Housing

Steps

1. Choose the right type of lease.
   • Long private residential lease (long lease): this is the normal case if you are settling. Minimum term 1 year; a written lease for less is deemed to have been concluded for 1 year.
   • Short private residential lease (short lease): 6 months at most, not extendable, reserved for four cases (non-resident worker or student for less than 6 months, resident who needs temporary housing, non-resident who is not settling permanently). The contract must say which case you are in, with supporting documents attached; otherwise, it counts as a long lease.
2. Check the contract before signing. It must be in writing and state the dwelling, the use, the term, the conditions for extension, the rent and how it is paid, the amount of the deposit, and contain an inventory signed by everyone (photos with short captions accepted, even for an empty dwelling). If one of these elements is missing: the contract is void. The Housing Authority publishes standard contracts (S.L. 604.02).
3. Pay the rent and the deposit. Unless agreed otherwise, the rent is paid monthly and the landlord cannot demand more than one month in advance. They must give you a receipt, unless payment is traceable (bank transfer).
4. Check the registration. It is the landlord's job to register the lease online on the Housing Authority portal (rentregistration.mt), within 30 days of the start of the lease. If they do not, you can register it yourself at their expense and deduct the cost from the rent.
5. Have the right number of occupants declared for water and electricity: the landlord must do this so that the tariff is fair, and give you access to the accounts. You can also ask to be recognised as the consumer and pay the bills in your own name.
6. To leave before the end of a long lease: wait for the minimum term, then send your notice by registered letter (table below).
7. At expiry: if the landlord has not sent you notice to quit by registered letter at least 3 months before the end, the lease is renewed for 1 year. If you still want to leave on the planned date, notify them at least 1 month before, by registered letter.
8. In a dispute (deposit not returned, arrears, service charges) up to €5,000: the Adjudicating Panel for Private Residential Leases (rental dispute resolution panel) is competent, but only for registered leases.

Documents

• Your identity document (the parties' identification number and email are requested for registration).
• The written contract and the signed inventory (or photos).
• Rent receipts, to be kept (at least 6 months if you receive rent assistance).
• For a short lease: proof of your category (short employment contract, enrolment in training of less than 6 months…).

Costs and timelines

• Registration fees (paid by the landlord, S.L. 604.03): €10; €120 may be charged for registration after 30 days ("may apply" according to the Housing Authority, since 01/09/2025); €5 for a re-registered renewal. No fee for a lease that provides for automatic annual renewal.
• Checking by the Housing Authority: up to 10 working days.
• Rent increase: never in the first year; then once a year at most, and only if the contract provides for it. It cannot exceed the annual change in the property price index of the national statistics office (average of the last four quarters), nor 5%; if the index falls, the rent does not fall.
• Deposit: the law (Cap. 604, consolidated version as at 01/09/2024) sets no ceiling: it only requires the amount to appear in the contract (art. 6), and the landlord must return it to you at the end of the lease, apart from deductions provided for by law (at most one month's rent if you leave before the minimum term). The amount is therefore negotiable: have it written into the lease.
• Leaving before the end of a long lease (art. 11):

If you leave before the minimum term, the landlord may keep at most one month's rent from your deposit (and claim the rest due). After a tacit renewal, you can leave after 3 months, with 1 month's notice.

• Short lease: departure possible after 1 month, with 1 week's notice by registered letter.
• Rent assistance (Housing Benefit on Privately Rented Dwellings, 2026 scale): for a registered lease of at least 6 months, open to Maltese and EU citizens. Annual gross income ceilings and maximum assistance per year:

Maximum income raised to €35,000 if a disabled person lives in the household; €125 more per year for a disabled member or a household of more than 5 people. Income reviewed every two years. Application fee: €10.

Common pitfalls

• An unregistered lease is void. Ask for proof of registration. Without it, you have no access to the dispute panel or to rent assistance. The landlord risks an administrative penalty of up to €2,329.37 and a criminal fine of €2,500 to €10,000.
• Fees on top of the rent. Clauses that impose anything other than the rent, the deposit, contents insurance and the service charges provided for by law, or a flat rate for water and electricity that does not reflect your actual consumption, have no effect. You can be reimbursed for what you overpaid.
• A "short lease" that is not one. If you settle in Malta, a 6-month lease without proof of category counts as a 1-year long lease, with the corresponding departure rules.
• An oral agreement alongside the contract. Any condition that does not appear in the written, registered contract is void.
• Leaving without a registered letter. Without properly given notice, your departure does not count and the rent remains due.
• Gozo. Same law as Malta. It also covers Gozitans who rent in Malta for work or study, and vice versa. The Housing Authority has a branch in Victoria (Gozo).

What changes by country of origin

• EU and EEA citizens: same law as for Maltese people. EU citizens have access to rent assistance.
• Swiss nationals: the leases law makes no distinction of nationality. For rent assistance, the text refers to Maltese and EU citizens, long-term residents and holders of a particular residence authorisation: access for Swiss nationals to be confirmed with the Housing Authority.
• British nationals (Scots included): same lease rules. For rent assistance, they fall under the "long-term resident" or "particular residence authorisation" cases: to be confirmed depending on their residence document.