Renting a house or villa in Lomé, Togo: deposit, written lease and running costs under the 2022 decree

Three rules matter before you pay anything to rent a house or villa in Lomé, Togo. The lease must be in writing. The deposit (caution) and the rent guarantee (garantie de loyer) are each capped at three months' rent in Greater Lomé. The rent itself is free: you negotiate it. These rules come from Decree No. 2022-001/PR of 5 January 2022, which the Togolese Ministry of Urban Planning backs with a standard lease template. They are unevenly applied on the ground, which is a good reason to know them before the viewing.

Deposit and rent guarantee: three months each, no more

In Greater Lomé, a landlord cannot ask for more than three months' rent as a deposit, nor more than three months as a rent guarantee. The report of the Council of Ministers of 5 January 2022, published by Togo-Presse (accessed 11 October 2026), puts it this way: « la caution est désormais plafonnée à 3 mois de loyers » and « la garantie à 3 mois de loyers ». It adds: « Dans une première phase, cette mesure s'applique dans le grand Lomé » (in a first phase, the measure applies in Greater Lomé).

These are two separate sums. A landlord who asks for both can therefore request up to six months' rent on move-in. Have the lease state the amount of each and what it covers, and get a receipt for every payment.

According to Actu Lomé (article of 9 March 2026, accessed 11 October 2026), which relies on the decree, the deposit is returned to the tenant within a maximum of one month from the return of the keys, less any justified charges. The same article reports the penalty: a landlord who demands more than the cap risks a fine equal to twice the excess collected and must refund it.

The rule exists, but it is unevenly applied. Six months after the decree, Icilome (11 July 2022, accessed 11 October 2026) wrote that landlords « demeurent souverains dans la fixation des conditions de location » (remain sovereign in setting rental terms). If you are asked for more, cite the decree, ask the town hall for the lease template and have a notary or lawyer in Lomé read the lease before you sign.

The lease: in writing, on the ministry's template

No, a verbal agreement is no longer enough. The Ministry of Urban Planning, Housing and Land Reform told the mayors of the 13 communes of Greater Lomé on 17 March 2022: « le contrat de bail doit être un contrat écrit ». The minister added: « Il n'y a plus de baux verbaux » (there are no more verbal leases). The standard template is « disponible auprès de chaque mairie » (available at each town hall) and can be downloaded from the ministry's residential lease template page (pages accessed 11 October 2026).

What Decree No. 2022-001/PR regulates, according to reports by Togo-Presse (15 March 2022), Victoire FM (18 March 2022) and Actu Lomé (9 March 2026), accessed 11 October 2026:

• Rent: it is not capped. The parties set it freely, by supply and demand (Togo-Presse, Victoire FM).
• Rent reviews: the decree sets their margin and frequency, so a review cannot happen at any time (Victoire FM). We could not read those figures in the official text: ask a notary.
• Prohibited clauses: those exempting the landlord from liability (Togo-Presse) and those making the tenant automatically liable for any damage found (Victoire FM).
• Fees: the fees of the real estate professional involved in negotiating and drafting the contract are split equally between landlord and tenant (Actu Lomé).
• Landlord taking the property back: for professional or family reasons, the landlord must give two months' notice, in writing and with acknowledgement of receipt (Actu Lomé).
• Sale or death: the landlord's death does not end the contract (Victoire FM). If the property is sold, the lease continues with the new owner if the tenant asks for it in writing (Actu Lomé).
• Unpaid rent: the termination procedure is triggered one month after payments stop (Actu Lomé).

Two precautions are common sense rather than law. Check that the person signing is the owner or holds a written mandate: our guide to avoiding real estate scams lists the checks. And draw up a written inventory of the property's condition, dated and signed by both parties, with photos and meter readings. For the exact reach of any clause, a notary or a lawyer registered in Togo is the person to ask.

Running costs of a villa: who pays what

Major repairs fall on the landlord, routine upkeep on the tenant. The Ministry of Urban Planning (28 July 2022, accessed 11 October 2026) sums up the lease template as follows: the landlord bears major repairs and must prevent or stop any disturbance of the tenant's enjoyment of the property, while the tenant pays the rent and handles upkeep and tenant repairs. According to Actu Lomé, minor repairs are not the tenant's responsibility when they result from wear and age.

A villa adds items a flat does not have: a guard, a garden, sometimes a pool, a generator or a borehole. The sources we read do not allocate them one by one. Have the lease state who pays for each, otherwise a dispute at move-out is almost certain. If you disagree on what kind of repair something is, consult a notary or a lawyer.

For electricity, here are the low-voltage rates for households subscribed at 2.2 kVA or more, on post-paid billing, as reported by L-FRII (article of 15 May 2025, accessed 11 October 2026) from an interministerial order of 24 March 2025, in force since 5 May 2025:

Monthly consumption	Price per kWh (post-paid)
0 to 120 kWh	93 FCFA
121 to 350 kWh	130 FCFA
Above 350 kWh	153 FCFA

The same article mentions a public lighting contribution of 5 FCFA per kWh for low-voltage customers, and different prepaid rates, which it does not detail. Ask a CEET branch for the current grid. For water, we did not open an official TdE tariff: ask the landlord for the latest bills and check whose name the meters are in.

Budget and search: what we do not put a number on

We do not publish a rent range for a villa in Lomé here. Rent is free and we found no official statistics on villa rents. An unsourced figure would mislead you. The reliable method is to compare the listings live on the day you search: villas for rent in Lomé and all real estate in Lomé on Imonga.

Your move-in budget, on the other hand, follows from the rent you negotiate: the deposit (three months at most), the rent guarantee (three months at most) and your half of the fees if a professional was involved. Ask for the fee in writing before the viewing: we found no published scale.

To prepare the next steps: the rental application file, the property viewing checklist and the Lomé real estate guide. The rules described here apply to Togo. They differ in other countries: see our guide to leases, deposits and notice.

Frequently asked questions

How many months' deposit for a villa in Lomé?

Three months' rent at most for the deposit and three months at most for the rent guarantee, in Greater Lomé, under Decree No. 2022-001/PR of 5 January 2022. These are two separate sums. According to Actu Lomé, a landlord who asks for more risks a fine equal to twice the excess and must refund it.

Is a verbal lease valid in Togo?

Not for a home in Greater Lomé: the Ministry of Urban Planning states that a residential lease must be a written contract, based on the standard template available at each town hall and on its website. Do not pay a deposit without a signed contract and a receipt. A notary or lawyer can read the lease before you sign.

Is the rent for a house capped in Lomé?

No. According to Togo-Presse and Victoire FM, the 2022 decree caps the deposit and the rent guarantee, not the rent, which the parties still set freely. The decree does, however, set the margin and frequency of rent reviews: a landlord cannot raise the rent at any time. Ask a notary for the exact figures.

When do you get the deposit back?

Within a maximum of one month after returning the keys, according to Actu Lomé, less any justified charges. Togo-Presse adds that the landlord may keep the deposit to fund repair work if needed. A move-in and move-out inventory signed by both parties is your best evidence if there is a disagreement.

Who pays the agent's or broker's fees?

According to Actu Lomé, the fees of the real estate professional involved in negotiating and drafting the contract are split equally between landlord and tenant. The amount is not published: it is negotiated. Ask for it in writing before the viewing and get a receipt when you pay.

Do these rules apply outside Greater Lomé?

Not so far, according to the sources we consulted. The Council of Ministers of 5 January 2022 provided for application in Greater Lomé in a first phase, with a possible extension after evaluation. We found no text extending it. For a villa elsewhere in Togo, ask the town hall or a notary.

Sources

• Togo-Presse, report of the Council of Ministers of 5 January 2022: three-month caps on the deposit and the guarantee, application in Greater Lomé in a first phase. Accessed 11 October 2026.
• Togo-Presse, 15 March 2022: written lease, free rent, prohibited clauses, deposit kept for repairs. Accessed 11 October 2026.
• Ministry of Urban Planning, 17 March 2022: 13 communes of Greater Lomé, end of verbal leases, template available at town halls. Accessed 11 October 2026.
• Ministry of Urban Planning, 18 March 2022: download page for the standard residential lease template. Accessed 11 October 2026.
• Ministry of Urban Planning, 28 July 2022: split of repairs between landlord and tenant. Accessed 11 October 2026.
• Victoire FM, 18 March 2022: rent not capped, regulated reviews, void clauses, landlord's death. Accessed 11 October 2026.
• Actu Lomé, 9 March 2026: return of the deposit, penalty, fees, notice for taking back the property, sale, unpaid rent. Accessed 11 October 2026.
• Icilome, 11 July 2022: how the decree was applied six months on. Accessed 11 October 2026.
• L-FRII, 15 May 2025: low-voltage electricity rates in force since 5 May 2025. Accessed 11 October 2026.