The Canadian dollar has no fixed rate with the CFA franc
The CFA franc is pegged to the euro, not to the Canadian dollar. Because the euro and the Canadian dollar move against each other every day, the number of CFA francs you get for 1,000 dollars changes too. A building budget worked out in dollars in spring may no longer be enough in autumn, or may leave a surplus.
Three habits: set your budget in CFA francs, since that is the currency of your invoices; keep a margin for the exchange rate; and send money at the pace of the build, stage by stage, rather than the whole budget at once. To compare two services, look at the amount in CFA francs that arrives, fees and rate included. An international wire can also go through an intermediary bank that takes its own fee.
On the Canadian tax side: if your foreign property is worth more than 100,000 Canadian dollars in total, you generally have to file form T1135; a house kept for your own use is usually not included, a rented one is (to be checked). An accountant in Canada will tell you what applies to you.
Power of attorney: the embassy in Ottawa, the consulate in Montreal
For a relative to sign for you at the notary in Senegal, they need a power of attorney with a certified signature. From Canada, the most direct way is the consular section of the Senegalese embassy in Ottawa or the Senegalese consulate general in Montreal, depending on your province (to be checked). A power of attorney made before a Quebec notary or a notary public in another province generally needs extra formalities before it is accepted in Senegal (to be checked).
From Vancouver, Calgary or Halifax, the trip often means a flight: prepare it well. Ask the Senegalese notary for their wording, check the documents required and the appointments on the embassy's or consulate's website, and keep the power of attorney limited to one property and to specific acts.
The site starts work while you sleep
Dakar is on GMT all year round. Depending on your province and the season, you are 3 hours (Halifax in summer) to 8 hours (Vancouver in winter) behind Dakar: when a team starts at 8 am in Dakar, it is 3 or 4 am in Montreal and midnight or 1 am in Vancouver. Live video calls from the site come at a bad time.
Organise yourself differently: dated photos and a written report you read when you wake up, and a call with the site foreman at the end of the day in Dakar, which falls around noon or 1 pm in Montreal. And since you will rarely travel there, every large payment should come after an independent visit on site.
The documents to prepare
- Your Canadian passport and, if you are a dual national, your Senegalese ID card or passport: your name must be spelt the same way everywhere.
- For the plot: land title, lease or council allocation, a recent statement of rights, the boundary survey plan. If your spouse is not Senegalese, check with the notary the conditions for them to appear on the deed (to be checked).
- Proof of every transfer, in Canadian dollars and in CFA francs received.
- The plans, the building permit filed on TELEDAC, the contract with the builder and the payment schedule.
The scams seen from Canada
- Land sold in dollars in a WhatsApp group or on Facebook, with a drone video: in Senegal, a sale is signed at a notary and paid in CFA francs. A price in dollars is no proof of anything.
- Payment requested by Interac e-Transfer to a go-between in Canada: you are paying a person, not a notary's office.
- The deposit « to lock in the price » before you have seen a single land document.
- The invisible build: you are told it is moving, but nobody can send a dated photo or accept a visit.
From plot to keys: the steps
- Set the budget in CFA francs, with a margin for the exchange rate and the unexpected.
- Have the plot checked: documents at the land office, boundary markers, access, neighbours.
- Sign at the notary's, in person or through a power of attorney, then follow the transfer into your name.
- Have the plans drawn and the file signed by an architect.
- File the building permit on TELEDAC.
- Choose the builder, sign the contract, set the payment stages.
- Build, having each stage checked before paying for the next.
- Handover, water and electricity connections, the keys, someone to watch the house if it stays empty.
Where SEETLU fits
SEETLU observes and proves: a technician visits the site, records what has been done and writes it down for you. You pay the notary, the builder and the State directly.
- Land check: from 75,000 FCFA, with sealed photos and a written report.
- House plans: from 150,000 FCFA; the file is signed by our partner architect.
- Building permit: we prepare and follow up your file, from 450,000 FCFA, State fees on top.
- Before you build package (land, plan, permit): 650,000 FCFA, State fees on top.
- Site monitoring: from 39,000 FCFA a month, a report within 24 hours in your client area.
- Pre-purchase inspection, if you buy a house that is already built: 125,000 FCFA for the first day.
Building from abroad?
Tell us where your project stands: land, plans, permit or a build under way. Your quote arrives the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Should I send the whole budget at once to get a good rate?
Nobody knows tomorrow's rate. Sending at the pace of the build, stage by stage, limits the exchange rate risk and, above all, the risk of paying for work that has not been done.
Where do I make a power of attorney when I live in Canada?
At the consular section of the Senegalese embassy in Ottawa or at the Senegalese consulate general in Montreal, depending on your province. First ask the Senegalese notary which wording they accept.
How do I follow a build with a 5 hour time difference?
By reading proof rather than calling live: with SEETLU, a technician visits the site and within 24 hours you get a report with dated, geotagged and sealed photos in your client area.
Read also: the 7 signs of a construction scam and all our guides.
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