Your landlord is keeping your deposit
There is no Mauritian statute in this corpus that regulates a rental deposit. What decides the argument is the Code Civil rule on the state of the premises, and whether an inventory was taken when you moved in. That single fact usually decides who has to prove what.
Written by the juris team. Not yet reviewed by a Mauritian lawyer.
What to do
- Find out whether an inventory (état des lieux) was made when you moved in. Look for a signed list or photographs.
- Photograph the premises as you leave them, with a date visible.
- Ask the landlord in writing for the deposit and for a written reason if any part is withheld. Keep a copy.
- If it is not returned, this is a money claim. The small claims procedure in the District Court can be started orally at the clerk's counter.
What the law says
If an inventory was made, you must return the premises in that state, apart from wear and tear or force majeure.
S'il a été fait un état des lieux entre le bailleur et le preneur, celui-ci doit rendre la chose telle qu'il l'a reçue, suivant cet état, excepté ce qui a péri ou a été dégradé par vétusté ou force majeure.
If NO inventory was made, you are presumed to have received the premises in good repair and must return them so, unless the contrary is proved.
S'il n'a pas été fait d'état des lieux, le preneur est présumé les avoir reçus en bon état de réparations locatives, et doit les rendre tels, sauf la preuve contraire.
A tenant's two principal obligations are to use the premises as a prudent person would and for the agreed purpose, and to pay the rent on the agreed terms.
Le preneur est tenu de deux obligations principales— 1° d'user de la chose louée en bon père de famille, et suivant la destination qui lui a été donnée par le bail, ou suivant celle présumée d'après les circonstances, à défaut de convention; 2° de payer le prix du bail aux termes convenus.
A small claim is started by lodging it with the clerk of the District Court where the defendant lives, and it may be made orally.
Proceedings under this Part shall be commenced by lodging a claim with the clerk of the District Court in the district where the defendant resides. ... A claim may be made orally to the clerk who shall cause it to be reduced in writing.
What this guide does not cover
- How much deposit a landlord may take, and by when it must be returned. No Act in this corpus regulates a residential rental deposit. The Landlord and Tenant Act 1999 is held in full and contains no deposit provision. Anything you read online stating a maximum or a return period is not coming from a statute juris can show you.
Where the matter is heard
- District Court, small claims procedure: A money claim brought under Part IIA of the District and Intermediate Courts (Civil Jurisdiction) Act.
- District Court or Intermediate Court (ordinary civil): Ordinary civil claims, including a landlord's action to cancel a lease or to recover possession of property from a tenant or occupier.