What buying a property in Benin really costs
The advertised price is never the budget. Registration duties, notary, land title transfer and filing fees all come on top. Work out your own case with three settings.
Your situation
The seller holds an ANDF land title. The transfer is direct: the simplest and safest case.
The seller is not VAT registered, so the price carries no VAT. Registration duties of 5% apply.
Set it to 0 if you are dealing directly. A registered agency's commission carries VAT.
Cost breakdown
What changes the amount
The land title comes first
Without a title in the seller's name, you are buying a promise. The land rights confirmation procedure adds the surveyor and the opening of a title, and above all delay. It is also what makes a bank loan possible.
The notary is compulsory
Without a notarial deed, the transfer cannot be enforced against third parties. The notary's fees follow a sliding scale: proportionally, they weigh less on an expensive property.
VAT or registration duties, never both
A private seller is not VAT registered: the price carries no VAT, but the 5% duties apply. A developer charges 18% VAT, and the transaction is then exempt from those duties.
Pay nothing before the notary
No deposit should leave your hands before the title is checked and the deed drawn up. This is the main source of disputes on the market.
Need a notary or some advice?
We put you in touch with a professional to check the title and secure the transaction.
Indicative estimate based on the scales in force in Benin. It does not replace the official statement: only the notary handling the sale sets the exact amounts, which vary with the nature of the property and the steps required. Speak to a notary before committing to anything.