Accommodation in Cotonou: Find a Room or Apartment With Us

[[Henry: add one sentence if landlords or agents pay Beninfo247 for introductions, or write that they do not]]

Finding a place to live is the first real test of arriving in Cotonou. Pick the wrong area and you lose two hours a day in traffic. Pay the wrong way and you lose your deposit. Beninfo247 helps students, newcomers and families find a room or an apartment in Cotonou and Abomey-Calavi. This page explains who we help, how it works, what the law says about deposits and agent fees, and what to check before you pay anything.

Ask about accommodation on WhatsApp

• Students starting at a university or school in Cotonou or Abomey-Calavi, alone or sharing a place with a roommate.

• Newcomers who work or study in the city and do not know the neighbourhoods yet.

• Families moving to Cotonou who need more space.

[[Henry: confirm the cities and areas you cover: Cotonou and Abomey-Calavi only, or also Porto-Novo, Sèmè-Podji, Ouidah?]]

1. Tell us what you need. One WhatsApp message is enough: your campus or workplace, the area you prefer, your monthly budget in CFA francs, furnished or not, alone or shared, and when you arrive.

2. We come back to you. [[Henry: what exactly do you send back and how fast: listings, photos, prices, a shortlist? typical response time?]]

3. You see it before you pay. [[Henry: how do viewings work: do you go with the client, send someone, or video-call? who signs the lease, who holds the money?]] Whatever the route, never pay for a room you have only seen in photos.

Price on request. We do not print rents on this page: they change by area, by year and by building, and we found no published figure that we could verify. [[Henry: your fee for the service, if any, and who pays it (the client, the landlord or both); typical rent range per area with the date you collected it]]

What the law says about money, so you can judge any offer (Law No. 2018-12 of 2 July 2018 on residential leases):

• The deposit (caution) cannot exceed three months' rent. It is a guarantee, paid when you receive the keys and refunded at the end of the lease. The landlord cannot ask you to top it up during the lease.

• Rent is paid monthly, on the agreed date, against a receipt.

• A rent-review clause cannot raise the rent by more than 2% of the initial yearly rent.

• An agent who only introduces you to the landlord cannot take a commission above 50% of one month's rent (Article 29), and may not receive any sum other than the one the parties agreed (Article 31). The terms must be written in the agent's mandate.

In July 2026 the government spokesman repeated the three-month limit and said landlords who ask for more risk prosecution. Reports then described demands of up to six months in advance, a month of guarantee for agents, and extra deposits for paint, water and electricity (La Nouvelle Tribune, 23 July 2026). Ask what each payment is for and get a receipt for every franc. We did not check whether a later text amended these articles.

Choose the area by where you study. This list follows the Ceety Boy map of universities and colleges in Cotonou, checked on 20 October 2026:

• Akpakpa and neighbouring areas (east of the channel): a cluster of private universities in Tokplégbé, Finagnon and Tanto. If you study here, live here, and avoid crossing the bridges twice a day.

• Gbégamey, Aidjèdo and the centre: UCAO, ISM Adonai and the INMeS health institute are in Gbégamey; ESGIS, HECM and ESAE are around Aidjèdo. Central and busy.

• Fidjrossè and the airport side: quieter, near the beach; ISMA Bénin is here. Good if you study in the west of the city.

• Zogbadjè, Abomey-Calavi: beside the UAC campus. Ceety Boy lists 11 schools and universities and 6 hotels in this area.

Living in one city and studying in the other? Since 21 September 2026 the government's university buses for the four public universities, including UAC, run in Abomey-Calavi and Cotonou at 200 FCFA a trip, with tickets on univservices.bj or by USSD at *611# (gouv.bj). Check the lines on univservices.bj before you sign for a room far from your campus.

• Visit in person, or send someone you trust. Time the trip to campus at the hour you will travel.

• Check the meters. Separate electricity and water meters for your unit? Prepaid or monthly bill?

• Turn on the taps and switches, and ask whether the street or compound floods in the rainy season.

• Get it in writing: the rent, the deposit, what each extra payment is for, and the landlord's name and number. Keep every receipt.

• Photograph the room when you move in. It protects your deposit when you leave.

The full checklist, hostels versus apartments, and the area guide are in our student accommodation guide. For the whole budget, read tuition and accommodation at private universities in Benin.

[[Henry: testimonials from clients who used the accommodation service, only after each client approves the text (see leads/testimonials/TEMPLATE.md)]]

How much deposit can a landlord ask for in Benin? Law No. 2018-12 sets the guarantee deposit at three months' rent at most, refundable at the end of the lease.

Can an agent charge me a fee? The law allows an agent a commission fixed in a written mandate. If the agent only introduces you to the landlord, the commission cannot exceed 50% of one month's rent.

Do I have to live in a hostel? No. A hostel is usually not compulsory, and not every school has one. Ask your school.

Can you find a place before I arrive in Cotonou? Send us your arrival date and budget on WhatsApp. [[Henry: do you do remote searches and video viewings? say yes or no]]

How much does it cost to use Beninfo247? Price on request. Message us your area and budget.

Send us your campus or area, your budget and your arrival date: message Beninfo247 on WhatsApp (+229 01 67 24 95 58).

Last reviewed by Beninfo247: October 2026. Henry Okooboh's team has served more than 10,000 clients over the years, in admissions, cars and more (Henry's figure).