A reservation form can arrive while the viewing is still fresh. The unit is available, another buyer is interested, and a deposit will hold it. That is exactly when the paperwork deserves more attention, not less.
Before reserving an off-plan property in Mauritius, ask for a document pack that identifies the exact home, explains the proposed commitment and gives your advisers something concrete to review. A brochure can introduce the development. It cannot do the work of the reservation agreement, plans, permits, specification or completion guarantee.
The aim is not to collect every document that may appear before the deed of sale. It is to have enough reliable information to decide whether the property has earned the next step.
The short answer: request these documents before reserving
Before signing a reservation form or transferring a deposit, ask for the following pack and make sure every item refers to the same property:
- a dated quotation for the exact unit, including the price, currency and what is included;
- the exact unit floor plan and its position on the site or master plan, with the basis of every stated area;
- the draft reservation agreement and all annexes you would be asked to accept;
- the specification or notice descriptive covering finishes, equipment, substitutions and exclusions;
- the project documents relevant to the acquisition route, including available approvals and completion-guarantee evidence;
- a cost and payment schedule showing deposits, milestones, taxes, fees, currencies and recipients;
- the current co-ownership, estate, rental or management documents where they affect use or recurring costs; and
- a written list of anything not yet issued, still conditional or awaiting approval.
The exact pack depends on the acquisition route and the transaction stage. A PDS reservation, a qualifying G+2 apartment and another off-plan structure should not be treated as interchangeable. The useful test is whether the documents let your advisers identify the home, the commitment, the money trail and the points that remain unconfirmed.
Begin with the exact unit, not the development
A development name is not a purchase file. Start with the unit reference, its position on the site plan and the legal entity offering it for sale. The current quotation, floor plan and reservation form should all describe the same home.
Small inconsistencies matter. A floor area on the price list may include a terrace, while another document may show internal space only. A parking bay may appear on a plan but not in the reservation agreement. A view shown from a generic render may belong to another floor or orientation.
Ask the sales team to identify, in writing:
- the development, phase and unit reference;
- the property type, floor or plot position and stated areas;
- any parking bay, store, garden, pool or other space included with the unit;
- the name of the seller or development company;
- the proposed acquisition route for your buyer profile; and
- the construction stage and the source of the expected completion date.
Keep the answer beside the source and date. 'From the developer, 19 October 2026' is more useful than a note that simply says 'confirmed'.
Read the reservation agreement before you reserve
Ask for the draft reservation agreement before you are expected to sign it. The document should be reviewed for the actual transaction, preferably by a Mauritian notary or legal adviser acting with the full file.
At a practical level, you should be able to locate the property description, price and currency, deposit, payment route, conditions, expected timetable and the circumstances in which the reservation can end. If financing or regulatory authorisation is still required, the document should make clear how that affects the commitment.
For a Property Development Scheme (PDS) purchase, the Economic Development Board's current PDS guidelines describe a preliminary reservation contract for a specified plot. They say the contract should be prepared by a notary and that the potential buyer may deposit at most 25% of the investment amount in the bank at that stage. Other acquisition routes have their own documents and requirements, so do not apply one scheme's wording to every property.
Questions worth putting beside the draft include:
- Who receives the deposit, and into which account?
- Is the unit held only after cleared funds, signature, or both?
- Which conditions allow the buyer to withdraw and recover the deposit?
- What happens if the required authorisation is refused or delayed?
- Can the price change, and under what clause?
- Which annexes form part of the agreement?
If an answer is important but sits only in an email or sales conversation, ask whether it should appear in the document or one of its annexes.
Turn the brochure into a document request
A brochure is useful because it shows what the developer wants you to notice. Use it as an index of claims to verify.
If the brochure shows a particular layout, request the dated floor plan for the exact unit. If it describes finishes, ask for the notice descriptive, specification or finishes schedule that will govern the sale. If it shows a clubhouse, pool, road or landscaped area, locate that item on the relevant site or master plan and establish whether it is planned, under construction or complete.
The same principle applies to service charges, rental management and furniture packages. Ask for the current written terms rather than relying on a headline figure or a conversation remembered after the viewing.
| What attracted you | Document to request | What to compare |
|---|---|---|
| The layout | Dated floor plan for the exact unit | Room dimensions, orientation and the basis of the stated area |
| The finish | Specification or notice descriptive | Materials, appliances, substitutions and exclusions |
| The setting | Site or master plan | Unit position, access, common areas and future phases |
| The amenities | Approved plan or contractual schedule | Planned, under construction or complete |
| The price | Dated unit quotation and cost schedule | Currency, inclusions, taxes, fees and payment dates |
| The rental story | Management or lease terms | Use restrictions, fees and the basis of any projection |
For an off-plan home, check the project documents
The required project paperwork depends on the acquisition route and the stage of the development. Ask which approvals have been obtained, which remain conditional and which documents support the answer.
The EDB's current PDS guidelines say that, before selling property under the scheme, the PDS company submits specimen transaction documents that include the preliminary reservation contract, the future-sale contract, a due-completion guarantee, and the co-ownership rules and cahier des charges where relevant. The same guidelines describe permits, licences and a letter from a registered financial institution concerning the Garantie Financière d'Achèvement (GFA) as part of the project approval framework.
For qualifying apartments in buildings of at least two floors above ground level, the EDB's apartment-acquisition guidance lists a presale agreement endorsed by a notary, a site plan, a notarial memorandum confirming the building qualification, the applicable planning permission and a GFA letter among the application documents for a purchase made on plan or during construction.
These government checklists do not replace your own professional review, and they do not mean that every document belongs in the buyer's inbox at the same moment. They do show why a phrase such as 'EDB approved' is not the end of the question. Ask which certificate, permit or guarantee applies to this project, and ask your adviser what needs to be seen before reservation.
A current development page can help frame that first question. Collection identifies Viva Calodyne as an off-plan PDS villa development. That makes the PDS route relevant to the enquiry; it does not replace the exact unit quotation, contract, plans or professional review. Current availability, price and construction progress still need to be confirmed for the home being considered.
Keep the property pack and buyer file separate
Foreign-buyer transactions involve documents about the property and documents about the buyer. They solve different problems.
The property pack supports the home, the project and the proposed contract. The buyer file supports identity, ownership structure, Know Your Customer checks, source of funds and the relevant authorisation application. A complete passport file does not prove that the unit is properly documented. A strong project pack does not mean the buyer's banking and approval work is finished.
| Property and transaction pack | Buyer and funding file |
|---|---|
| Exact unit quotation and plan | Passport and civil-status documents required for the chosen structure |
| Draft reservation agreement and annexes | Bank KYC or reference letter where required |
| Specification, site plan and applicable project documents | Source-of-funds and financing evidence requested by the relevant professionals |
| Cost and payment schedule | Documents for a company, trust, societe or other ownership structure where applicable |
| Written answers to open property questions | Documents required for the applicable non-citizen authorisation |
The EDB's published checklists vary by acquisition route and ownership structure. Ask the notary, bank and relevant adviser for the current list that applies to you rather than assembling a generic folder from an online checklist.
Ask for the full cost and payment sequence
The advertised price is one line in the budget. Before reservation, ask for a dated schedule showing the purchase price, currency, deposit, staged payments and the additional amounts currently expected from the buyer.
Keep costs in their proper categories. Registration duty, notarial charges, bank and currency costs, furniture, service charges and initial running expenses do not all arise at the same time or from the same party. If the quotation converts the price into another currency, record the exchange rate and date used.
Collection's article on Mauritius property duty explains the current general 5% buyer-side registration duty and the separate seller-side land transfer tax. The Registrar-General's Department also notes that the declared value may be checked against market value. The notary should confirm the treatment of the particular deed and taxable value. Do not assume a marketing cost sheet is the final statement of amounts due.
Currency belongs in the payment schedule too. In its notice on the scheme regulations effective from 13 December 2024, the EDB states that, for new acquisitions by non-citizens under IRS, RES, IHS, PDS and SCS, 85% of the purchase price is paid to the promoter in Mauritian rupees and the remaining 15% may be paid in Mauritian rupees or a hard convertible currency. Ask the notary and bank how that rule applies to the proposed transaction, quotation and transfer route.
Give advisers a clean file, not a trail of messages
A useful reservation pack can be reviewed. A string of messages cannot.
Put the current documents into one folder and name them clearly. Keep the unit reference in each filename where possible. Add a short list of questions, the person expected to answer each one and the date by which the answer is needed.
The roles are different. A notary or legal adviser reviews the transaction and documents within their remit. The bank handles funding, transfer and compliance requirements. A tax adviser considers your circumstances rather than a generic buyer profile. A surveyor or technical adviser may be needed where plans, areas, condition or construction questions require specialist review.
Collection can organise the property information and keep the source clear. It does not turn an unverified sales claim into professional advice.
What should make you pause
A missing document is not always evidence of a bad development. It is evidence that the decision is not ready on that point.
Slow down when the unit changes between documents, the quoted area has no stated basis, an important amenity appears only in marketing material, the deposit route is unclear, a completion date has no source, or a request for professional review is treated as an obstacle to the sale.
Also pause when urgency becomes the answer to a document question. Availability can change, but a short deadline does not make an incomplete file complete.
A practical request before reservation
You can ask the seller or agent for the following in one message:
- the current quotation for the exact unit, with currency and date;
- the unit floor plan, stated areas and site position;
- the draft reservation agreement and all annexes;
- the specification or notice descriptive;
- the applicable project approval, permit and completion-guarantee information;
- the cost and payment schedule;
- the current co-ownership, estate or management documents where relevant; and
- a written list of anything not yet issued or still subject to approval.
Then send the pack to the appropriate advisers with the questions that matter to your circumstances. You may still decide to reserve. The difference is that you will know what the reservation is based on, what remains open and who is checking it.
Keep the next decision proportionate
Reservation should narrow the uncertainty, not hide it. The useful outcome is a file that lets you distinguish three things: what the documents establish, what the developer has stated and what still needs independent confirmation.
If you are still comparing homes, return to your original brief before adding more paperwork. Collection's property scouting-trip guide explains how to record the same evidence for every viewing. If the location is still unsettled, use the area guides to compare the places that fit daily life before building a file around one project. When one property remains credible, the concierge questionnaire can bring the intended use, budget, areas and open questions into one Collection Brief.
Last reviewed 20 October 2026
This article provides general information, not personalised legal, tax, financial, construction or immigration advice.
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