Real estate in Saly Portudal (Senegal): buying or renting without getting the title wrong

Saly Portudal is a commune in the Mbour department of Senegal. According to the commune's page on Vie-publique.sn, accessed 8 October 2026, it has 41,811 inhabitants (2023 census, RGPH) and sits in the Sindia arrondissement, Thiès region. It is also a beach resort, which the World Bank calls « la destination phare du tourisme au Sénégal » (Senegal's flagship tourist destination). Before you buy or rent there, three things matter more than the rest: the exact right being sold (land title, lease or sublease), the distance to the sea, and the fees. This guide gives no price per square metre: we found no official price statistics for Saly, and we do not make any up.

Land title, lease, sublease: what you are really being sold in Saly

In Saly, the seller does not always hold a land title (titre foncier) in their own name. Inside the resort perimeter, plots were allocated by sublease. A SAPCO notice published by Dakaractu on 26 February 2021 (accessed 8 October 2026) shows it: the company asks holders of subleases on the resort's land (land title no. 638/MB) to go to the Bureau des Domaines in Mbour to request the transfer (mutation) of their occupancy titles and their entry in the land register, with a SAPCO clearance (quitus) less than three months old. The notice covers titles issued before SAPCO's own lease was terminated on 2 October 2012, and set a deadline of 30 June 2021.

We do not know where that regularisation stands in 2026. The practical consequence is clear, though: ask the seller which right they are selling, and for proof that it is entered in the land register.

The rule comes from Law no. 2011-07 of 30 March 2011 on the land ownership regime, whose text is reproduced here. Article 6 states: « L'immatriculation est définitive » (registration is final). Article 20 provides that real rights only take effect against third parties « qu'autant qu'ils ont été rendus publics » (insofar as they have been made public). Article 4 adds: « Seul l'Etat est autorisé à requérir l'immatriculation des immeubles aux livres fonciers » (only the State may apply for registration of land). A right that is not registered therefore does not protect you against a third party.

The long lease (bail emphytéotique) is the other common title on State land. According to Keur City's page on the bail emphytéotique (accessed 8 October 2026), which cites article 39 of the State Domain Code, it runs for a minimum of 18 years and a maximum of 50 years and gives the holder « un droit réel susceptible, notamment d'hypothèque » (a real right that can be mortgaged). That is not full ownership: have a notary read the lease before you pay anything. The general reflexes are covered in our article on land checks before buying a plot.

Seafront: the 100-metre strip and erosion

A plot inside the coastal strip cannot be sold as full ownership while it belongs to the public domain. The State Domain Code (Law no. 76-66 of 2 July 1976) states that the public domain is « inaliénable et imprescriptible » (it cannot be sold or acquired by long occupation). In an opinion piece published by Dakaractu on 10 June 2020 (accessed 8 October 2026), the lawyer Ferdinand Faye recalls that article 5 a) places in it the seashore and « la zone de cent mètres de large à partir de la limite atteinte par les plus fortes marées » (a zone one hundred metres wide from the highest-tide line). He adds that precarious, revocable occupancy titles are « les seuls autorisés par le code du domaine de l'État (article 13) », and that article 19 allows coastal land to be declassified.

So for a villa advertised as beachfront, ask two questions: is the plot inside that strip, and what title does it rest on? A permit to occupy is not a title of ownership. Only a notary or a lawyer, with the documents in hand, can settle it for a given plot.

Erosion is the other seafront risk. According to a World Bank article dated 1 June 2023 (accessed 8 October 2026), severe erosion of Saly's beaches forced several hotels to close. The same article reports that 19 groynes and breakwaters were built to stabilise 7 km of beach, and that 325,000 m2 of beach were restored. Check where the property sits in relation to those structures, and visit at high tide.

Buying in Saly: checks and fees

A safe purchase goes through the land register, then through a notary. The order of steps:

1. Get the title reference. Land title number, or a copy of the lease or sublease, with the holder's identity.
2. Query the land register. Article 77 of Law no. 2011-07 (links above) allows it: « Toute personne, en se conformant aux règles ci-après fixées, peut obtenir communication » of the information recorded in the land registers. The request is made by written requisition to the registrar (conservateur de la propriété et des droits fonciers, article 78), who can issue a statement of real rights. It shows the registered owner and the charges, mortgages included.
3. Check the position relative to the sea (previous section) and have a surveyor confirm the boundaries.
4. Sign before the notary, who handles registration of the deed and entry of the transfer. No deposit without a receipt and a written agreement.

On fees, the main item is the registration duty. According to Le Journal de l'économie sénégalaise of 14 March 2015 (accessed 8 October 2026), the National Assembly adopted an amendment to the General Tax Code that moves the transfer duty on real property and real property rights « de 10% à 5% » (from 10% to 5%). We could not read the consolidated Code at the time of writing: ask the notary for the rate in force on the day of the deed. Notary fees and land register costs come on top. We do not publish their amount, for lack of a verified scale: insist on a written breakdown before signing. The general mechanism is explained in our article on purchase costs, notary fees and registration.

Buying from abroad? See how to finance a purchase from the diaspora, and the process described in our guide on how to buy a house in Dakar, which falls under the same Senegalese law.

Renting in Saly: deposit, commission and rent

For a residential lease, the deposit (caution) is capped at two months' rent when the rent does not exceed 500,000 FCFA per month. That is what Decree no. 2023-382 of 24 February 2023 provides. Its title appears in Official Journal no. 7605 and its content is reported by Impact.sn on 3 March 2023 (accessed 8 October 2026). According to that source, for those same rents:

• one month of deposit is payable on moving in, the balance in twelfths over twelve months;
• rent is not paid in advance, it is paid at the end of the month occupied;
• the agency or broker commission is reduced to half a month's rent.

The same decree cut residential rents from 1 March 2023. Scale as reported by Impact.sn (link above):

Monthly rent	Reduction
Up to 300,000 FCFA	15%
300,001 to 500,000 FCFA	10%
Above 500,000 FCFA	5%

Two limits. The decree covers residential leases governed by the Code of Civil and Commercial Obligations: we cannot say whether it covers a furnished seasonal let, common in a resort like Saly. And we have not verified that it has not been amended since 2023. On both points, ask a lawyer or a notary before signing. For the rest, read our notes on leases, deposits and notice and on property scams to avoid.

Frequently asked questions

What is the price per square metre in Saly?

We do not publish a price per square metre for Saly: no official statistics were found for the commune, and a figure without a source is worth nothing. To place a property, compare several listings of the same type in the same area, then ask a local professional for a written valuation. The notary can also tell you the value on which the duties will be calculated.

Can I buy a beachfront villa?

Not as full ownership if the plot lies in the maritime public domain, which includes a zone one hundred metres wide from the highest-tide line (article 5 a of the State Domain Code). That domain cannot be sold. Declassification is possible, and it is proven with documents. Have a notary check the title.

What is a SAPCO sublease?

It is an occupancy title issued on the beach resort's land, registered under land title no. 638/MB. In 2021, SAPCO asked holders to have these titles transferred and entered in the land register at the Bureau des Domaines in Mbour. Before buying, ask for proof of that entry and have a notary read the file.

How much deposit for a year-round rental?

Two months' rent at most for a residential lease with a rent up to 500,000 FCFA per month, under Decree no. 2023-382 as reported by Impact.sn on 3 March 2023. One month is paid on moving in, the rest is spread over twelve months. Above that rent, the deposit is negotiated: have it written into the lease.

These are Senegal's rules, and they differ in the other countries Imonga covers. For the capital and the rest of the region, see our guides to real estate in Dakar and real estate in Thiès.

Sources

• Vie-publique.sn, Saly Portudal commune page: population (RGPH 2023), arrondissement, department, region. Accessed 8 October 2026.
• SAPCO notice, Dakaractu, 26 February 2021: resort subleases, land title no. 638/MB, transfer at the Bureau des Domaines in Mbour. Accessed 8 October 2026.
• Law no. 2011-07 of 30 March 2011, Vie-publique.sn page and text reproduced by Keur City: articles 4, 6, 20, 77 and 78. Accessed 8 October 2026.
• State Domain Code, Law no. 76-66, Vie-publique.sn page: public domain cannot be sold or prescribed, leases on the private domain. Accessed 8 October 2026.
• Opinion piece by Ferdinand Faye, Dakaractu, 10 June 2020: articles 5 a), 9, 13 and 19 of the State Domain Code. Accessed 8 October 2026.
• Keur City, the bail emphytéotique in Senegal: duration and article 39 of the State Domain Code. Accessed 8 October 2026.
• World Bank, 1 June 2023: erosion and beach restoration in Saly. Accessed 8 October 2026.
• Le Journal de l'économie sénégalaise, 14 March 2015: property transfer duty cut from 10% to 5%. Accessed 8 October 2026.
• Official Journal no. 7605, Vie-publique.sn page and Impact.sn, 3 March 2023: title and content of Decree no. 2023-382. Accessed 8 October 2026.