Category: News Update

Reduced interest rates for first time buyers or second time buyers

Posted on | by Marc Casolani

Bank of Valletta is offering low interest rates for first-time and second-time buyers seeking to invest in property this summer.

 

The Bank’s home loan summer offers aim to help improve the affordability of properties, in the wake of COVID-19, BOV said in a statement

“Consumers seeking finance for their first or second home, or completion of their residential property, can benefit from very low interest rates and attractive loan terms,” said Marisa Said, Head Consumer Finance at Bank of Valletta, adding that these rates are “possibly” the lowest rate on the market.

“The property market is going through a consolidation process with indicators of a price correction taking place. Reduced property transfer tax and stamp duties as part of the Government’s Economic Regeneration Plan in relation to COVID-19, and more realistic property prices coupled with the lowest ever bank interest rates, have widened the door for first time buyers and those who may over the years had been sporadically thinking about purchasing their second property. These current times could very well present that lucrative opportunity for prospective buyers.”

To this end, BOV’s key home loan products have been revised “to meet changing consumer behaviour and needs” and to increase “affordability for home seekers to transition into home-owners,” Ms Said added.

For more information, interested parties are being invited to set up an appointment with a BOV home loan specialist by calling on +356 2131 2020, or sending an email to info@bov.com 

 

Offers are valid until 31st December 2020 but may close earlier at Bank’s discretion. All loans are subject to normal bank lending criteria, credit approval by the Bank and a credit agreement.  Security may be requested including mortgage or other comparable security.  The loan is to be secured by a first ranking hypothec and special privilege over the property being financed, a first ranking pledge over a life assurance policy covering the whole loan amount and a buildings insurance policy for the replacement cost of the property being financed. If repayments are not maintained, the bank may take steps to sell the property financed following legal proceedings and the borrower may lose the property. Further terms and conditions are available from www.bov.com. Issued by Bank of Valletta p.l.c., 58, Triq San Żakkarija, Il-Belt Valletta VLT 1130.  Bank of Valletta p.l.c. is a public limited company regulated by the MFSA and is licensed to carry out the business of banking in terms of the Banking Act (Cap. 371 of the Laws of Malta).

 

AIP – Update for NON-EU Nationals

Posted on | by Marc Casolani

 

NON-EU NATIONALS CAN NOW APPLY FOR LONG-TERM RESIDENT STATUS IN MALTA AND WILL NO LONGER REQUIRE AN AIP.

Third-Country Nationals (NON-EU citizens) who have been legally and continuously residing in Malta for five years may apply for the long-term residence status. The status of long-term residents is permanent and the residence permit would be issued for a period of five years.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN RELATION TO PROPERTY PURCHASE?

Once an applicant is given Long-term residence status, the successful applicant will no longer require an AIP (Acquisition of Immovable property) in order to purchase a property. Moreover, there will no longer be restrictions as to owning only one property as was previously the case.

Successful applicants can now benefit from all the Government concessions which an EU member can benefit from in relation to reductions in stamp duty as well as property tax.

The applicant must submit the following documentary evidence in support of his request: Please click here to see required documentation.

Click here to learn more about AIP.

For more information, feel free to contact Steven Borg on +356 7909 5828 or email steve@belair.com.mt

 

New Immovable Property fiscal measures( Covid-19 Economic Recovery Package )

Posted on | by Marc Casolani

 

New Immovable Property fiscal measures – June 2020

 

The government announced temporary fiscal incentives for both property buyers and sellers, as part of a COVID-19 economic recovery package. This is effective as of 9th June 2020 until 1st April 2021:

 

Vendors:

All final deeds signed during this period, whereby 8% or 10% final withholding tax was previously applicable, are now being reduced to 5% on the first €400,000 in value. (Legal notice 241/2020)

 

Purchasers:

All finals deeds signed during this period, whereby a 5% stamp duty rate was previously applicable, are now being reduced to 1.5% on the first €400,000 in value. Schemes that are currently in existence, such as First Time Buyers and Urban Conservation Areas (UCA), can be used in conjunction with this rate of stamp duty. (Legal notice 240/2020)

 

These new measures apply to transfers of immovable property made on or after the 9th June 2020, but before 1st April 2021. These transfers will qualify for the reduced rates if the notice of the final deed of transfer is given to the Commissioner of Inland revenue by the 30th April 2021.

 

For more information, feel free to contact us.

The Boardroom: Two months on since COVID hit Malta, how has the real estate sector been impacted?

Posted on | by Marc Casolani

What’s Property like in Malta at the moment?

How are Malta’s leading realtors expecting the immediate future to pan out? ?

BELAIR Property’s Ian Casolani and RE/MAX Malta’s Kevin Buttigeg explore the changes felt by the real estate sector since the start of the pandemic

 

Stay tuned here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/WhosWho.mt/posts/

 

 

RENTALS – Maltese families are looking for villas & penthouses for the summer

Posted on | by Marc Casolani

Rentals find a new market: locals looking for luxury

A new trend in the rentals market is seeing locals looking to move into luxury villas with pools for the summer with space being more sought after in this period of self-isolation.

Estate agents have confirmed the rise in rental requests for houses with gardens, or penthouses with large terraces and views, from Maltese families who are not their typical clients.

The pandemic has had an impact on the “appreciation” of the outdoors in homes and the importance of quality family time, they say.

Resigned to the idea that they will not be taking their usual family holidays overseas, and hotels will not be opening any time soon, some locals are happy to spend a monthly €4,000 to €6,000 on a house with a pool over the summer, says Belair Property managing director Ian Casolani. He has noted this trend from the start of the outbreak.

Owners of short-let properties, who have been renting at good daily rates, have found themselves in dire straits since their business was wiped out with the closure of the airport.

But their woes can be slightly mitigated by the new shift to Maltese and expat tenants as they turn their properties into long-let rentals, Casolani says.

A property in Gozo that is on the market.
A property in Gozo that is on the market.

 

Meanwhile, owners of long-let properties are also considering renting to Maltese for a few months instead of a year if they are struggling to find a tenant.

Perry Estate Agents is also facing the “phenomenon” that arose from partial lockdown. Its managing director, Robert Spiteri Paris, has seen a healthy demand for more “space”, based also on the assumption of more competitive prices due to the flood of properties from the short-let category, which is also made up of quality homes.

Landlords have been more flexible with prices because of this increase in supply, Spiteri Paris points out, resulting in more choice and better rates on the long-let market. The uncertainty of going back into lockdown has meant villas are being rented to Maltese for four months up to a year, and the agency has also convinced a few owners to instead rent properties for sale to the post-lockdown market.

“We have experienced a huge influx onto our database of new properties we did not even know about. Owners do not want to leave them idle even though it would mean earning half what they would from short lets,” he says.

Even long-let properties have gone to Maltese families, who generally hate spending money on rent but want to treat themselves, Spiteri Paris notes. They are now opting for the top villas that foreign CEOs would normally rent.

Meanwhile, expats living in, for example, a Tower Road seafront apartment have also asked for a pool, and couples have joined up to rent a villa together for a change of scene and to take a breather.

Gozo is also on the radar and could make up for the shortfall from tourists through the local market. With the ban on visiting the island recently lifted, it is the only destination to travel to and “cut off”, particularly for working parents who can commute while their children enjoy the outdoors.

Frank Salt Real Estate director Grahame Salt is also witnessing a staycation trend and a rise in Gozo holidays in converted farmhouses with pools, from short breaks to three-month stays for the summer.

A large pool and deck at this Lija villa.
A large pool and deck at this Lija villa.

“Mostly families with kids, stuck inside an apartment, are likely to go mad in the summer heat, and if they can afford it, they are looking at this option,” says Salt.

“People are simply appreciating home because they are spending so much more time there. Until recently, they would just eat, sleep and leave. Now they have understood the importance of having a nice house.”

The new sales pitch when showing a property is whether you can see yourself doing quarantine in it, he jokes.

You can find the article here: https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/rentals-find-a-new-market-locals-looking-for-luxury.792146