Malta - British Expat Forum

How can you deduce that the deposit would automatically be transferred to the new property? If the new landlord didn't agree?

Just teasing!

Red

Landlords take 1 or more months rent as a refundable deposit to cover any unpaid bills etc.

The crux of the matter is: a lot of landlords do not register their properties as having tenants paying rent, so that they are not taxed.

Red

Isnt this a job of an agency to ensure that the landlord is tax registered and all legit. Whats the point of involving an agent then, when you have to deal with the mess yourself directly with the landlord?. I am a missing something here.

I have emailed a few agencies and been upfront of of some the issues, 1) utilities must be transfered to my name, not interested in landlords or their properties otherwise 2) Ideally interested in agency managed properties thus not dealing with landlord directly and bond must be secured with the agent not the landlord. Will be interesting to see what they come back with !

I wish you the best of luck. It will be very interesting to see if you get a reply, and what they say. Please don't forget to share your findings.

I think you would be better off actually posing these questions face to face in their offices, so that you can see the looks on their faces (regardless of what they say) and maybe hear the laughter. This is Malta after all.

I'm sorry chursy, I should have mentioned that my parents did actually state this to one agent about a house that had been advertised for rent for 2 years, and the agent just laughed and brought his colleague into the conversation saying that we were expecting too much, a lot of banter went on, but the upshot was no deal.

Red

Thanks Red

Will definitely keep you posted. Ones gota cover most bases if not all and i am sure there has to be a way out to avoid these messes at a later stage rather then being left in the middle with no deposit at hand if the landlord finds that a glass was missing from the inventory list!

chursy wrote: rather then being left in the middle with no deposit at hand if the landlord finds that a glass was missing from the inventory list!

that's where the estate agent comes in - he/she acts in the middle if there is a dispute - I had an issue like this and the agent was great in sorting it out

bear in mind - the landlord owes you your deposit, but you probably owe him more in unpaid electricity bills

is the electrcity settled at the end of every month or end of 6 months? or Quarterly , little confused with the above now.


I did ask a few questions to the agent see the responses below


Few Questions about these properties :-

1) When are they avaiable to move in ?
Agent :- its a case by case so I will have to check and let you know.
2) What is the deposit requested for this property? Agent:-
1 month's rent
3) How much do you about the landlords of these properties? how has your relationship been with them?
Agent :- I always have good relashipnships with landlor. Never had a problem.
4) Utilities - Are they able to put my name on the utlities form as residents so the i am billed directly. Its a simple process which required filling a form.
Agent:- This i snever done. They are left on the landlord's name especially for a lease of 6 months
5) What is the utility status Domestic or residential?
Agent:- I have never had this question asked before. I will have to check with the landlords .


Let me know your thoughts lads!

chursy wrote:is the electrcity settled at the end of every month or end of 6 months? or Quarterly , little confused with the above now.

every 1,3 or 6 months ? - nope, Malta does it differently - every 2 months

the answers to 4 and 5 suggest your estate agent isn't very knowledgeable about renting to foreigners. There are good and bad agents - some of the good ones are listed on the recommended suppliers forum, as well as some do's and dont's on lease conditions. For example, just today I heard of someone in a 3 year lease with no get-out after 1 year. They have to leave the island, and might be forced to pay the remaining 2 years rent.

buddy this isnt the first time an relocating to an international market and i come from Egypt so very used to this sorta mentality, dont worry wont be getting ripped off !. The agent is knowledgable just acting dumb! You seem to keen on your 25 pounds subscription , seen that comment on a few post alrite . Top agencies are in Malta are not many, there are few recommended by the firm i will be joining and they have a relationship with them so i think i am covered there.

Chursy,

Believe this or believe it not, I have nothing at all to gain, but it truly isn't a matter of touting for £25, it's a wise tip.

If someone is definitely going to be living for a while in Malta/Gozo, there is a wealth of invaluable information to be gleaned from the premium members' boards, not just recommended suppliers and the ones to avoid. Members dip in and out year in year out. There is always something to learn, and advice from people who have been there and done that, but it's your choice.

I can't stand by any longer saying nothing, although I've been standing on the sidelines biting my tongue for quite a while now.

Day after day, chursy fires his questions at us and day after day he gets patient and considered answers from Mark, Red, et al.

It's been suggested to him that he could access even more information if he subscribed, but he's made it clear he doesn't want to.

The cost is £25 - £12.50 of which goes to an animal welfare organisation (Gozo SPCA).

Our members are happy with the service we provide, many give us unsolicited testimonials - as Red just did. Some members even pay more than is necessary with a note to thank us for all the help they've received.

Believe me, I won't lose sleep if I don't get my £12.50 share of your subs fee. But you are presenting yourself as a real taker and not a person who wants to make friends, contribute, or give anything to our community. It seems as though all you want to do is treat us like puppets - all dangling there ready, waiting, and willing to answer your many questions.

If you can't afford a few quid to show your appreciation for all the help you've received, then you can't afford to move to another country. Maybe you should just forget it.

We're not greedy people but we all put a lot of hours every day into this, especially Mark - and he gives all his share to Gozo SPCA. And then you come along, after having received so much good advice, and accuse us of touting for 25 quid.

I hope you don't pay because I'm not sure I want you around. However, it's Mark who runs the Malta forum these days so I'll back out now and say no more on this issue.

Kay you seem way off on a different tangent ! It's best yo say no more. I do appreciate the fact that you guys are keeping this forum active and perhaps I may have come across a bit rude but honestly had no intentions to. Just being a little sarky and have some sense of humor my friend !

Sorry for butting in but I wanted to support Kay on this one. The subscription was well worth it to me, for the cost of a nice meal out it was worth it for the feedback from the generous members on this forum.

Its not as if Kay is trying to become a millionaire out of the sub fee - I run bulletin boards and know the costs involved. I suspect this one could be run at a loss to be honest.

Even without the premium boards I think its nice to give something back to a community relating to something as important as your future residence.

To summarise - Kay is absolutely on the right tangent. Sorry to break the bad news

I have to agree that the subscription is money well spent and saved us quite a lot more with the info contained in the various topics.

I would have to disagree slightly with GM saying you would get an electricity bill in Malta every 2 months. We've been here over 15 months and only got one 'actual' and 2 'estimates' since arriving. In fact the meter has just been read for only the 2nd time.