How to rent property in Malta and Gozo
If this is the first time you are renting a property here in Malta, you will find this article necessary reading. I will try to describe the whole process from the moment you make contact with our company, to the very last minute of your stay when you hand over the keys to the rented property back to the owner.
The role of your letting agent
Since you are already reading this article, you have already taken the first important step in the right direction. You are browsing through the website of a reputable property letting agent with over 18 years of experience to draw upon.
The service of an experienced letting agent is very important in the property rental Market here in Malta. Property owners often play a very important role in guaranteeing a pleasant stay in your rental property, and the letting agent is a crucial link between both parties. Over the years we have grown to know most property owners on a personal basis, which helps us pair owner and lessee as well as possible. There is nothing worse then renting a property from someone who is not totally convinced of you as a lessee, and is just entering the deal for financial reasons. We know which owners prefer older tenants instead of students, which properties are ideal for tenants who want greater privacy, or which owners will accept certain specific conditions in the contract, such as a clause allowing pets within the premises.
Choosing your rental property
If you browse quickly through the 62582 property letting website, you will realize that the main page is dedicated to the latest property updates, and the right side bar branches on to further available properties sorted by locality. The side bar also contains a link to the 62582 Google Map browser , which will give you a better idea of each property's whereabouts on the island, and their proximity to other landmarks, public amenities, and the coast line.
Although this web site is updated daily and was designed to be as user friendly as possible, we strongly recommend you contact us at an early stage since we can help you understand better how to go about renting the right property in Malta or Gozo, with the least inconvenience possible.
Your visit to Malta, if job specific could also need a more property selective approach. For example diving school instructors and diving students here in Malta to gain their PADI certification, often ask us for ground floor apartments with a backyard, or an apartment with a terrace, to enable them to dry their diving gear after a day's work. On the other hand, business people on the island for a temporary period, often ask us for 1 bedroom residential properties however with an already existent home office and enough living space to enable comfortable in situ business meetings. Such specific requests are obviously catered for by our company, as long as such information is conveyed to us accurately.
As a final example, we also receive the occassional request for a large four bedroom property to accommodate a family with a live-in nanny, and this also is successfully dealt with if the reason is thus explained to us, since some four bedroom layouts are totally inadequate for such a family set-up, although adequate for friends sharing accommodation.
The Rental Viewing Procedure
So, as soon as you contact us, we will usually have a quick run through what you have in mind. You will probably point out a few properties that caught your attention and we can probably recommend other similar ones too. Most properties have photos featuring them, though some might not have any photos due to the fact that the property in question would have been occupied for a long period ever since we had it photographed last, and in our opinion such photos would not therefore convey an entirely accurate image of the current state of the property. Notwithstanding our attention to such matters, and our near impeccable record to date, we strongly recommend you read our disclaimer with regards to the information provided on our website.
Once you have decided what properties you want to see, an appointment is arranged and one of our representatives will meet you and show you around. You might fall in love with an apartment outright, or decide to look further afield, in which case a further appointment is scheduled.
The Rental Contract Procedure
To secure a property, it is usual practice to put down a deposit equal to the first month's rent, either with us, or with the owner, and to sign a contract and move in within a week or two. If for any particular reason you are looking to relocate, in later then a month's time, it is very important alert us immediately given some owners are not prepared to wait for longer periods without collecting rent. Others might be more lenient, however the financial implications usually draw a line at any period over a month.
The contract itself is usually very straightforward and the one drafted by our lawyers has been well tested and tried over the years, protecting both Lessee and Lessor in the fairest and most practical way. In contractual terms, you are the Lessee (or Tenant), and the owner is the Lessor. We will be acting as both your agent and witness to the agreement.
To sign this agreement you will be asked to provide us with a copy of your passport together with the original document. The copy is kept for filing while you never part with your passport. Financially you will usually require the equivalent of one month's rent as deposit, one month's rent in advance plus 5% VAT, and half a month's rent plus 18% VAT as the normal estate agency commission. Therefore if for argument's sake, the property is renting at €100 monthly, you will need €100 deposit, €105 Rent in advance and €59 as commission. That said and done, some owners will ask for a two month deposit or more, and in such cases you will be notified in advance. It is also increasingly common for owners to ask for a further sum, usually amounting to between €100 and €200, to be held on account, and to go towards utility bills, the balance over or under to be settled upon receipt of the official bill.
The deposit is refundable on the very last day of your contract after the property has been inspected and found to be in the same condition, except for fair wear and tear, as on the day you moved in. All utility bills must also be paid to the last day, otherwise this amount is deducted from the deposit.
We will provide you with a facsimile of the contract before you actually meet the owner to sign it, so we will be able to cover any questions you might have well in advance.
The Post Rental Contract period
During your period of rent, our company still does it's very best to help you overcome any difficulties you might encounter during your stay (although technically speaking, our job, which is to introduce the lessee to the property and it's lessor, does not call for this). These difficulties usually turn out to be of a normal nature, to quote a few examples: how to program a new washing machine, how to install cable TV in the apartment, or perhaps how to hook up an internet connection. In such cases we are always happy to put you in contact with the right service providers. We also strongly recommend that if any equipment malfunctions, as nothing in life is perfect, you contact us or the owner immediately rather then try to fix it yourself. In most cases a service guarantee will be running and the right people must be contacted to do the job.
A month before the contract is due to expire, you will be expected to inform us, or the lessor, in writing whether you intend to renew the agreement for a further period, or intend to leave the premises on the due date. If you decide to stay on, a clause is added to the agreement stating that the contract is to be extended under the same conditions, for a further period of X months.
If you do not intend to renew the contract, on the very last day of your stay, one of our representatives, or the lessor, will visit the apartment or house for a final inspection. The utility bills are also checked and any due balances are to be cleared by you, following which the deposit is refunded and all matters are considered settled as soon as you return the key.
If you still have any questions please feel free to contact
me on kenneth@62582.com or call
on 99-4-62582 (add +356 to the beginning of the number if
calling from outside Malta and Gozo)
Last update 04.07.2014
Kenneth J. Borg