Moving to a new country take a lot of effort and planning. Included in this is of course finding a place to live. Going from door to door can easily make you victim of some sort of scam, so we strongly advice you to use a licensed Real Estate Agent.
This is also a much easier way of going about it. Steps are quite simple. If you decide on budget, location and size and forward this information to a real estate agent, they will start searching for the right place.
Service usually involves picking you, the client, up and going around to view the different localities and for them to negotiate the rent for you. Hopefully giving you the best possible outcome and start of your new life.
When signing a contract, it is normally set on either a 6 months or a full year period, where you are committed for that whole period. Be advised that by moving prematurely you will in most situations forfeit your deposit.
Standard deposit is a month's rent, and there are no hidden fees as council taxes or similar.
The Real Estate Agents will only charge you, when a contract is signed and the deal is sealed. Their fee normally ranges around 1/2 months rent + 18% in vat. Check the discount section here in Lovemymalta to see our discount with the best Real Estate agents in Malta.
To give you somewhat of a clue as to where abouts to live. The cheapest places are in the outskirts like Qawra, Buggiba and Swiegi, where you can find a big flat to a very low cost. For those wanting to be near the night life, Paceville and St. Julians are the places to stay. Though noise and high prices are common here.
For shopping areas and a bit more relaxed life style, Sliema is definitely a preferred city.
It’s important to know the differences between freehold and leasehold properties when buying property. Most people will be familiar with the terms freehold and leasehold.
Freehold Property
If you purchase a freehold property, you will own the home, the land it is built on, and you will have the right to live there for as long as you please. You can make moderations to the property within restrictions of the law and planning restrictions. You may need permission to make structural changes, particularly with listed buildings (old buildings). Most houses are sold freehold. Flats can be sold freehold, but very rarely, they’re usually leasehold. However, flats are increasingly becoming Freehold because of of legistration that is making it easier for leaseholders to buy the freehold.
Leasehold Property
If you buy a leasehold property you are actually buying the rights to live in a property for a set period of time. You won’t actually own the property, or the grounds it is situated on. Most flats are leasehold; with the lease, it means you are obligated to pay ground rent to the freeholder. The ground rent will cover the costs for communal maintenance repairs. The lease should stipulate how the service charge is worked out, and how it is divided between the other leaseholders. It’s important to calculate all these costs before committing to a leasehold property, as you may not have budgeted for the additional costs.
Once the set period in the lease expires, the ownership of the property is given back to the land owner. Most leases are roughly 99 years; however, you can get an extension. If anyone is buying a leasehold property, it is important to find out how long the lease is for as it will affect the value of the property.
Why do people get leasehold properties? Well, because most flats are leasehold, and it means everyone living with in the same building has to split maintenance costs in respect of the common parts of the building and the communal areas.
It is possible to extend the leasehold to up to 999 years, and you can actually purchase the freehold, but at a cost.
Good to know:
· 5 % Stamp Duty
· 1 % Notary fees and registration fees (approximately)
2 or 3 month preliminary contract depending on bank loan as this sometimes may take the aprox 3 months
Once you have purchased the property there are no other expenses (such as council tax, refuse collection, etc) different to rental of an apartment. All your expenses would just be the running costs of water, electricity, maintenance, etc.
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