annual rent escalation and a two-month deposit.
Year 1 monthly rent: MUR 50,000 (plus VAT MUR 7,500) = MUR 57,500 Year 2 monthly rent: MUR 52,500 (plus VAT MUR 7,875) = MUR 60,375 Year 3 monthly rent: MUR 55,125 (plus VAT MUR 8,269) = MUR 63,394
| Period | Months | Monthly (incl. VAT) | Subtotal (MUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 12 | 57,500 | 690,000 |
| Year 2 | 12 | 60,375 | 724,500 |
| Year 3 | 12 | 63,394 | 760,728 |
| Total rent incl. VAT | 36 | 2,175,228 | |
| Security deposit (2 months, ex-VAT) | 100,000 | ||
| Total cash outflow | 2,275,228 |
Without the escalation clause, the tenant might have budgeted MUR 57,500 x 36 = MUR 2,070,000. The escalation adds over MUR 105,000 to the total. This is exactly the kind of figure a lease calculator surfaces before you sign.
For property owners and investors, a lease calculator works in reverse. You enter the purchase price, expected monthly rent, vacancy allowance, and running costs, and the tool returns your gross and net rental yield.
Gross yield = (Annual rent / Purchase price) x 100
Net yield = ((Annual rent minus annual costs) / Purchase price) x 100
Typical costs to include: property management fees (often 8 to 12 percent of rent in Mauritius), maintenance allowance, insurance, and any periods of vacancy.
For a property purchased at MUR 12,000,000 and rented at MUR 75,000 per month:
This is a solid benchmark for Mauritius, where net yields on well-located residential property typically fall between 4 and 7 percent depending on location, property type, and occupancy.
Rental income received by an individual resident in Mauritius is subject to personal income tax. Personal income tax in Mauritius is progressive, not a flat rate. From 1 July 2026, the structure is:
Rental income is added to your other income when calculating your total chargeable income. Allowable deductions (such as mortgage interest and certain repairs) reduce the taxable amount. Always confirm deductible expenses with the MRA or a qualified tax adviser, as the rules are specific.
There is no capital gains tax in Mauritius, so when you eventually sell the property, the profit is not taxed at the national level. There is also no inheritance or estate tax.
For foreign investors who are not tax-resident in Mauritius, the treatment of rental income depends on double taxation agreements (DTAs) between Mauritius and their country of residence. Mauritius has an extensive DTA network. Seek advice from a tax professional familiar with both jurisdictions.
Foreign nationals can own property in Mauritius through approved schemes such as the Property Development Scheme (PDS) and Smart City developments. The minimum qualifying investment for residence through property is USD 375,000. Once the property is owned, many investors lease it out when not in residence, making the lease calculator a practical planning tool.
For those considering an Occupation Permit as an investor, the minimum initial investment is USD 100,000 (not all of which need be in property). For a Professional Occupation Permit, the minimum monthly salary is MUR 50,000. These thresholds are set by the Economic Development Board (EDB), which should be consulted for current requirements.
When a foreign investor leases out a PDS or Smart City property, the lease calculator helps them model:
1. Use MUR consistently. If rent is quoted in USD or EUR (common in luxury and expatriate-focused rentals), convert at the current Bank of Mauritius rate before entering figures. Exchange rate fluctuations over a multi-year lease can significantly affect the real cost.
2. Include agency fees. Letting agents in Mauritius typically charge one month's rent as a finder's fee, sometimes split between landlord and tenant, sometimes borne by one party. This is a one-off upfront cost the calculator should capture.
3. Account for utility deposits separately. Utility connections (CEB for electricity, CWA for water) may require deposits. These are not part of the lease cost but are part of the cash you need at move-in.
4. Check whether rent is inclusive or exclusive of service charges. In managed developments and Smart City projects, a monthly service charge (often MUR 5,000 to MUR 20,000 depending on the development) may be payable by the tenant or the landlord. Clarify this before entering the rent figure.
5. Revisit the calculator if the lease is renewed. Renewal terms often differ from the original lease, particularly on rent level and deposit. Run the numbers fresh rather than assuming continuity.
Several Mauritius-focused property platforms provide online lease calculators or rental yield tools. When evaluating any tool, check that it:
For stamp duty confirmation, the MRA is the authoritative source. For investment structuring and residency questions, the EDB is the correct first contact.
A lease calculator for Mauritius is most useful when it reflects the specific rules that apply here: 15 percent VAT on commercial leases, progressive personal income tax on rental income, stamp duty on registered leases, and the currency in which most transactions are denominated. The worked examples above show how quickly costs diverge from a simple monthly-rent-times-months estimate once VAT and escalation are included. Run the numbers before you sign, confirm stamp duty with your notary, and verify tax treatment with the MRA or a qualified adviser.
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