Letting Agents - It's VERY different here !

this is typical of both landlord and estate agent - but what guarantee have you got that he will actually do it and more importantly when.....and what will you pay in the interim...be very very careful......fitting new meters is very very expensive for a landlords especially if there are a lot of apartments involved.......id be extremely careful and suspicious read and re- read your lease. good luck

nb the tax implications are not yours but the landlords...so i dont understand the estate agents saying it wasnt worth your while!!!!

Hi Toonarmy. You and some others are very well experienced and placed to give advice on renting long term properties.
Any advice you and others could give us would be very welcome.
Perhaps you would post a bullet list of things to look out for?
Lynn and I would very much appreciate that and I'm sure others would too.
The point about a separate meter per property is also a very good one and one that I had not previously thought of checking, thanks Darkman but I too would not be too assured simply by a landlord's say so. It's going to cost him about E500 per apartment. I hope I am wrong.

redmik wrote:

Hi Toonarmy. You and some others are very well experienced and placed to give advice on renting long term properties.
Any advice you and others could give us would be very welcome.
Perhaps you would post a bullet list of things to look out for?
Lynn and I would very much appreciate that and I'm sure others would too.
The point about a separate meter per property is also a very good one and one that I had not previously thought of checking, thanks Darkman but I too would not be too assured simply by a landlord's say so. It's going to cost him about E500 per apartment. I hope I am wrong.

HERE YE GO YOU MUST HAVE BEEN READING MY MIND REDMIK -  i prepared this the other day and was gonna put more in but hey ho here it is

I thought it might be handy for newbies to the rock to watch out for certain things when renting property here..I have compiled this list(mainly borne out of personal experiences over the last 4 years) as a means of offering some level of protection for new ex pats on the rock

Please feel free to add to the list or thread with things that you have experienced and maybe a moderator may like to make it a sticky at some stage.

1    always rent for a short period first to ensure you know more about the area, services and neighbours before committing yourself.
2    visit the area for external noises at varying times of day and night
3    check out parking restrictions
4    if you have pets makes sure the landlord will allow them, some will some wont but some will accept it on the offer of payment of a further damages/cleaning deposit
5    if sunshine is important to you then try to get a south facing property...it can pay dividends in winter and cut your bills for heating quite considerably. Does it get plenty of natural light
6    penthouses are fine but they are as a general rule very cold/damp in winter and too hot in summer..assess the number of exposed external walls exposed to adverse weather conditions
7    make sure you have a lift in the block – hauling gas bottles and shopping up several flights of stairs is not fun as you get older
8     check for air vents and fully opening windows – are there any signs of black damp, humidity and or condensation – feel the bedding etc
9    does it have insect screens on opening windows and doors
10    does it have fans and or air con or at least fully opening windows to get a through draught
11    check out comfort of furniture, sofas chairs and beds.
12    are the appliances eco friendly units power efficient units - same with lighting
13    is there a time-switch on the water heaters - it may seem trivial but its worth fitting one
14    remember ground floor and mid floor apartments will suffer from a level of noise from units above, especially where young children are located
15    check if the rent includes charges for communal costs for lighting, lift and maintenance, and regular cleaning. If you are lucky enough to have access to a pool check that out too. If not     then check what the costs are likely to be
16    is there an emergency lighting system in place for stair wells and lift shafts as power cuts are normal and have been know to last 9 hours or more and the stair wells are dark..if not makes sure you have access to your own emergency light for the flat and a good torch - check the batteries!
17     if you have your own belongings and furniture assess whether you will need a lifter     and whether you can get it through the windows and or doors and is there space for the lifter unit     to stand – also note a permit will be required usually available     from the local council offices at about 2-3euros
18    is there any outdoor space available to you to use privately or shared, if so identify it.
19    is there enough electrical power sockets
20    gas cooking (oven and hob) is much cheaper to operate than electric
21    check out all your lighting features
22     always do an inventory and get it checked thoroughly and note any damages or anything missing – get it agreed.
23    check the water pressure as it can be very low and poor service for showers  - check the taste of the water.
24    check the water tanks for the security of the lids – make sure they are wired down as insect larva can get in. also check the toilets for flushing
25    tv phone and internet connections – check whats available – satellite systems check if can you have one, can one be fitted, can it be installed easily will you need permission to have     one
26    check for refuse collections how often and on what days
27    check out how the bills for utilities will be presented to you
28    do a consumption check when you arrive check the start reaidngs and say after a normal week of consumption check it again and then do a calculation on the ARMs website https://www.smartutilities.com.mt this wil give you a good idea what you are using and the likely costs (and a comparison for 0 consumers and actual number of consumers).
29    make sure you are named on the bills as named registered consumers on the account holder/owners bills, or get your bills in your own name - if you dont you are likely to have problems later and will undoubtedly end up paying more than you should    . NB check the number of consumers on the actual bill from ARMs if its     ZERO you may be being overcharged
30    ensure you get a copy of the two pages bill from ARMs and not just a handwritten or spreadsheet based extract compiled by the landlord
31    ensure you have a record of the rent paid and utility payments – a rent book is a good idea. Most landlords prefer to be paid cash...NB sometimes (but not always) its to avoid declaring income for tax.
32      keep your bills and records of payments, this may help you later if you eventually have a problem
33      check whether you supply is single or three phase as the meter charges are more expensive (treble)

Toon you're a star! Thanks.

"The point about a separate meter per property is also a very good one and one that I had not previously thought of checking, thanks Darkman but I too would not be too assured simply by a landlord's say so. It's going to cost him about E500 per apartment. I hope I am wrong."

the costs for a new meter (the last time i did this excersize about three years ago) it was 900 euros per meter....this is without doubt a major expense for the landlord

note this form for applications for elec - single or three phase is different https://www.smartutilities.com.mt/wps/w … OD=AJPERES

redmik wrote:

Toon you're a star! Thanks.

glad to be of assistance - we try - as does everyone on here - sometimes our views differ slightly but we are all here to help and advise by experience. Not all experiences are good nor bad but they do need to be published for balance.

One further thing to be wary of is any thing that the new renter finds by way of repairs, broken items missing items after you have signed and say within one week of the let - make sure you tell the landlord at the ealiest possible time and dont wait for a week or more tell them straight away dont prepare a long list and wait...do it as these are found, its better for you - a pest to the landlord but it is better for you. keep on at them too as you will find you will not be top priority..its just the way it is....

heres an interesting topic in the papers this morning and associated to the thread and its handy to know about once you are living here

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdet … paying-tax

Toon, I hope you don't mind but I have posted your list on another forum for the benefit of others thinking of moving.

toonarmy9752 wrote:

heres an interesting topic in the papers this morning and associated to the thread and its handy to know about once you are living here

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdet … paying-tax

Interesting article, but it is from 2010.

Basically, what can we do if the landlord don't want to let us be registered as resident for water/electricity bills ?

Is there a way to do something on our own then ?

redmik wrote:

Toon, I hope you don't mind but I have posted your list on another forum for the benefit of others thinking of moving.

no not at all anything to help newbies find their way and not get caught out.

Apologies yes it is from 2010 - just goes to show how important it was or not as the case would seem ...as it still going on even now. not a lot you can do currently (short of telling the tax man - not recommended due to serious legal repurcussions) except talking to your landlords - and ultimately leaving to go elsewhere - or you could try another tack - see if you can negotiate a reduction in the rent equal to the amount of the monthly loss of the discounts, its easy to calculate... if the landlord is not for turning then ultimately MOVE  and be aware of the next landlords requirements not to mention your own - forewarned is forearmed

That's what we did basically, but now i wonder if it's still worthed considering that some month are warmer so we switch on more the air conditioning and some month arn't ....if you know what i mean. it's really something that you should calculate before hand and I in my experience will defntly be more carefull ones this lease is over and i'll sign up for a new one

many landlords charge monthly and a little over the average just in case - but the important thing is that you get the bills calculated at the correct rates... the good ones do it right and dont have an objection to their tenants going on the bills and re-imburse the tenant or put you in credit...if you've overpaid - its always best to recalculate it every six months and adjust accordingly if you pay it every month.

Always be suspicious if they object to you going on the bills!

Another tip to watch out for - always inspect your water tanks...for security of the fittings as once the water is passed the meter its your problem to pay for leaked water...and as the tanks are usually out of sight on the roof - you could have a leak and  not know it - another reason to check consumptions regularly and investigate any major fluctuations.

Thanks Toon. I'm recording all this and taking it as a check list when we get there.

As an idea on cimsumption and yes i know everyone is different - our consumptions have remained fairly stable and we have every gadget going - when there was just two of us at about 4.5 electricity units per person per day and even now there is three of us its the same. as for water well whenthere was two of us it was about 150-170 litres total a day...and now there is three of us its about 200-250 litres total per day.....mind you "her indoors" does 1-2 washes most days

glad to be of help

Toon, does that include AirCon?

NO - well we used it very little - we used 5-6 fans every day all day and night during the summer - for air con you can bet on about 50-60c an hr per AC unit usage...ours arent ancient but probably about 5-6 yrs old - newer more efficient ones are a little bit cheaper to run....you must also be aware that once you start using air con (whether it be for air con heat or dehumidifying) you will more than likely exceed the ECO allowances and as such any discounts you have gained over the year will be lost and every unit will be charged at full rate....even if you only exceed your allowances by just ONE unit - for us its a very fine balancing act. we run very close to our max ECO allowances even with eco bulbs, timeswitches, water saving devices on the showers, high ratings on appliances, etc

note - the consumptions quoted above in the earlier post are ours and are roughly the eco allowances per day.

approx 9 units of elec per day (total two people)
approx 14.5 units of elec per day (total for three people)

assuming you have applied to be registered consumers

TIP - if you havent got new water saving flush toilets fill a 1 litre bottle up with water and place it in the cistern....also to save water in the shower head replace the rubber washer between the hose and the head with a same size washer but with smaller hole....make one yourself if you can find one.

The normal hole size is similar to that of the size of a pencil - replace it with a washer with a hole the size of a matchstick..it does work.

Excellent info - keep it coming.

Oh and maybe this could work.

If it's yellow let it mellow. If it's brown flush it down.

that works too

along with recycling a 1 litre bottle of beer

one of the things we do is put buckets under the extract of the Aircon and use this to refil the Toilets after use.

Saves on Water

Another great idea!

or water your plants or use in the steam iron

TIP - never ever pay an estimated bill - they are often heavily over estimated - you are not obliged too - you may wish to make a contributuon towards the bill by way of the meter service charges as thats all you are obliged to pay against the estimated bills. you do have 5 days in which to give them the correct readings and as such they have time to amend and submit the new bill.....

and as much as they were meant to pay 6% interest on "in-credit" accounts it has never happened to my knowledge and is highly unlikely to.

Is it common to pay water/electricty in advance (my landlord ask me 100€ in advance, then I should get reimbursed (or pay more)) once he will show me the bills) ?

How often landlords usually ask to pay (or then finalize) the bills ?
Every 3 months ? 6 months ?

bills are supposed to arrive every 2 months, and meters read twice a year. In reality its nothing like every 2 months - haven't had a bill for atleast 6 months

GnG is correct - ARMs are mandated to supply bills every two months but in reality its nothing like that. Some people have experienced billing every two months but they're rarely accurate.

its not uncommon for the prepayment to landlords however as bills may not arrive as often as youd like the landlords get the benefit of your money in their bank account and that could be anything up to a year. As the landlords tend to err on the high side - Its good practice to take your own readings and check them with the online calculator on the website https://www.smartutilities.com.mt/wps/p … BIS9nQSEh/ this will then give you a more accurate idea as to what you should be paying...but then you must also be sure that you are getting the correct rates charged to you - and to do that you must currently A) be a registered consumer or B) have the bills in you own  name and their are criteria to meet for both options as previously stated elsewhere on the forum.

Finalizing / balancing / reconciling bills will depend on when they are supplied!!!!!!!

TIP - when taking a let take photos of all areas of the property to identify condition at start of the letting contract and keep them safe...similarly when leaving a let to move on do the same - and pay particular attention to furniture, services, flooring and fitted units etc.....especially where you may have had pets ....its not unusual for massive claims against you after you have long gone and left...its essential to keep these records..i know a number of people this has happened to....and they have ended up in court....so caveat emptor - i think that means buyer beware.

TIP - to deter mozzies as we have had lots of them this year - try putting out a bowl of cloves in each room..not the crushed ones - the whole ones.

If they still bother you at night put your fan on low and place it so it blows towards your head (mozzies attracted to your breath)- but they cannot fly well if at all when in a breeze....

TIP - Always take the time to read your contract even the small print, if there are clauses in it you do not like query them and have them removed if you dont like them or have them adjusted to your satisfaction, if there are things you want included include them. REMEMBER YOU ARE THE AGENTS CLIENT TOO, and you are paying them for the service make them work for their fees.

If the changes required are objected to, then move on to another property, landlord or agent...or even all three.

ASK the awkward questions, regarding the billing. PROTECT YOURSELF FROM UNSCRUPULOUS LANDLORDS.

I thought that the new meters for water and electricity have possibility of telemetering ... instead tomorrow the man from ARMS comes for meter reading ?

AFAIK electricity yes, water no

the smart meters by and large dont work....after spending a fortune buying and installing them...back to the good old meter readers..and they still get the bills wrong

Yesterday at the agreed time the man for meter reading of course did not appear (what a surprise ... )
But he came today morning at a time I was not at home and so he left an information sheet at the door.

I called to ARMS, gave them the figures of both meters ... and after a short while I received an "yes, that is correct. Thank you and have a good day !" ???

Both, electricity and water (an antenna is attached to the water meter) have a telemetering system (see SMART Meter), but it seems also here the Maltese do not trust each other and first of all the technics and so this has to be double-checked three times

double checked three times - an interesting concept...LOL

methinks the meters are more than a little suspect - according to the media they're not working well - too many problems with them..and it does speak volumes that they have to still send meter readers or get the customer readings....