It’s been 9 months now since the new Malta rent law came into effect, and I bet you are wondering what’s really changed. 

Well! Here’s the lowdown:

All private residential lease contracts after the entry into force of the Act must be registered.  This also applies to all renewals of existing lease contracts. All contracts of private residential leases which are not registered in accordance with the provisions of the Act shall be null and void. Lease agreements entered into after 1st June 1995 and which would be still in force on 1st Jan 2021 must also be registered.

It is the duty of the Lessor to register the contract with the Housing Authority within 10 days of the commencement of the lease and an administrative fee is to be paid.  If the lessor fails to register the lease as required, the lessee shall have the right to register the contract himself and is entitled to claim the administrative fee.  A separate application fee will be required for every registration.

The registration of the lease must include a declaration of the security deposit held by the lessor together with a presentation of an inventory.

 

Download the The new rent law in brief here.