The rules you follow every day in Morocco

With no licence and no regulator for agents, nobody checks your files every week. That does not make the rules lighter. Contract law, consumer law, data law and anti-money laundering law all apply to you. This lesson turns them into daily habits.

Mandates and visit slips

Your relationship with a client is an ordinary contract under the Code of Obligations and Contracts. No form is required, but without a written document, your fee is hard to defend. Rabat agents told Le Brief in November 2025 that signed mandates, prospecting contracts and visit slips are often missing, and that this is how agents lose fees when clients go direct.

A good mandate states:

1. The parties, the property and its title number (titre foncier) if it has one.
2. Exclusive or not, and the duration.
3. The commission: rate or amount, who pays, whether tax is included, and when it is due.
4. What happens if the client buys or sells with someone you introduced after the mandate ends.

Add a visit slip (bon de visite) signed by each person you show around. It is your proof of introduction.

There is no legal cap on commission in Morocco. The rate is whatever the client signs.

Advertising honestly

We found no advertising permit for property listings in Morocco, like the ones some Gulf markets require. The general law still applies. Challenge (June 2025) explains that under consumer protection Law 31-08, advertising is banned when it misleads the consumer on essential points such as price, qualities or the seller’s identity. It reports fines that can reach MAD 1,000,000 under the related laws, depending on the case.

In practice:

• Show the real price, the real area and real photos.
• Never advertise a property without the owner’s mandate.
• Do not promise residency with a purchase. Morocco has no golden visa.
• Do not promise a delivery date that is not in the developer’s contract.

Prospecting messages and client data

Client data is protected by Law 09-08, supervised by the CNDP. The CNDP’s fact sheet on prospecting says that sending advertising by electronic means needs the person’s prior consent and a prior declaration to the CNDP. The exception: someone who bought a similar service from you before. Each message must allow a free and easy opt-out. Prospecting someone who has objected can bring a fine of MAD 20,000 to 200,000, prison, or both.

So: build your contact list from people who agreed, and remove anyone who says stop.

Anti-money laundering, every day

Under Law 43-05 and Order 133.23, you must:

• Identify every client and the real beneficial owner behind a company.
• Refuse anonymous clients and shell companies.
• Check names against sanctions lists.
• Report suspicious transactions to the ANRF.
• Contribute to the annual report to the Housing Ministry.

Law 12-18 added disciplinary sanctions for breaches, including temporary suspension (Bladi, 2021). Money laundering itself is a crime: Hespress reports two to five years of prison and fines of MAD 50,000 to 500,000 for individuals.

The 2026 rules that change your deals

• Notary or adouls only. Since 16 July 2026 (Law 41.25), the sale deed, the promise of sale and the off-plan preliminary contract must be authentic deeds by a notary or two adouls. Lawyers can no longer draft them.
• Powers of attorney. Since 1 June 2026 (Law 31.18), any power of attorney used to sell or mortgage must be registered at the court of first instance first, or the land registry can refuse the deed (Al3omk).
• Cash surcharge. Since 1 July 2026, a sale above MAD 300,000 carries an extra 2% registration duty on any part of the price not paid by traceable means and recorded in the deed (Medias24). Example figures: MAD 200,000 paid in cash costs the buyer MAD 4,000 more.
• Declared price. ReaConsult warns that the tax office can correct a price that looks too low and add penalties. Never help hide part of a price.

Rentals

Long-term leases fall under Law 67-12: a written lease, a deposit capped at two months’ rent, and eviction only by court order (Global Property Guide). Holiday lets need a licence under Law 80-14.

What gets agents in trouble

Mistake	Consequence
No signed mandate or visit slip	Client goes direct, fee lost
Accepting part of the price in cash	2% surcharge for the buyer, AML exposure for you
Unregistered power of attorney	Deed refused at the land registry
Misleading ad or price	Fines under consumer law
Messaging people who opted out	CNDP fine of MAD 20,000 to 200,000
No client ID file	Breach of Law 43-05

Key takeaways

• Mandate first, visits second. Always in writing.
• Advertise only what is true and mandated.
• Get consent before you send marketing messages.
• Know your client, refuse cash, and report suspicion to the ANRF.

These rules move fast. Check the official source before you act, and practise with Morocco rules training. For commission details, read Real estate agent commission in Morocco.