MALTA TENANT SUPPORT
  • Home
  • About
  • Rental Contracts
  • A chronology
  • Blog

Putting the genie back into the bottle

23/2/2017

24 Comments

 
Picture











Lately, members of Malta Tenant Support have been much sought after by political parties keen to find out more about the hot topic of the moment – renting in Malta.  This is very welcome.  Somehow, our group of 2 years has amassed a wealth of experience and expertise that is very valuable.  It is quite a responsibility we have.  Somehow we must ensure that we leave nothing out.  There is so much to say that inevitably, I, for one, am always kicking myself a few minutes after the meeting at some omission or other.

A few days ago, we met with a political party and had a very intense discussion about the problems tenants face.  We also discussed possible solutions.  The attitude was one of listening to what we had to say – in fact, I had to kick myself several times during the meeting.  This would have been unheard of only a year ago. 

Recently, our group had put together a list of measures we would like the state to take to improve matters for tenants living in Malta.  We discussed this list at the meeting.  These humble measures were mostly well received.  It was only later, some time after the meeting, that I put shape to some  thoughts lurking at the back of my mind, which I will now set down in this blog, for my peace of mind.

Malta’s rental market was completely liberalized in 1995.  The only legislation on renting is found in the very generic Maltese Civil Code, which concerns all ‘things’ let, not just accommodation.  In the 22 years since then, landlords have been completely free to charge whatever rent they wanted, to include in their rental contracts any clause they wanted, tenant-fair or unfair...  

Nothing wrong with with that, you’d say.  But actually, from the limited research I have done on renting policy in different  countries, there is plenty wrong with that. 

To go back to that list of measures.  Most of them are commonplace in most countries all over the world.  And have been for decades.  A register of landlords and rental contracts.  A licence to let your property (incidentally there is a licensing system for short holiday lets in Malta, but nothing for long lets – says it all, doesn’t it?).  The landlord to pay all of the letting agent fee.  The upholding of certain standards of accommodation – electrical, gas safety certification, mould free certification, the EPC, compulsory since 2009 under EU law... The formation of a deposit holding scheme by an independent body.  A minimum contractual period of 4 years.  The rent increasing by a maximum of 20% over 4 years.  The insistence on non cash rent payments.  A complete overhaul of the Arms billing system which will allow tenants to automatically be on the correct tariff for people living in their primary residences, and which will allow tenants to have access to their own bills.   Special legislation to outline rights and responsibilities of both landlord and tenant.  This is by no means exhaustive, but is a start.

What’s been troubling me is this:  landlords have made the most of the complete liberalization of the rental market.  Bil-Malti, is-sidien tad-djar għamlu festa, dawn l-aħħar snin.  Iffangaw, u kif.  Rents are sky high.  Standards of rental accommodation are abysmal.  Tax evasion is rife.  Landlords are mostly unprofessional and often abusive.  Tenants feel sordid every month when they hand over huge amounts of cash to their landlords.  Most tenants are on the extortionate summer residence tariff.  Most tenants do not have access to their own Arms bills. Most tenants do not have access to the Arms redress mechanism.  The electrics and plumbing in most properties are shocking.  Many properties have a problem with mould.  Deposits are unjustifiably retained by most landlords, who seem to think that they have a right to that money, no matter what.  Rental contracts tend to be of 1 year, with the result that the rent goes up every year or you’re out of the property, out of the community you were building roots in, on to the next property.  Contracts are mostly tenant-unfair...

So the question I am asking myself is this:  How will it be possible for our members of parliament, from both sides of the House, to propose tenant protection measures when landlords have been glorying in their liberty to take advantage of the precarious situation tenants find themselves in for more than 2 decades now?  Other than Malta, I do not think I have come across a single country in the world, from my admittedly limited research,  that has allowed the complete liberalization of the rental market to the same extent. 

 Even if the modest measures listed above were put into place overnight, would it make that much of a difference to the lot of tenants?  Would the rents come down to acceptable amounts?  How is a landlord, accustomed to getting an undeclared €700 euro per month for a tiny, run down apartment, going to suddenly decrease the rent?   

If this is going to be the burning issue for the next general election – and it is clear that it is – how are politicians going to sell this one to the Maltese landlords?  The genie is well and truly out of the bottle, and has been for quite some time now.  Is it even possible to put it back in again?

My opinion is that this  situation must not be  a political football.  There are many tenants, living in despair, being denied access to the most important of human rights – decent, reasonably priced accommodation of reasonably secure tenure.  Both PN and PL share the responsibility for the current housing crisis.  This has been a long time coming.  Instead of political expediency, both parties need to come together and agree to not be partisan about this.   All three rental regimes need urgent attention:  the social housing sector, the private rental sector and the emphyteusis rentals.  Malta is currently at Ground Zero of rental policy.  Somehow the genie must be put back into the bottle.  This is not about votes and it will be highly irresponsible if it is made out to be.

Just to hammer the point home.  Some basic Maths.  The recent Caritas study identified that  a family of 4 needs a minimum of 936  euro per month (€953  - €17  social housing costs per month) to just get by. If that same family is in the private rental sector and pays €500 per month on rent when the income is €1 000 per month, can you please see how this is untenable?   Can you see that it is impossible to square this particular circle?   

24 Comments
Patricia Cachia
28/2/2017 04:54:14 am

As a retired single lady on pension, your passion on the subject of Maltese rent and Landlords has prompted me to seek out your blogs. A friend of mine showed me the article you wrote for Malta Today and as both myself and my friend have each got one of these so called Landlords ( mine has just secured a 30% rise on my rent after a 6 week one sided battle of pay up or get out ) I applaud you for fighting for people like me. Please let me know how I can follow and support you in this cause as I see this as an ongoing battle of Tenants v Landlords. Thank you.

Reply
Johanna MacRae
28/2/2017 12:40:59 pm

Dear Ms Cachia

What a wonderful comment! Thank you for your kind words. If you are on Facebook please join the Malta Tenant Support Facebook group. I will definitely post blogs on developments with renting in Malta.

Kind regards

Johanna MacRae

Reply
bitcoin nasıl alınır link
28/7/2022 05:43:44 pm

https://www.kriptoseyir.com/category/bitcoin-nasil-alinir/

Reply
site kurma link
12/9/2022 02:29:01 am

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://kurma.website/

Reply
mobil ödeme bozdurma link
12/9/2022 09:00:05 am

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://odemebozdurma.com/

Reply
website kurma link
14/9/2022 11:59:29 pm

Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://bit.ly/site-kurma

Reply
web site kurma link
30/9/2022 05:22:17 pm

It's great to have this type of content. Good luck with your spirit. Thank you. https://bit.ly/site-kurma

Reply
aralik escort link
5/10/2022 08:38:22 am

I think this post is useful for people. It has been very useful for me. Looking forward to the next one, thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/igdir-escort/aralik-escort/

Reply
koprubasi escort link
5/10/2022 06:46:57 pm

It was a post that I found very successful. Good luck to you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/trabzon-escort/koprubasi-escort-trabzon-escort/

Reply
lalapasa escort link
6/10/2022 07:47:02 am

I follow your posts closely. I can find it thanks to your reliable share. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/edirne-escort-2/lalapasa-escort/

Reply
hanak escort link
6/10/2022 06:22:01 pm

I support your continuation of your posts. I will be happy as new posts come. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/ardahan-escort/hanak-escort/

Reply
taslicay escort link
7/10/2022 05:50:39 pm

I think the content is at a successful level. It adds enough information. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/agri-escort/taslicay-escort/

Reply
sakarya escort link
7/10/2022 09:58:14 pm

Thank you for your sharing. I must say that I am successful in your content. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/sakarya-escort/

Reply
koprukoy escort link
8/10/2022 12:36:49 pm

Thoughtful and real content is shared. Thank you for these shares. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/erzurum-escort/koprukoy-escort/

Reply
ledger live link
20/11/2022 05:22:19 pm

Ledger Live : Most trusted & secure crypto wallet

Reply
evde iş imkanı link
21/11/2022 05:05:45 pm

Tıkla evde calismaya basla: https://sites.google.com/view/evden-ek-is/

Reply
betinfo link
23/11/2022 04:38:39 am

It was a successful post.These types of posts are very helpful.

Reply
mrbahis link
7/12/2022 06:10:57 am

Congratulations for the successful article. I can't wait for the sequel.

Reply
mrbahis link
8/12/2022 09:16:36 pm

This is nice work. Seeing good works on good days gives one peace of mind.

Reply
vbet link
9/12/2022 03:34:13 pm

Congratulations, it's a nice post. I'm always waiting for such nice posts in the future.

Reply
heets sigara link
10/5/2023 09:48:12 pm

Heets Siparişi Ver: https://bit.ly/heets-heets

Reply
clenbuterol satın al link
22/5/2023 08:56:13 pm

clenbuterol satın al: steroidsatinal.org

Reply
Sporunuyap: Steroid Satın Al Ve Orjinal Anabolik Steroid Sipariş link
15/8/2023 02:12:11 pm

https://www.sporunuyap8.com/ teşekkürler

Reply
sms onay link
4/2/2024 03:42:10 pm

Sitemizi ziyaret et: SMS Onay Sepeti

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Johanna MacRae

    Archives

    May 2021
    April 2021
    July 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All

Proudly powered by Weebly