Eviction in Cameroon: the legal procedure and what a landlord may never do

A lock changed while you were out, the electricity meter removed, your belongings put out in the yard: in Cameroon these scenes are common and almost always illegal. A landlord who does this does not recover the property, they commit an offence.

Here is what the law actually allows, the procedure a landlord must follow from start to finish, the four conditions that turn unpaid rent into a criminal matter, and what you can do if you are put out without a court ruling.

A landlord cannot evict you personally

The landlord owes the tenant peaceful enjoyment of the property for the whole term of the lease. That obligation does not disappear because the rent has stopped. Until a court has terminated the lease, you are a lawful occupant, even one in debt.

Taking the law into their own hands exposes the landlord. Article 299 of the Cameroonian Penal Code punishes violation of domicile, defined as entering or remaining in another person's home against their will. A landlord who enters a tenant's home without consent, or refuses to leave, falls within that provision. Cutting water or electricity, blocking access, moving furniture out: these are unlawful acts, and a judge can order them stopped immediately along with damages.

The reasoning cuts both ways. A landlord in a hurry who short circuits the procedure often ends up as the defendant, having to compensate the very tenant they wanted out.

The legal procedure, step by step

Recovering an occupied property goes through the courts. There is no shortcut.

Step	Who acts	What happens
1. Formal notice	The landlord	Written demand to pay the rent owed or vacate, delivered against signature or through a bailiff
2. Summons	The bailiff	If the notice goes unanswered, the tenant is summoned before the competent court
3. Hearing	The judge	The landlord must quantify the rent due and produce records of payments already made
4. Ruling	The court	Termination of the lease, order to pay arrears and eviction order
5. Order to vacate	The bailiff	Formal order to vacate the premises, followed by enforcement of the eviction

Where the lease contains a termination clause, meaning a clause stating that it ends automatically on non payment, the emergency judge has jurisdiction to record that termination and order the eviction. The route is faster, but it is still a court procedure.

What the landlord must prove

This is the point landlords neglect most, and it loses cases. The court expects the amount claimed to be quantified and supported: the landlord must file the records of payments recently made by the tenant. Without that evidence, the claim for arrears is dismissed as unfounded.

The practical consequence works both ways. For the tenant, every receipt kept reduces the debt that can be claimed. For the landlord, the habit of issuing numbered, dated receipts is what makes the debt provable on the day of the hearing. It is one of the reasons we insist on the contents of the lease agreement.

Rent fraud: the four conditions of article 322-1

The Penal Code of 12 July 2016 created a specific offence. Article 322-1 punishes with six months to three years imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 to 300,000 CFA francs, or one of those two penalties only, the tenant of a duly registered lease on built or unbuilt property who, owing two months of rent, has neither paid that rent nor vacated the premises one month after formal notice to pay or leave. On conviction, the court also orders the eviction of the tenant and anyone occupying on their behalf.

This provision is often waved around wrongly. Its conditions are cumulative: miss one and the offence is not made out.

• A duly registered lease. This is the most filtering condition. The vast majority of Cameroonian residential leases are not registered with the tax office, which closes the criminal route to the landlord.
• Two months of rent owed. One month in arrears is not enough.
• A formal notice to pay or vacate. It must be established, therefore written and traceable.
• One month elapsed since that notice, with neither payment nor departure.

A tenant who does not pay is therefore not automatically guilty of rent fraud. They are once all four conditions are met. Article 322-2 covers, under the same penalties, a tenant who damages the rented premises or fittings on leaving.

For landlords the lesson is direct: registering the lease at the tax office, often dismissed as pointless paperwork, is precisely what opens the criminal route. For tenants it is just as direct: a registered lease protects you better, but it also exposes you more if arrears drag on.

If you are evicted without a court ruling

An eviction without a court decision is an unlawful act. You are not powerless, provided you move fast and build evidence.

• Record it immediately. Photograph the changed lock, the removed meter, your displaced belongings, with the date. A bailiff's report is the strongest evidence if you can afford one.
• Get statements. Neighbours, the caretaker, the block leader: collect written statements with ID numbers.
• Report it. A police report at the local station puts an official date on the facts, even if no criminal case follows.
• Apply to the emergency judge. This is the urgent route. It can restore the situation and get you back into the property, along with damages.
• Do not break in to get back. Retaking possession by force would cost you the benefit of your position. Let the judge decide.

If the dispute is about your deposit rather than staying in the property, our article on the deposit and advance rent explains how to get it back.

Key takeaways

• Until a court has terminated the lease, you are a lawful occupant, even behind on rent.
• The procedure has five steps: formal notice, summons by bailiff, hearing, ruling, order to vacate. None can be skipped.
• A landlord claiming arrears must quantify them and produce payment records, failing which the claim is dismissed.
• Rent fraud under article 322-1 requires four cumulative conditions, including a duly registered lease. No registration, no prosecution.
• Faced with an eviction without a ruling: photograph, get it recorded, report it, apply to the emergency judge, and force nothing.

The best moment to avoid all of this is still the signing. A written lease, numbered receipts and an inspection report settle most disputes before they exist. On Geloka, every listing shows the rent, the neighbourhood and the entry terms, with a direct line to the landlord.