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Is there such a thing as a Maltese society?

29/12/2014

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I'm sure this is the case all over the world.  But maybe it is more evident in tiny Malta because, well, Malta is tiny.  


What am I talking about?


It is clear to me that elitism pervades Maltese civil society to a large extent, with the more powerful looking down on the not so powerful, and doing anything but helping people out of a variety of unpleasant situations.


Margaret Thatcher famously once said: 

 "...there is no such thing as society.  There are individual men and women, and there are families.  And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first."

Is there such a thing as a Maltese society?  For all our talk of being hospitable, charitable and generous, is this a mythology that we have created about ourselves or maybe it is a case that 'twas once thus but now 

'tis no longer true?

Should the Maltese government be let off the hook about various recent happenings because individuals "must look to themselves first"?  Or is Maltese society not evolved enough to permit individuals to fend for themselves in the first instance?  

If we take the long let market, it is self evident that there is much that is wrong with it.  The stories we see on a daily basis in the Facebook group, Class Action Against Arms, are distressing to read.  People being made to pay for previous tenants' bills, deposits being unjustifiably retained, people paying for their utilities at the incorrect tariff, violent landlords, landlords forcing entry into their tenants' homes with no notice, substandard plumbing and electrical wiring, garnishee orders unjustifiably being applied to salaries and bank accounts, electricity and water supplies being cut off because landlords have not passed on the payments made by tenants to Arms...  The list goes on.

What do we get from the authorities when we point this out?  Absolutely nothing.  Just a deafening silence.

And the general population?  Mostly we get vilification for pointing this injustice out.  A "Go back to where you came from."  Or "How dare you be critical?  Only Maltese people can be critical of Malta."  Or "Tenants are just as bad".  

From letting agents caught out in blatant illegalities in their contracts?  Threats of court action and garnishee orders to sue us for libel and slander. Even though we just state facts and point out the abuse.   

There was a letter in the Times of Malta written by Mr. Oisin Jones Dillon on the 17th June, 2010 which included the following:  

"However, whether one is an owner-occupier, tenant or liable for energy bills issued in the landlord's name, eligibility for both this energy allowance and the eco-reduction on electricity consumption tariffs is based on the number of registered occupants on the energy bills."

That was more than 4 years ago.

I repeat.  Is there such a thing as a Maltese society?






"Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite—a select group of people with a certain ancestry, intrinsic quality or worth, high intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes—are those whose influence or authority is greater than that of others ..."

Elitism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elitism


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Which tariff is 'just right'?

23/12/2014

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There is much confusion with regard to which utility tariff should be applied when you rent a property.

Something that should be extremely simple is made extremely complicated.  This is more than likely to be intentional because:  

  • Arms collects more money than it should from tenants living in their primary residences; 

  • letting agents do not have to broker unpleasant negotiations so, in the main, do not give the necessary information to prospective tenants; 

  • most landlords do not want to document the presence of rent paying tenants in their so called empty second properties to enable tax evasion on their rental income.

When you look at the breakdown of the three tariffs it is as plain as anything that there are clear rationales behind each tariff that have nothing to do with the story of Goldilocks and the three bears.  

In other words: expensive, less expensive and least expensive is not what it's about.

This is also backed by a series of Arms adverts in the Times of Malta late last year which stated that "The residential tariff is applicable on the consumer's primary residence."

Plus Article 45, Chapter 4 of the Constitution of Malta states the following:  "... no law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect."

Tenants are NOT lesser beings.  Tenants should not pay at the extortionate domestic rate or non residential rate simply because they are tenants.

Please remember:

The
non residential tariff is for businesses

The
domestic tariff is for empty or occasionally used properties

The
residential tariff is the tariff EVERYBODY living in their primary residence should be on.

I've prepared photoscreens of the online Arms calculator showing the cost of annual allowances of  electricity and water at the domestic rate, the residential rate and the non residential rate for 1 person, 2 person, 3 person, 4 person and 5 person households. (see below)

At the residential rate households enjoy reasonable allowances of 1 750 units of electricity PER PERSON per year and 33 cubic metres of water PER PERSON per year at a cheaper rate.  They also enjoy eco reductions if the allowance of 1 750 units of electricity PER PERSON is not exceeded.

The other two tariffs do not incorporate any allowances per person.  There are no eco reductions applied.  

The summary in the file below shows how the cost is broken down at the different tariffs for households of different number of occupants:      
                                    ,


summary.docx
File Size: 17 kb
File Type: docx
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Some interesting points which are immediately apparent:  

  • The overcharge ranges from 43% to 103.4% more expensive.  The average overcharge is 85%.

  • Why should people living in their primary residence be on the non residential tariff simply because their landlord is a company?  Why should these people pay VAT on their utilities, while others living in their primary residences, do not?  Is this distinction allowed under EU law?

  • Why should tenants living in their primary residence, not receive an eco reduction if they are being as environmentally friendly as homeowners?  Is this distinction allowed under EU law?





One person household: 
onenonresidential.png
File Size: 123 kb
File Type: png
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oneresidential.png
File Size: 123 kb
File Type: png
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onedomestic.png
File Size: 123 kb
File Type: png
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Two person household:
twononresidential.png
File Size: 124 kb
File Type: png
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tworesidential.png
File Size: 123 kb
File Type: png
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twodomestic.png
File Size: 106 kb
File Type: png
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Three person household:  
threenonresidential.png
File Size: 125 kb
File Type: png
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threeresidential.png
File Size: 131 kb
File Type: png
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threedomestic.png
File Size: 127 kb
File Type: png
Download File

Four person household:  

fournonresidential.png
File Size: 129 kb
File Type: png
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fourresidential.png
File Size: 130 kb
File Type: png
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fourdomestic.png
File Size: 130 kb
File Type: png
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Five person household:  
fivenonresidential.png
File Size: 130 kb
File Type: png
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fiveresidential.png
File Size: 104 kb
File Type: png
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fivedomestic.png
File Size: 106 kb
File Type: png
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25 Comments

More Kafka ...

15/12/2014

25 Comments

 
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A story illustrating the insane injustice of the ARMS two tier tariff, aspiring to be in the style of Kafka:

Once upon a time, a couple moved to a faraway country. The country was beautiful with a beauty that caught at their hearts as they enjoyed it in the mostly beautiful weather.

They lived in rented accommodation and paid their landlord money towards their utility bills.For some unknown reason, they were not allowed to be the account holders of the utility bill.

Months rolled by and their landlord asked for more and more money towards their bills. The couple gave more and more. Still it was not enough.

The couple asked to see the bill. They saw that the number of residents listed was zero. They asked whether increasing the number of residents to two would make a difference.

“No”, replied the landlord without any hesitation.

They saw HOUSEHOLD RATE next to Consumer scheme and felt reassured.

More months rolled by and more money went towards their utility bills. One fine day, the couple saw some information on a social media site that immediately caught their attention:

HOUSEHOLD RATE: Number of residents = 0
INHABITED RATE: Number of residents ≠ 0.

They decided to phone the sole utility company in the country, LEGS (Leading Extortion Gains Specialists) to find out more.

“I’m sorry; we cannot give you any information on the bill because of the Data Protection Act. You are not the account holders.”

The couple decided to visit the LEGS office. Again they were told that they could not be given any information. They asked to see the manager.

Days later, the manager turned up.

“I can confirm that you are on the HOUSEHOLD RATE where the number of residents = 0.”

“What is the difference?”

“Well, the HOUSEHOLD RATE is for empty properties or summer residences. The INHABITED RATE is for your main residence.”

“And are they the same price?”

“No, seeing as you are not going to spend much time, if any, in your second home or summer residence, the HOUSEHOLD RATE is much more expensive.”

“Ah, that explains it”, exclaimed the couple. “Sir, we have been resident at No. 10, Parallel Dimension Street, Jupiter, for 3 years and we can prove it. We are entitled to a refund. We have been over charged.”

“LEGS don’t do refunds. Who’s to say you didn’t choose to be on the HOUSEHOLD RATE? But, look here, we can give you this form to give to your landlord. He will hopefully give you permission to get the much cheaper INHABITED RATE.”

“But we’re not invisible. How can we have lived in a property for 3 years and be billed as if we weren’t living there?"

“Oh yes, you can. You need the landlord’s permission to be made visible.”

Dejected, the couple returned home. They decided to look for another rental property where the landlord would not deceive them and where they could enjoy the INHABITED RATE.

However, the next day they felt more positive. Surely the LEGS CEO would be more reasonable?

So they wrote a letter explaining the situation. The reply came quite quickly.

I’m afraid LEGS cannot give you a refund. Legal notice A#345*@@ and Legal notice W#456*@@ say that LEGS is not authorized to bill at the INHABITED RATE without the permission of the landlord.

This hit the couple hard. But they bounced back and looked up the country’s constitution. And there in all its glory was Article BGFDS123 of Chapter JHF345: “no law shall make any provision that is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect.”

Surely, this would do the trick?

One hundred years later, the story continues…


25 Comments

Influenza, and the beginning of a website

15/12/2014

1 Comment

 
I really should have taken to my bed when the dreaded lurgy struck.  Instead, I decided to take the plunge and look into beginning the development of this website.  

This was something that I had long wanted to do because, as various people have told me, it will probably be the best way to access as many prospective tenants as possible.  

On the 24th September, 2010, my family and I arrived in Malta, after a 2 week overland trip from Scotland, through to London, France, Italy, and finally, Sicily.  

We were all very excited about our new lives in Malta.  Of course, Scotland is very beautiful and will always be our other home, but two kids under the age of 5 and Scottish weather were very incompatible, we felt.  So we bit the bullet and here we are.

It has been four years of triumphs and epic fails.  But we have no regrets and are as determined as ever to make a success of living here.  

Our biggest mistake was thinking that Malta was as mundane as Britain, when it comes to mundane stuff like rental contracts, utility bills, electrical and gas safety certificates ... 

Instead we were in for a Kafkaesque treat of Salvadorian (as in Salvador Dali!)  proportions as one utility company CEO described all tenants as 'not existing for Arms' and several prominent people asserted that it was not the tenant that was a consumer of water and electricity but the landlord, of course!  

This website will hopefully prevent other prospective tenants falling into pitfalls that we of course tumbled into, hook, line and sinker by showing them that there is much inventiveness and creativity in the landscape of Maltese bureaucracy!
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    Author

    Johanna MacRae

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