A sale in a future state of completion, a VEFA, is how most scheme property in Mauritius changes hands. The buyer signs a deed before a notary while the building is a drawing, pays in stages as it rises, and relies on a bank guarantee to see it finished if the developer cannot. The system works. But the buyer's protection is fixed on the day of signature, and we have acted for enough buyers in stalled developments to know that the difference between a recoverable position and a difficult one is almost always in the deed.
Who issued the completion guarantee, and what does it cover. The garantie financière d'achèvement is the heart of a VEFA. Ask for the guarantee itself, not a reference to it. Identify the issuing bank or insurer. Read what triggers it, what it pays for, and whether it covers completion of the building or only repayment of what you have paid. A guarantee from an institution you have never heard of, or one that is capped below the contract price, is a warning.
Does the payment schedule follow the building. The stages should be tied to physical milestones a third party can verify: foundations, structure, roof, completion, handover. A schedule front-loaded towards signature, or one that calls for payment on "commencement of works" without defining it, shifts risk to the buyer. Compare the schedule in the deed with the one in the brochure. They are not always the same.
What the developer has finished before. A developer with three completed projects on the island is a different proposition from one whose first project this is, however good the renderings. Ask which developments they have delivered, when, and whether on time. Visit one. Speak to an owner there. The notary will not do this for you.
The delivery date and what happens if it slips. The deed will give a delivery date and, usually, a list of events that excuse delay. Read the list. If it excuses almost anything, the date means little. Look for a daily or monthly penalty for late delivery and check whether it is capped. A penalty clause with no cap and a short excuse list tells you the developer expects to finish.
The structure you are buying through. If the unit will be held through a Mauritian company, and the company through a trust, that structure must exist before the deed and must be acceptable to the bank issuing the guarantee, the notary and the Economic Development Board. Setting it up after reservation and before the deed is routine. Setting it up after the deed is a second transaction.
The notary acts for the transaction, not for the buyer. Their job is a valid deed, correctly registered. Whether the deed is a good bargain for you is not their question. It is ours, and it is best asked before the reservation deposit is paid rather than after.