A four-bedroom villa with a pool, in Albion
A house for family holidays, let to travellers for the rest of the year. Here, the rent does not cover the whole loan: it is a life project as much as an investment.
The profile (fictional)
A family living in London, three children, Mauritian-citizen parents. They want a house for their holidays back home (four weeks a year) and perhaps, later, for a return. They have about €110,000 available. Profile made up for the example.
The essentials in three blocks
What you pay
≈ €100,340
out of your pocket at the start, excluding insurance
- Deposit (30% of the price)≈ €65,820
- Purchase tax and notary≈ €12,520
- Zilstone: study, reports, project space≈ €2,090
- Works and furniture≈ €12,000
- Zilstone set-up≈ €4,500
- Bank, survey, licence application≈ €3,410
Then ≈ €1,380 a month over 15 years (or ≈ €1,070 over 25 years at the MHC rate [8]). Furniture included; no major works planned for a villa in good condition.
What you receive
What is left each year, after running costs, management and a 15-year loan, before tax:
The rent (€13,000 to €21,170 a year) does not repay the whole loan: this is a family home that partly pays for itself, not an investment that pays for itself.
Share of nights let (excluding 4 weeks for the family)
- 40% : Albion average, cautious scenario
- 65% : optimistic scenario
What can go wrong
- In both scenarios, you must add between ≈ €3,620 and ≈ €8,690 a year from your pocket while the 15-year loan runs.
- The bank may treat a house let to travellers as commercial property and lend less.
- An older house may have extensions without a building permit: this blocks the letting licence. Checked by a surveyor before the offer.
Assumptions. Cautious scenario: the average of all Albion listings (39.9%) [1]. Optimistic scenario: the median of active listings in Mauritius (65%) [2]. Nightly rate: the Albion average across all sizes ($108) [1]; a four-bedroom house often lets for more but less often, the real rate comes from ten comparable listings. 337 nights available: four weeks are kept for the family. Before tax.
The property and the area
A four-bedroom villa with a pool, about 130 m² built in 2007 on 96 toises, in a residential part of Albion. Price used: Rs 11.9M, ≈ €219,400, the asking price of this listing noted on 05/10/2026; its condition is not stated, we assume it is in good condition, with no major works [4]. That property is not offered by Zilstone: it is only a benchmark. Larger or newer villas with a pool are usually listed at Rs 16.5 to 20M in the west [17].
Albion has 108 tracked listings, with an average occupancy of 39.9% and an average price of about $108 a night [1]. Quieter than neighbouring Flic en Flac, on the same dry west coast, sheltered in winter.
Steps and timing
- Week 120-minute call and one-page pre-study, free.
- Weeks 2 to 4Project study and engagement letter: scoping call, then a written report within 10 business days of receiving the documents.
- Months 1 to 3Search, viewings, checks: surveyor, title, managing agent, permits, price.
- Months 2 to 4Offer, preliminary contract at the notary, loan application.
- Around month 4Completion at the notary, keys handed over.
- Months 4 to 8Works, equipment, letting licence (6 to 10 weeks to process), photos, listings.
- Then, every monthLetting, monthly statement, rent paid into your account.
About 6 to 8 months between the first call and the first guests, less if the house needs no works.
Support fees
| Service | Price and payment | Here |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping call and file opening | invoiced by Zilstone, never refunded on ordering | €200 |
| Your project study | €500 deducted from the set-up price if you take it; if not, it stays due on ordering | €500 |
| Agency commission | at most 2% of the price, invoiced by a REAA-registered estate agency with which we are preparing a partnership, most often paid by the seller on completion, if due from you | €0 |
| Observation reports | €350 per property visited, €900 for 3, due even without a purchase at each visit | €900 |
| Project space | €90 a month or €990 a year, includes the professionals’ calendar monthly or yearly | €990 |
| Set-up | fixed fee of €4,500, no works: compulsory equipment, letting licence, listings go live on set-up | €4,500 |
Launch price list of 06/10/2026. Final Zilstone prices: nothing is added. Agency commission: at most 2%, paid to the agency, most often by the seller; no money moves between Zilstone and the agency. Amounts confirmed in writing in the engagement letter before any commitment. The notary, bank, surveyor and tax adviser bill you directly. Your money never goes through Zilstone. Invoiced in euros or Mauritian rupees. Other currencies are shown for guidance only; any exchange fees are yours.
The detailed figures
The budget, line by line
| Property price | ≈ €219,400Rs 11.9M |
| Bank loan: 70% of the price, 15 years, 7% | ≈ €153,580 |
| Deposit on the price (30%) | ≈ €65,820 |
| Purchase tax (registration duty, 5%) | ≈ €10,970 |
| Notary (official scale, VAT included) | ≈ €1,550 |
| Agency commission (at most 2%, most often paid by the seller) | €0 |
| Scoping call and file opening (Zilstone) | €200 |
| Your project study (Zilstone) | €500 |
| Study fee deducted from the set-up price | −€500 |
| Observation reports (3 properties visited) | €900 |
| Project space (1 year, includes the professionals’ calendar) | €990 |
| Furniture and equipment for letting (assumption) | €12,000 |
| Zilstone · Set-up (equipment, licence, listings) | €4,500 |
| Bank: arrangement fee (1% of the loan, capped), valuation, mortgage registration (high estimate) | ≈ €2,400 |
| Technical survey before the offer (estimate) | ≈ €920 |
| Letting licence: application fee (Rs 5,000) | €90 |
| Out of your pocket | ≈ €100,340 |
| Small works, compliance | to be costed after the survey (no major works in this example) |
| Insurance | to be confirmed case by case |
Repayment over 15 years at 7%: ≈ €1,380 a month. The MHC Diaspora Home Loan runs up to 35 years, from 6.80% [8]: over 25 years at 6.80%, the repayment would be about ≈ €1,070. Terms to be confirmed in writing, including letting [13].
Both scenarios, line by line
| Cautious | Optimistic | |
|---|---|---|
| Nights available | 337 (4 weeks for the family) | 337 |
| Share of nights let | 39.9% [1] | 65% [2] |
| Average nightly rate | $108 [1] | $108 [1] |
| Rent collected over the year | €13,000 | €21,170 |
| After platforms, running costs, management and licence | €7,870 | €12,940 |
| Repayments (15 years, 7%) | −€16,560 | −€16,560 |
| Left per year, before tax | −€8,690 | −€3,620 |
| With a 25-year loan at 6.80% | −€4,970 | +€100 |
Where your rent goes, out of 100
- Platforms
- Running costs
- Letting management
- For you, before loan and tax
Costs while letting
| Platforms (Airbnb, Booking) | about 12% of income [11] |
| Running costs: energy, building charges, upkeep, insurance | about 14% of income, refined property by property [11] |
| Letting licence (TAC) | application fee Rs 5,000, then Rs 10,000 a year (≈ €180) [12] |
| Cleaning and linen | paid through the guests’ cleaning fees |
| Tourist fee | €3 per night per guest aged 12 or over, paid by the guest and passed on monthly to the MRA; guests with a Mauritian passport are exempt [7] |
| Tax on rent | in Mauritius, 15% for a non-resident under the law, regime to be confirmed with a registered tax agent [16]; in your country of residence, with your tax adviser |
| Garden, pool, caretaking | to be costed for each house; heavier than for a flat |
All the risks, in detail
- The rent does not cover the loan in either scenario: the rest is paid from your pocket every month. Plan for it before signing.
- Bank: short-term letting may lead the bank to treat the property as “commercial” and lend less.
- Older house: extensions without a building permit (Building and Land Use Permit, BLUP), which blocks the letting licence; termites, roof, drainage. Checked by a surveyor before the offer.
- Heavier upkeep than a flat: garden, pool, security, caretaking.
- A large house often has lower occupancy, concentrated in the high season (November to April).
- Low-lying areas: flood risk in heavy rain; cyclones.
- Currency and rates: your income is in pounds or euros, the loan in rupees; a rising variable rate increases the repayment.
Rounded figures. Property prices noted in rupees; Zilstone fees in euros; nightly rates published in dollars. Rates fixed on 05/10/2026 (Bank of Mauritius, indicative rates, mid-point between buying and selling), indicative: your bank will apply its own rate.
Sources and assumptions
- AirROI, Airbnb data by market, 12 months to 12/09/2026 (average of all tracked listings) · www.airroi.com
- Airbtics, median of active listings in Mauritius, data of 12/03/2026: 66% occupancy, active listings +23% in a year · airbtics.com
- Local-market listings noted by Zilstone on 05/10/2026 (OFIM, Westimmo, PropertyFinder): asking prices, not sale prices. These properties are not offered by Zilstone. · real-estate-mauritius.mu
- OFIM agency listing noted on 05/10/2026, local market: Albion, 4-bedroom villa with a pool, 130 m² built in 2007, 96 toises, Rs 11.9M, condition not stated. Asking price, not sale price; this property is not offered by Zilstone. Listing since withdrawn, noted on 05/10/2026. · www.ofim.mu
- Land (Duties and Taxes) Act: 5% registration duty (buyer), 5% land transfer tax (seller) · www.mra.mu
- Notaries’ scale of fees (Notaries Act 2008), 15% VAT included, to be confirmed by the notary · www.propertymap.mu
- MRA, tourist fee of €3 per night per guest aged 12 or over, since 01/10/2025 · www.mra.mu
- MHC Diaspora Home Loan: from 6.80%, up to 35 years, Rs 1 to 15M; purchase, building, renovation · www.mhc.mu
- Zilstone working assumptions (September-October 2026): platforms ≈ 12% of income, running costs ≈ 14%, loan of 70% of the price over 15 years at 7%, works and furniture ≈ €19,000 for a two-bedroom flat, survey ≈ Rs 50,000; cautious occupancy of 50% for a flat. Launch price list of 06/10/2026
- Tourism Authority: tourist residence licence (TAC), application fee Rs 5,000, then Rs 10,000 a year (type C); use permit and managing agent’s letter required · www.tourismauthority.mu
- Banks: 1% arrangement fee (MCB, minimum Rs 3,000, maximum Rs 50,000, price list of 10/07/2026); valuation Rs 15,000 to 40,000 and mortgage registration capped at ≈ Rs 55,000 (secondary sources, to be checked); lending often limited to 70% for a property to let, to be confirmed by the bank · mcb.mu
- Exchange rates: Bank of Mauritius, consolidated indicative rates of 05/10/2026, mid-point between buying and selling. Indicative: your bank will apply its own rate · www.bom.mu
- Income Tax Act: rent of a non-resident individual taxed at 15% in Mauritius; treatment of holiday letting to be confirmed with a registered tax agent · www.mra.mu
- OFIM and real-estate-mauritius.mu listings noted on 05/10/2026, local market: Albion, 4-bed with pool, Rs 11.9M (ofim.mu/72216, listing since withdrawn, noted on 05/10/2026); Flic en Flac, renovated 4-bed, Rs 11.8M (ofim.mu/67763, 2023 listing); Flic en Flac, unfinished villa, Rs 18M (ofim.mu/72376); Flic en Flac, new 4-bed, Rs 16.5M (ofim.mu/72522); Tamarin, single-storey 3-bed with pool, Rs 19.9M. Asking prices, not sale prices; none of these properties is offered by Zilstone · www.ofim.mu
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