Renting in Morocco: Lease, Deposit and Apartment Checklist

Renting in Morocco is mostly straightforward once you know which parts are law and which are habit. The short version:

• The law (Law 67-12) requires a written, dated lease, and caps the security deposit at two months’ rent, refundable within a month of returning the property, less legally justified sums owed.
• Common practice is to pay the deposit and the first month’s rent before moving in, and an agency fee of about a month’s rent if an agent found the flat. Some landlords ask for more in advance, particularly from foreign tenants they do not know.
• What varies is almost everything else: prices, how formal the process is, whether a landlord wants proof of residence, and who pays which charges. Ask, and put the answers in the lease.

If housing is one part of your move, the First 30 Days checklist puts the apartment search alongside accounts, paperwork and the other arrival tasks.

Before you rent: a practical checklist

When	What to confirm
WhenBefore viewing	What to confirmNeighbourhood, furnished or unfurnished status, monthly rent, and whether building charges are included
WhenDuring the visit	What to confirmWater pressure, damp, heating or cooling, internet availability, and the condition of appliances
WhenBefore paying	What to confirmWritten lease terms, who receives the payment, agency fees, and a security deposit within the legal limit described below
WhenAt move-in	What to confirmSigned inventory, dated photos, key handover, and who handles water, electricity and building charges
WhenAt move-out	What to confirmDocument the condition and key return; keep evidence relevant to the deposit refund

Law versus practice: the written lease and security-deposit limit are legal matters; agency commissions, advance rent and other arrangements must be confirmed individually. The sections below explain the distinction.

What the law requires

Residential leases are governed by Law 67-12. For a tenant, three points matter most.

Law 67-12 covers furnished or unfurnished residential and professional premises let for more than 30 days, unless special legislation applies.

The lease must be in writing and dated. In practice informal and verbal arrangements still exist, especially for furnished flats let to foreigners, but you should insist on a written contract. Having both signatures legalised at the commune is the usual way to fix its date, and a legalised lease is also what the residence office is likely to accept as proof of address. The contract should set out the rent, what it includes, the length of the lease, the deposit, and who is responsible for maintenance and repairs.

The deposit cannot exceed two months’ rent, and it must be returned within a month of your handing the flat back, less sums owed to the landlord and amounts paid on your behalf that the landlord can legally substantiate. A landlord who asks for a three-month deposit is asking for more than the law allows; money paid as rent in advance is a separate matter and should be written into the lease as such, so it is clear what it covers.

Anything unusual deserves advice. For a dispute, a long lease or a commercial arrangement, a Moroccan lawyer or notary will know the current text and how it is applied locally.

What landlords commonly ask for

Landlords and agencies typically ask for the deposit and first month’s rent before handing over the keys. An agency fee, commonly around one month’s rent, is usually paid by the tenant; confirm the amount before you start viewing through an agent.

Some landlords, more often in the formal apartment market than in the medina or the local residential market, want to see proof of legal residence before signing a longer lease. That is their policy, not a legal requirement for renting. If you do not yet have a Carte de Séjour, it can help to offer a reference from an employer or a Moroccan contact, or to pay some rent in advance, recorded in the lease.

Before you pay anyone

Confirm who is signing as landlord and who is authorised to collect the money. If an agent, relative or property manager acts for the owner, ask for written authority and check that the names on the lease, receipt and payment instructions agree. An online listing or a set of keys does not establish that authority. If the documents do not match, resolve it before paying.

Ask for a written breakdown separating the security deposit, advance rent, agency commission and building charges. For each payment, keep a receipt identifying the property, recipient, amount, date and what the money covers. Agree any reservation payment’s refund terms before handing it over.

For a lease you cannot read confidently, obtain a translation before signing. Check the notice clause, renewal terms, repair responsibilities and any restrictions on pets, guests or subletting. If your residence application depends on this address, ask the residence office which housing documents it will accept before committing.

Where to search

The main property portals are Avito.ma and Mubawab.ma, both mostly in French; a browser translation handles the key fields adequately. Listings on the portals are only part of the market. A good share of flats move by word of mouth, through agencies, and through city-specific rental and community groups, so ask other residents which ones are active where you are.

Local agencies (agences immobilières) are numerous in every city and are worth using for unfurnished, longer-term rentals and for specific neighbourhoods, where an agent’s local knowledge saves days of browsing.

What rent will cost

Rents vary widely by city, by neighbourhood and by building, and published averages go stale quickly, so calibrate against current listings for the exact area you want rather than a national figure. If you are comparing areas in Casablanca, Marrakech or Rabat, the Neighborhood Explorer offers area profiles and dated listing examples where available; those examples are not neighbourhood-wide typical rents.

As a rule of thumb, Casablanca is generally the most expensive market, and central modern districts cost more than outer ones: Maarif and Gauthier in Casablanca, Gueliz in Marrakech, Agdal and Hay Riad in Rabat. Marrakech has two markets side by side, tourist-facing medina rentals and a local residential market at noticeably lower prices, so know which one you are shopping in. Medina homes everywhere range from beautifully restored to struggling with damp, plumbing and wiring.

Outside the largest cities, rents are usually lower. The trade-off can be fewer modern buildings and less choice of fast internet.

Furnished or unfurnished

Furnished flats are the default for short and medium stays, and “furnished” covers everything from a bed and two chairs to a fully equipped modern apartment, so check what is included during the visit. Unfurnished flats are cheaper per month and more often available on longer leases, but you buy the basics. For a stay of more than a year, the monthly saving often outweighs the setup cost.

Furnishing an empty flat in Casablanca

Before shopping, photograph what comes with the flat and measure doorways, stairs and the lift. Ask whether delivery includes carrying items upstairs and assembly. Start with a bed, lighting, a place to eat and whatever you need to cook. Buy the rest once you have lived in the space for a few days.

For second-hand listings, try searching by neighbourhood with meubles d’occasion, table à manger or machine à laver. Ask to inspect the item before paying, test appliances in person, and agree who arranges collection. For a furnished flat, record the condition of any items on the move-in inventory.

Utilities

Who holds your electricity and water account depends on where you rent, and it is worth knowing before you queue at the wrong office. In Casablanca, Marrakech, Oujda, Fes and Meknes, it is the regional SRM company. In the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, SRM Rabat-Salé-Kénitra covers the region except the area covered by Redal’s delegated-management contract, where Redal remains the operator. Redal lists customer agencies in Rabat and Salé, so if you rent there, check which of the two serves your address. In Tangier and Tétouan it is still Amendis, until that region’s transition completes. ONEE (Office National de l’Electricité et de l’Eau Potable) is the direct operator mainly outside these regional structures, in smaller towns and rural areas. Our utilities guide covers setting up the accounts.

When you take over a flat you can leave the account in the landlord’s name and be billed through them, or transfer it to yours. A transfer is typically done at the operator’s local agency with a copy of your lease and passport. Having the account in your own name simplifies payment and avoids arguments about a previous tenant’s arrears.

Also agree who pays building charges (the syndic, which covers common areas, lifts and sometimes a guard). Whether the rent includes them should be written into the lease; it is a frequent source of disagreement when it is not.

Before you sign: what to check

Water. Check the pressure in the kitchen and bathroom, and ask the current tenant or neighbours about cuts, which are more frequent in some districts and in summer.

Damp. Look for dark patches and peeling paint near windows, particularly in ground-floor and north-facing flats. Many buildings are less insulated than their European equivalents, and condensation in winter is common.

Internet. Ask which provider the current tenant uses and what speeds they actually get. Connectivity can vary from one street to the next, and a modern-looking building is no guarantee.

The neighbourhood. Walk the routes you will use for shopping and errands. Our guide to settling into daily life helps you judge an area beyond the flat itself.

The paperwork. Before you pay anything, read the lease, check the deposit is no more than two months’ rent, and agree an inventory. A dated set of photos taken on the day you move in is the simplest protection you have.

Leaving the flat and recovering the deposit

If you and your landlord disagree about repairs, notice or returning the deposit, see the rental disputes guide.

Start with the notice clause in your lease. Agree the departure date and keep evidence that notice reached the landlord; if the clause or an early departure is disputed, get advice before assuming that moving out ends your obligations.

Arrange a joint checkout against the move-in inventory. Record the condition, meter readings and every key returned, and ask both sides to sign a dated handover record. Keep your own copy and photographs. If there is a disagreement, record it rather than signing an unqualified statement that everything is settled.

Give the landlord payment details for the refund and request an itemised explanation with supporting documents for any deduction. Keep the lease, deposit receipt, inventories, handover record and correspondence together. The deposit limit and return period are set out above; a payment dispute needs evidence, not just a verbal promise.

Do not assume the deposit replaces your final rent payment. Agree any such arrangement in writing. Separately close or transfer accounts in your name using the utilities and internet departure checklist.