A housing authority IT system will flag overcrowding in apartments, Roderick Galdes said on Friday, adding that the era of overcrowded apartments was coming to an end.
The new system, which will begin operating on Sunday, will prevent landlords from renting their property to more tenants than their apartment can legally accommodate.
“The time when you could have five or more people in one bedroom is coming to an end,” he said.
The housing minister was speaking after a legal notice, published last week, set a limit on the number of occupants allowed in an apartment, based on the number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
Under the new laws, a maximum of two tenants can occupy a single-bedroom apartment, a maximum of four can reside in a two-bedroom residence, and six people can share a three-bedroom dwelling.
Four-bedroom and five-bedroom accommodation must have two bathrooms to house eight and 10 residents, respectively. No more than 10 can live in one house.
Attached files
On Friday, Galdes said tenants must live in places that respect their dignity and do not infringe on human rights.
He also expressed concern about health and sanitation conditions in overcrowded places.
Apartment overcrowding has been a persistent issue in Malta’s rental market.
Earlier this week, Times of Malta reported that a policeman was renting out a cockroach-infested three-bedroom house in Sliema to 16 tenants, each paying €250 a month.
A former tenant described how he was attracted to the property by its low rent and “no deposit policy” but soon found the living conditions “really difficult”.
Amendments to the Private Residential Leases Act come into effect on Sunday after parliament approved changes last June. The amendments give more power to an adjudicating panel that was established with the act.
The panel now has the power to blacklist landlords or tenants who do not abide by their responsibilities.
A potential tenant or landlord will now be able to contact the authority and find out if they are renting from - or to - someone on the blacklist.
The new law also allows tenants to pass on their contracts to other tenants without the need to register a completely new contract. Landlords will be able to add new tenants to a lease as long as they are not over the maximum number.