As of 1st January 2020, homeowners must register their lease contracts for primary residential purposes with the Housing Authority within ten days from the commencement of the lease. Find out how to carry out this process in a couple of easy steps below!
This Act is relevant for lease contracts (for a primary residential purpose) which were drawn up after 1st June 1995. Those residential leases which were drawn after this date (but before 1st January 2020) must be registered no later than 1st January 2021, whether within the original term or a renewed one.
The lease contract must be registered online using the following link. To register the lease, one may either log-in using their E-ID through the following link or create an account here.
All users are required to make a profile to register their lease contract. This can be:
- Individual: referring to a lessor, lessee, or third party individual registering on behalf of another individual (e.g. an individual who as power of attorney)
- Company: those registering a lease contract of a property which a company is renting. This must include the company registration number.
- Agent: real estate agents who register on behalf of lessors.
After selecting the type of profile, the user should then fill in their details, company details (in the case of Company or Agent) and address fields before clicking ‘Save & Proceed’.
To register a lease contract, follow the steps below:
- Click on the Contract Registration box after creating a profile
- Fill in the Property Details
- Click Save and Continue
- Fill in the Tenancy Details and continue. When doing this, upload signed copies of the contract and inventory (forms can be found here).
- Fill in the details of the lessee and continue. In the case of more than one lessee, click ‘Add Lessee.’
- If an authorised agent is part of the contract, click ‘Yes.’ Fill in the details of the authorised agent.
- If an authorised agent is not part of the contract, proceed to the next step.
- After reading the terms and conditions, check the checkbox and submit.
- After submission, a notification email will be sent which outlines that the application was received and will be reviewed.
- The Housing Authority will send a notification email should any further clarification or information be needed.
- A notification will be received when the application is reviewed and either accepted or refused.
Renewals of Leese Agreements should occur each year. To do this, the lessor should visit the ‘My Registrations’ tab and ‘Renew’ by updating the new termination date and rental amount (if applicable).
Registration fees:
- Normal Registration Fee: €10 (This is free of charge during 2020)
- Late Registration Fee: €120 (This applies in the case where the registration of the private residential lease contract is not registered within 10 days from the commencement of the contract.)
- Renewal of Agreement Fee: €5 (Those agreements that, upon termination and renewal, must be re-registered.)
- No fees are required for the renewal of lease agreements that, in the contract, specify that the lease will be renewed each year.
If you need more information on how to register a residential lease contract, below, you can find a step-by-step video that will guide you through the registration process.
In case of any difficulties, arrange an appointment with the Private Residential Leases Unit within the Housing Authority. Contact them by phoning 22991010 or emailing here.
Whether you’re looking to rent out property in Malta or are looking for a place of residence, Island Properties caters to a wide selection of property seekers. For more information on our services, visit our website.
