Unpaid rent in Morocco: what to do, in order
A tenant who stops paying is, first of all, a problem of proof and deadlines. Here are the steps in order, what each one gets you, and the point at which a commissaire judiciaire starts to matter.
Updated 23 September 2026
General information, not legal advice. Every situation differs — check yours with a professional before acting.
First: write, don't only phone
A phone call leaves no trace. If this ends up in front of a judge, what will count is what was written down: the lease, the receipts, the transfers you received, and your reminders.
Send something written — WhatsApp, SMS or email — naming the months and the exact amount. It is not yet a formal notice, but it dates your demand and shows you looked for a solution before acting.
- The signed lease, and any amendments
- A statement of rent received and the months missing
- The messages exchanged, not deleted
The formal notice: the step that changes something
While you are chasing, you are asking. With a formal notice you put the tenant in default: the Dahir of Obligations and Contracts (articles 254 to 256) provides that a debtor is late once they have been given written notice, and that the writing must carry a certain date.
In practice, that starts the consequences of the delay, interrupts prescription, and produces the document a court looks for first. Without it, a lot of cases go back to the beginning.
What it has to contain
The parties identified, the lease referred to, the unpaid months and the exact total, a clear deadline to pay, and what follows if it is not met. A vague notice is easy to contest.
Registered letter or commissaire judiciaire?
Both give a certain date. The difference is proof of receipt. A registered letter left unclaimed keeps open the argument that the tenant was never warned — which is exactly what gets contested once the matter becomes serious.
A commissaire judiciaire travels to the address, hands over the document and draws up a record of service. That record stands as proof. For a dispute you expect to take to court, it is the difference between asserting and proving.
The deadline the tenant is given
The notice Indari prepares gives the tenant 7 days to put things right. The period has to be reasonable for the obligation, and it depends on the lease and on the basis of the claim.
You will often see 15 days quoted: that figure belongs to residential and professional leases under law 67.12. Depending on your situation it is not necessarily the period that applies to yours — one of the things worth checking before sending.
If they still do not pay
Once the deadline passes, the case can go to the competent court, with the formal notice and the record of service as the main exhibits. Depending on what you ask for, that may be payment, termination of the lease, or both.
One thing to be clear about: in Morocco, evicting a tenant requires a court decision. Changing the locks or cutting the water is not an option, and turns the case against the landlord.
What it costs
A registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt costs a few tens of dirhams. Service by a commissaire judiciaire costs more, and what you are paying for is this: a document handed over in person and a record that stands as proof.
At Indari the Standard plan is 790 MAD and Express is 990 MAD, a fixed price known in advance. We prepare the notice in Arabic from the details confirmed with you by phone; a commissaire judiciaire signs and serves it.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I evict my tenant without going to court?
- No. Eviction requires a court decision. Taking the property back by force, changing the locks or cutting the utilities exposes the landlord to proceedings, even when the tenant is in the wrong.
- Does the notice have to be in Arabic?
- Arabic is the language Moroccan courts work in, and it is the language the notice is drawn up in. It is also the language the tenant cannot claim not to have understood.
- What if the tenant refuses to accept the document?
- The commissaire judiciaire records the refusal in the report. That is precisely the point of using one: the refusal is documented, and it does not stop what follows.
- How long does it take?
- Preparation takes days once the details are confirmed. Service then depends on finding the tenant at the address given. The deadline to pay runs from the moment of service.
- I live abroad — can I do this remotely?
- Yes. The request is filed online, confirmation happens by phone, and the commissaire judiciaire travels in Morocco. That is the situation for a large share of the cases we handle.