Organisations welcome changes to the Bill amending the Private Residential Leases Act

Three organisations positively noted that most of the concerns they raised regarding the Bill amending the Private Residential Leases Act have now been addressed following agreement in the Parliamentary Committee between the Government and the Opposition.

In February, the organisations had sounded the alarm on several anti-tenant amendments within this Bill that would have exacerbated an already dire situation for the most vulnerable in society. For example, in addition to the precarity enforced by the current short-term contracts, tenants would also have been forced to stay for the duration of the whole contract period, losing the opportunity to find better properties or escaping abusive landlords.

Solidarjetà, Moviment Graffitti and Malta Tenant Support - with the support of several organisations working in the social field - then presented counterproposals to the Bill. The majority of these counterproposals have been accepted by the Government and the Opposition, including the removal of the draconian clause that would have removed every flexibility to tenants in finding alternative accommodation during the last six months of a one-year contract.

The modified Bill will still introduce much-needed standards within the sector aimed at curbing overcrowding, a measure which the organisations welcome. Landlords will now be limited to a renting their property to a maximum of two tenants per bedroom.

The organisations thanked the Minister for Social Accommodation, as well as the Opposition members on the Parliamentary Committee, for listening to their concerns and finding a way forward that does not penalise the most vulnerable in society.

The organisations said that they look forward to further discussions aimed at improving the current legal framework in order to achieve a more stable, regulated and just renting model.