Living and renting in Malta: the contract that must be registered

Since 2020 the Maltese rental market has had something most Mediterranean countries lack: a law with teeth. Whoever knows it rents with more certainty than in Spain or Greece — and whoever doesn't can sign a contract that legally doesn't exist. This article sets out the rules and the prices.

The registration duty: ten days, or void

Under the Private Residential Leases Act the landlord must register every residential rental contract with the Housing Authority within ten days of its start. If he doesn't, you may do it at his expense — and a contract that is not registered is void. That is no paper detail: without a registered contract you are in a weak position at Identità (it is your proof of address for the e-Residence registration), at the utility companies (the residential tariff) and in any dispute over the deposit. Ask before signing whether the landlord registers, and check it yourself afterwards.

Deposit and advance payment: legally capped

The law caps the deposit at one month's rent and the advance payment at one month. On early departure from a long lease the landlord may withhold at most one month of the deposit, and the deposit amount must be stated explicitly in the contract. Whoever is asked for more up front may simply say no — with the law in hand.

What it costs, from Sliema to Gozo

Nationally a one-bedroom flat costs around € 900 per month. In Sliema and St Julian's — the expat heart — that is € 1,100 to € 1,500, with two bedrooms up to well over € 2,000. The south and the interior charge considerably less, and Gozo is the cheapest — with the ferry as a permanent side note. Rent growth is flattening, but the level in the popular coastal towns is by now Dutch.

View in winter if you possibly can. The summer photos hide what January shows: damp, patches of mould and the absence of any form of heating. A house that looks good in January is good all year.

The winter indoors, and the ARMS trap

Maltese houses have no central heating and no insulation. The winter is mild outside and clammy inside — a dehumidifier is standard equipment, and the air conditioning on the heat-pump setting is the usual heating. All of that goes on your energy bill, so watch out for the second trap: put the connection in your own name and check that the residential ARMS tariff applies. Landlords who let the more expensive non-residential tariff run on are a well-known cost item that only becomes visible on the first annual statement.

Buying: 5% stamp duty, and usually no permit

EU citizens need no AIP permit for their main residence; that requirement only applies to a second home — unless you have lived in Malta for five years without interruption or buy in a Special Designated Area. The stamp duty is 5% of the value; with notary, search and registration costs you come to six to nine percent buyer's costs. For first-time buyers on the Maltese market there are varying exemption schemes — have the notary apply the current position, and as a buyer always take your own notary or lawyer, not the seller's.