Renting an apartment or house in Malta

I thought I'd better include some useful information here occasionally - the kind of info I wanted before I moved to Malta.

I recently moved apartment so the latest info on prices for renting seems like a good place to start.

Rental prices vary greatly depending on where you wish to live. The Eastern mid-section of the island is the most expensive, Sliema especially. The cheapest parts are, well, more or less anywhere else.

There really is a gulf of difference though. For the price of an average one-bedroom flat, off the front, in Sliema (about 500 euros) I have a friend living 10-minutes drive away in Pieta who has a three-storey townhouse with a roof and parking.

For the price of a nice 3 bedroom seafront apartment in Tower Road Sliema (swanky address, actually noisy and polluted from traffic) - about 950euros - you can get an absolutely amazing house or penthouse anywhere else on the island.

There are a number of estate agents, of wildly varying quality. When I arrived I met with Dahlia and was assured that for 1200 euros I would never be able to find any apartment in Sliema with a sea view. Now prices have dropped in the last year but not that much! You can find a 3-bed seafront with balconies for 700euros. But hey, you won't know that when you're straight off the plane.

Sara Grech. Sliema expert I'm assured, their office is on Tower Road Sliema so they should know their onions. They have a great website and I'm told for the mid-high end they're a good choice.

Frank Salt - a large letting and estate agent. They have a big range of properties and a good reputation. Be sure to negotiate a discount on their fees though.

All estate agents charge 2-weeks rent to the lessor and lessee for finding a property. Money for old rope! You will get this down with a bit of haggling though.

The best way to find an apartment is to ask about. If you're here for a couple of weeks find a bar in the area you want to live in and ask around. It's better for you and the owner as everyone will pay less (and they'll no doubt do a fiddle on the tax!)

Links

Dahlia: http://www.dhalia.com/page.asp?n=home

Sara Grech: http://www.saragrech.com/home

Frank Salt: http://www.franksalt.com.mt/page.asp?n=home&l=1

Good luck finding a place - there are plenty of them so don't rush!

Comments

[Paul]

Here is link to my website.

[Whethershape]

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[Annabel Keech]

Hi there. Very interesting review on renting in Malta. If you have any other tips please post. We are moving to Malta from the UK next week.