Housing in the Republic of the Congo

The Republic of the Congo has formal rental and ownership pathways, but many households arrange housing through self-building, family-based or informal land use. Common forms include primary tenancies, mixed residential and business use, furnished housing, private ownership, social housing and rent-to-own arrangements. There is no reliably documented current nationwide price series for rents or real estate; costs vary greatly by location, plot, construction condition, material prices and access to infrastructure. Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire have particular practical importance because of their size and demand. For leases, Law No. 37-2012 (Loi n°37-2012) applies. A written lease is provided for, but an oral agreement may also be valid. The agreement and its attachments should be signed by both parties and copied for each party; these include a move-in condition report (état des lieux d’entrée), a defect notice and a receipt for the lease security deposit (dépôt de garantie). The initial rent is freely agreed. The monthly payment, any contractual amendment and a possible increase should be clearly regulated in the agreement; a revision may not exceed 2% per year if the agreement contains a clause allowing it. The lease security deposit usually equals one to three months’ rent, may not be increased during the lease term and must be returned at the end, minus documented claims or repairs. The statutory lease term is at least three years. Without notice, the agreement is tacitly renewed for the same period. Both landlord and tenant must observe a notice period of three months. The landlord must provide decent accommodation without obvious safety or health risks, maintain it in good condition and carry out necessary repairs. The tenant must pay on time, use the dwelling peacefully and make no unauthorized changes of use or connections. The tenant only needs insurance if the owner requires it. In the event of the tenant’s death, abandonment or unexpected departure, the lease may automatically pass to a spouse, relatives in the ascending or descending line or dependants. Assignment and subletting require the landlord’s written consent; the landlord’s sale or death does not terminate the lease. At handover, the parties should conduct a joint condition inspection, completely clear the dwelling and return all keys. Eviction may only be carried out by a bailiff (huissier); for rent arrears, a formal payment order (commandement) is followed by a two-month payment period and, if necessary, court proceedings. For purchase or self-building, the land title (titre foncier) provides the strongest land security. An occupancy permit (permis d’occuper), transfer agreement (contrat de cession), recognition order for customary lands (terres coutumières) or another provisional document is not equivalent to a final ownership title. After acquisition, registration must be completed within 90 days with the national land cadastre (cadastre national foncier); failure to do so may cost 100,000 FCFA. Depending on the step, the responsible bodies are the Directorate of Land Affairs (Direction des affaires foncières), the cadastre and topography services, and the Conservation of Mortgages and Land Ownership (Conservation des hypothèques et de la propriété foncière) within the departmental one-stop land office (guichet unique foncier départemental). The procedure provides 45 days for publication and objections; after complete submission, the Registrar (Conservateur) is supposed to issue the land title within five days. The government’s 2024 statement that files should take no more than 55 days is an administrative target, not a nationally measured processing time. Fees and taxes are normally paid by the owner; current rates must be checked locally. Possession lasting 30 years that is real, peaceful, public and unequivocal may enable acquisition under the statutory conditions, but only within areas that have actually been developed. Illegal occupation may lead to forced clearance (déguerpissement). The acquisition of rural land is generally reserved for Congolese nationals; foreign persons may acquire urban or peri-urban land subject to reciprocity, but not rural land or land used under customary arrangements, except in special economic zones. For new buildings or alterations in urban areas, Law No. 6-2019 (Loi n°6-2019) generally requires a building permit (permis de construire). Residential buildings need drinking water, electricity and wastewater disposal. Category I covers single-storey buildings of up to 100 m², Category II covers larger or multi-storey buildings, and Category III covers national or international projects. Municipal bodies handle Categories I and II; Category III falls under the responsible ministry. The statutory issuance period is 30 days, the permit is valid for five years and may be extended once; construction must begin within two years. Before use or commercial operation, a certificate of conformity (certificat de conformité) is usually required. If the responsible authority does not respond within 30 days after the conformity application, use may be possible provided there is no objection. The Congolese Housing Bank (Banque Congolaise de l’Habitat, BCH) offers real-estate loans and has regional offices in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire and other areas. The National Housing Fund (Fonds national de l’habitat) was reactivated as a special state account by the 2023 budget law; transferring its administration to BCH was announced in 2025 but depended on an agreement and a decree. No general entitlement to a subsidy or housing allocation is documented. According to the available information, fewer than one quarter of households were supported by banks, mortgage loans accounted for 2.8% of credit provision and real-estate loans for 1.5% of all loans. Before purchasing, building or renting long term, check land documents, cadastral information, georeferencing, boundary surveys, objections, authority to dispose, the development plan and the permit status.