Malta - British Expat Forum

Hi

I have been dealing with one of the main stream agents and being requested to pay 6 months upfront rent by the landlord. The rent is considerably reduced for an apartment which would other be up for perhaps 550-580 region in MSIDA and is reduced to 450.

Couple of Questions

1) Paying rent upfront on properties advisable? if not why not?

2) How is Msida as an area to live, its closer to my office hence tempted? Initially i was going to get something in Gzira but happy to consider Msida if this is a reasonable area. Any thoughts welcome.

6 months upfront isn't too bad if its a bargain. However, will he always expect you to be 6 months ahead, or is that the last you have to pay for 5 months, and then its one month in advance ? Are you paying a deposit as well ?

In reality, if you are signing a 1 year plus contact, you normally can't cancel it during the first 6-12 months, so it shouldn't make a big difference (unless you always have to be 6 months in advance).

Sorry, no idea on Gzira v Msida

Agree with everything Mark says but it also says to me to check if there's anything really negative about the place or area that you wouldn't see at a viewing (take a trip out there early morning and late night for instance) in case they've previously had people break the contract after a month or two (possession being nine parts of etc.).

Also, while advance rent is okay if you're happy with the place don't be conned into a rolling advance rent or large damages or bills deposit. In my first apartment I was told that three months deposit was normal and, in anticipation of being in the UK for a few months, volunteered an advance for utilities - for which my landlord never chased the actual bills - and it took me 51 weeks to get the deposit back.

Hi Chursy,

we have a rental contract with payment for 6 months every 6 months which gave us around 20 % discount on the original asked for rent in Sliema. For us it works fine - less hassle with monthly rental payments, the 20 % lower rent . The advance goes down month by month so after 6 months you are even and pay the next 6 months in advance. We just make sure that we put the money aside every month and so have the cash at hand every 6 months. Just make sure you have the exact details in your rental contract. We still paid a deposit though ... we have a 3 year contract which gave us further bargaining power. Just make sure that you are sure about the apartment you want to rent but with a one year contract that should not be an issue.

Hi Its actually a 6 months contract not going to tieing myself down to a year unless i am there and i can assess the area etc. By the looks of it i am told that the landlord is based in Gozo and isnt keen on somebody paying on a monthly basis for some reason.

Keen to know how MSida is as an area, the appartment i am told is near the university.

With the utilities, agents dont seem to be moving are consistant with the fact that they remain in the name of the landlord! Not sure how to perhaps pitch in the idea of transferring this accross to my name cause it seems to put the agents and the landlords off big time!

I've split off the Msida v Gzira discussion and shifted it to the "Choosing where to live" board as it's a separate topic.

I decided in the end not to go for th3 6 months option, its tempting at first as reduced rent but offers zero flexibility in case circumstances change and getting money off landlords can be a big issue! better to pay a bit more a month i would if you are like who likes to have the flexibility as circumstances change all the time!