Why landlords require high rent advances in Cameroon

The Cameroonian rental market is often accused of being unbalanced, with high rents and exorbitant advances. But on the landlords’ side, these practices mainly reflect a lack of guarantees and a poorly enforced legal framework. Understanding their motivations opens the door to a fairer and more sustainable regulation.

A tense rental market

In Cameroon, finding a place to live is often a real struggle. Prices fluctuate without clear logic, conditions are often strict, and advance payments can reach up to 18 months of rent a colossal amount for most households.

Behind these practices are landlords who, far from always being driven by greed, act according to specific economic, social, and legal logics. Understanding their position also means understanding the structural imbalances of the Cameroonian rental market.

Why landlords demand large advance payments

One of the practices most criticized by tenants is that of 6 to 18 months of advance rent. But from the landlords’ perspective, this requirement can be explained by several reasons:

The fear of non-payment

Rent arrears are frequent, and eviction procedures are long and costly. Without an effective guarantee system, landlords try to protect themselves against the risk of defaulting tenants. A large advance thus becomes a form of insurance: it secures the landlord’s income over a given period.

The absence of rental insurance

In many countries, there are rental guarantee systems: insurance schemes or public funds that cover unpaid rents. In Cameroon, these mechanisms are non-existent. The landlord can rely only on themselves.

An uncertain economic environment

Between the devaluation of the CFA franc, inflation in construction materials, and the scarcity of land, landlords seek to recover their investment as quickly as possible. Housing thus becomes not only a social good but also a financial asset to be secured.

The legal void and weak enforcement of laws

The Cameroonian legal framework is not entirely silent on the issue of housing. There are texts regulating rentals, notably concerning advance duration and rent setting.

However, these laws are rarely enforced.

Theoretical regulation

In theory, the law limits the advance payment to two months. In practice, landlords freely impose their conditions without fear of sanctions. Tenants, often uninformed or desperate, accept under constraint.

Lack of institutional arbitration

Rental disputes should be resolved quickly by local commissions or specialized courts. But these bodies are either non-existent, overburdened, or perceived as ineffective. The result: everyone acts according to their own rules.

Information imbalance

Tenants often ignore their rights, while landlords control the balance of power. This informational gap fosters abuse and maintains a climate of mutual distrust.

More balanced practices elsewhere

In several African and European countries, governments have managed to create a balance between protecting landlords and tenants. Here are a few inspiring examples:

Rwanda: transparency and digitalization

In Kigali, rents are regulated by indicative scales published by local authorities. In addition, rental contracts can be registered online, ensuring traceability and reducing abuse.

Morocco: rental mediation

Morocco has set up mediation centers between landlords and tenants. These structures allow for quick conflict resolution without going to court, fostering a climate of trust.

France: deposit and rent insurance

Property owners can subscribe to unpaid rent insurance (GLI), which protects them without requiring large advances. On the other hand, tenants benefit from public guarantees such as Visale, a state-supported scheme.

What paths for Cameroon?

To rebalance the market, several concrete actions can be considered:

Create a national rental insurance system (a public or private fund guaranteeing rents to reduce required advances); set up a digital platform to register leases, centralize information, and prevent fraud; strengthen local mediation (to resolve disputes quickly without overloading courts); and encourage the construction of rental housing through tax incentives to increase supply and lower prices.

Toward a fairer and more fluid market

The housing issue in Cameroon is not simply a matter of greed or lack of solidarity. It stems from an unbalanced ecosystem where landlords try to protect themselves in an environment without guarantees, and tenants bear the burden of a failing legal framework.

Reforming the rental market therefore means rebuilding trust between both sides: securing landlords’ income while protecting citizens’ right to housing. A better-regulated, more transparent, and better-supported market could become one of the foundations of a more equitable and sustainable urban future.