Real Estate Taxes in Marrakech 2026: What Buying, Renting and Reselling Really Costs

Buying, holding, renting out or reselling a property in Marrakech: each stage carries its own tax, and most buyers only discover the full bill after the fact. Between registration duties at signing, an annual housing tax, income tax on rent if the property is let, and a capital gains levy on resale, taxation can take a meaningful bite out of an investment’s real return. Here is the breakdown, item by item, with the rates in force in 2026.

At purchase: registration duties and notary fees

The first tax cost lands at signing. Registration duties stand at 4% of the sale price (or declared value) for a built property — apartment, villa or commercial unit. They come on top of land registry fees (1% to 1.5%) and notary fees (1% to 1.5%), which are set by the profession.

Altogether, the “acquisition costs” line commonly runs to 6-8% of the sale price — a figure that should always be built into a return calculation, since it directly eats into the first years’ performance.

A buyer who only budgets the sticker price of the property is almost always off by 6 to 8 points on their real outlay.

Two 2026 measures change the picture for certain buyers:

While you own it: housing tax and communal services tax

Once you own the property, two annual local taxes apply: the Housing Tax (Taxe d’Habitation, TH) and the Communal Services Tax (Taxe de Services Communaux, TSC), governed by Law 47-06. TH is based on the cadastral rental value of the property, with a 75% allowance for a primary residence. TSC applies at a flat rate of 10.5% in urban zones (6.5% in peripheral zones).

Combined, these two taxes typically run MAD 1,200 to 15,000 per year depending on size, city and use of the property. Payment is due each year by June 1 at the latest. Several exemptions exist, notably for first-time buyers for 5 years from completion, or for owners over 75 with modest income.

If you rent it out: income tax on rental revenue

For an owner — resident or not, including Moroccans living abroad (MRE) — who lets a property, the rent collected is taxable in Morocco. The regime for unfurnished residential lets grants an automatic 40% allowance on gross income, with no need to justify individual expenses. The taxable base becomes 60% of the rent received.

Below MAD 30,000 in gross annual rental income, the exemption is total. Above that threshold, the taxpayer can choose between the progressive IR scale after the allowance, or a flat rate: 10% if gross annual income is under MAD 120,000, 15% above that, or 20% by option with withholding at source. Since the 2026 Finance Law, a 5% withholding is applied by professional tenants.

For an owner who is a tax resident of France, Belgium or Spain, the applicable tax treaty determines how this Moroccan rental income is treated back home — worth checking with a tax adviser before filing.

On resale: the capital gains levy (TPI)

The last, often underestimated, stage is resale. The Taxe sur le Profit Immobilier (TPI) applies at a flat 20% on the net capital gain realized, with a minimum levy of 3% of the sale price even where no gain can be demonstrated.

The calculation is based on the gap between the sale price and the acquisition price, revalued using official coefficients. Contrary to a common assumption, this tax applies to any seller, Moroccan or foreign, as soon as the property sits on Moroccan soil. A full exemption exists for a primary residence held for more than 5 years.

Payment is due within 30 days of signing the authenticated deed of sale; the notary typically collects the tax and remits it to the tax authorities, which secures the transaction for both buyer and seller.

What to take away

Moroccan real estate taxation isn’t designed to discourage investment, but it deserves the same budgeting discipline as the purchase price itself. Three habits before any project in Marrakech:

A poorly prepared investment can look profitable on paper and disappointing on the bank statement. Taxation isn’t an administrative footnote — it’s a full line item in the calculation.