Housing in Equatorial Guinea

The ENH2 2022–23 survey recorded total ownership at 61.3%, including owner-built and owner-bought homes. Only 1.3% of households reported a purchased home and 0.9% were still purchasing one; 10.9% lived in ceded or loaned accommodation and 0.1% occupied housing without consent. Continental Equatorial Guinea had 70.5% ownership and 18.3% renting, while Insular Equatorial Guinea had 39.7% ownership and 46.7% renting. Urban households reported 52.5% ownership and 36.0% renting, compared with 77.4% ownership and 10.1% renting in rural areas. Renting reached 51.4% in Bioko Norte, while ceded or loaned housing reached 26.3% in Bioko Sur. Formal housing can be expensive for many households. Self-construction, personal savings and self-financing are significant access routes, while private developers and mortgage administration remain limited. Public viviendas sociales are state-financed and privately built housing schemes. ENPIGE reported 9,455 units in September 2019, including 6,729 in Malabo and 1,918 in Bata; 98% were occupied and 10% were fully sold at that historical checkpoint. Current availability and programme status require local confirmation. The reported 2019 public-programme conditions included Equatoguinean nationality and no bank or state debt, without an income threshold. The rent-to-own model transferred title only after final payment. Historical payment options included down payments of 300,000, 500,000 or 1,000,000 FCFA and monthly payments of 30,000, 50,000 or 70,000 FCFA, with 10,000 FCFA for maintenance or shared-building costs. ENPIGE issued a payment certificate for the government notary or the Ministry of Justice. The reported repayment period exceeded 30 years, so current implementation should be checked before relying on these figures. Documentation is a major practical difference between housing arrangements. Among households reporting ownership or a purchase in progress, 66.0% had no tenure document, 22.6% had a registered title, 7.5% had a sale-purchase document, 2.3% had a receipt or invoice and 1.6% had a social-housing contract. The share without documents was 75.1% in Continental Equatorial Guinea and 87.1% in rural areas. The Registro de la Propiedad y Mercantil handles property registration. The Ministry lists a sale contract, site plan, measurement certificate, buyer and seller identity document or passport, and the seller's title among the registration documents. A reported three-working-day title-issuance period in Malabo is a historical or local reference and should be confirmed before relying on it. Land may be private or part of State patrimony. A 2019–20 World Bank study reported that foreign land acquisition required Presidential authorization and that access could be limited to an emphyteutic lease of up to 99 years. Current legal confirmation is necessary for any purchase or long-term arrangement involving foreign nationals. In Malabo, a building application can involve a project report, land measurement, budget, construction plan, title or a certificate from a Comunidad de Vecinos or Consejo de Poblado, review by the Secretaría Técnica del Ayuntamiento, a site inspection, payment of the assessed fee and a licence signed by the mayor. Ordinanza Fiscal 4/2018 reported rates of 1% for non-profit nationals, 2% for non-profit foreigners and profit-making nationals, and 2.5% for profit-making foreigners; other municipalities may apply different rates. Housing quality and services also vary. In 2022–23, 45.8% of households reported leaking roofs, 27.4% defective doors or windows and 13.4% overcrowding; overcrowding reached 19.5% in Insular Equatorial Guinea and 17.0% in urban areas. Public electricity reached 74.5% nationally, while 24.5% used bush lamps; urban and Insular areas reached 95.0% public-network access, compared with 61.0% in rural areas. The main water sources were public taps at 46.8%, springs, rivers or lakes at 21.6%, and private wells at 20.8%. About 89.9% of households travelled to collect water and 87.9% reported no drinking-water treatment. Rental arrangements should be recorded in writing. The contract should identify the parties and their authority to rent, describe the property, state the term, rent, payment evidence, deposit, utilities, repairs and termination conditions, and define the handover process. Reviewed sources did not identify a current nationwide rent-control schedule, deposit ceiling or dedicated housing ombud. At handover, record the keys, meter readings, deposit, existing damage and agreed repairs. Disputes may require local legal advice and the competent court because no nationwide housing-dispute pathway was verified.