Letting Agents - It's VERY different here !

Lynn and I are thinking we are very lucky indeed.
We have changed our plans for Jan - Mar in that we are now going to stay in the apartment we have found on Gozo. This is to experience Gozo in winter and if the apartment is what we want then we can have it for long term rent when we get there later in the year. It has been set aside for us but we are not bound by any agreement and as she says if we find somewhere else, just let her know asap.
What reassures us is that all utility metering is on our own meters, the landlord is exchanging e-mails with us on a near daily basis and we have spoken on the phone, has not asked us for any money 'up front' for Jan - Mar, has confirmed in writing that we have the place for then and is insisting that when we do pay we will be given receipts. The landlord also works for the Malta Government Education Dept and her partner owns a very good low cost hotel in Sliema.
So we're thinking, what could go wrong! we consider ourselves very fortunate to have this opportunity. She really is a very nice person.

when you have taken the photo of the furniture, condition of walls, shower etc email them to yourself- this provides evidence with a date and time. Should stop future discussions on when the pictures were taken.

kentgirl wrote:

when you have taken the photo of the furniture, condition of walls, shower etc email them to yourself- this provides evidence with a date and time. Should stop future discussions on when the pictures were taken.

a great idea... no question then on the date

Date on an email can be altered by changing the date on your pc. Better is to email photos to the agent, or to the landlord

a Right click on the photo, then to properties, then goto the Detail tab.

This will show you the date the picture was taken (Even if the PC Date and Time are Changed) and also the full details of the Camera, F-Stop, Exposuretime etc etc.

J.

whats important redmik is not that its your own meters we all have our own (well rented from ARMs) meters allocated to the proprties we rent. the important bit is how the calculations for the bills are made and whether you are registered consumers or the bill is in your name - the latter not being practical in your situation as you ve no idea if you will stay there permanently at this stage and paying 466 euros for the privilege may not be a good idea in a short term

plus you cant be registered consumer (whether rented or otherwise) until a) you get here, 2) by getting an id card  3) getting your residency status

UNLESS of course the owner has already got names (not yours) registered against the property as reg consumers who may not be on either island at this time.

Now why did I think that some properties had shared metering?

redmik wrote:

Now why did I think that some properties had shared metering?

your not wrong some do - but generally speaking those properties landlords that do (in my personal experience) use the online calculator to calculate and issue bills accordingly to the tenants. In doing so they either A)take the hit on the loss if they allow their tenants to have the registered consumer status without any proof....or B) issue bills as 0 registered consumers.

and then there is the big big question hanging over landlords who manipulate connections to share their tenant's supplies without the tenants knowledge or in their absence from the property. I personally now several people that this has happened to.

toonarmy9752 wrote:

redmik wrote:

Now why did I think that some properties had shared metering?

your not wrong some do - but generally speaking those properties landlords that do (in my personal experience) use the online calculator to calculate and issue bills accordingly to the tenants. In doing so they either A)take the hit on the loss if they allow their tenants to have the registered consumer status without any proof....or B) issue bills as 0 registered consumers.

and then there is the big big question hanging over landlords who manipulate connections to share their tenant's supplies without the tenants knowledge or in their absence from the property. I personally now several people that this has happened to.

It is for all those reasons that I am reassured by the presenting integrity, credentials and personality of our future landlord.
I am confident that my assessment will be confirmed in January.

good - i hope your assessment is 100% corect

toonarmy9752 wrote:

good - i hope your assessment is 100% corect

I'm as confident as I can be.
I used your check list and heeded all the advice given here.
I will also be taking a copy of it with me for double checking, thanks again.

am pleased we have been able to help redmik - thats why we are here - warts and all - good luck and enjoy gozo and malta when you visit lol

sometimes you just have to go with your gut instinct and be as armed as you can be - and as you have said heed advice not necessarily take it but consider it ..thanks

toonarmy9752 wrote:

whats important redmik is not that its your own meters we all have our own (well rented from ARMs) meters allocated to the proprties we rent. the important bit is how the calculations for the bills are made and whether you are registered consumers or the bill is in your name - the latter not being practical in your situation as you ve no idea if you will stay there permanently at this stage and paying 466 euros for the privilege may not be a good idea in a short term.

I assume this is a "deposit" that is used when calculating your final bill ?

TheDarkman wrote:

toonarmy9752 wrote:

whats important redmik is not that its your own meters we all have our own (well rented from ARMs) meters allocated to the proprties we rent. the important bit is how the calculations for the bills are made and whether you are registered consumers or the bill is in your name - the latter not being practical in your situation as you ve no idea if you will stay there permanently at this stage and paying 466 euros for the privilege may not be a good idea in a short term.

I assume this is a "deposit" that is used when calculating your final bill ?

it think it was designed and imposed as a means of ensuring that you dont leave the island without paying your bills. Its imposed on ALL renters with bill in their names.... MALTESE, EU and NON EU alike.

TIP - wear and tear is a normal occurance during the life of any product, and that includes furniture, fittings etc....if an item gets damaged and your landlord wants it repaired or replaced - remember to deduct an element of wear and tear in any pricing...BETTERMENT IS NEVER PART OF THE DEAL - UNLESS OF COURSE ITS A BRAND SPANKING NEW ITEM..

scubaboy wrote:

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

Are times really that difficult in Malta? LOL

its not just money, but also that Malta faces a water shortage - already over 50% of Malta's water needs are from desalinated sea water, which is very expensive - hence why a cubic metre of tap water costs approx €5

georgeingozo wrote:

its not just money, but also that Malta faces a water shortage - already over 50% of Malta's water needs are from desalinated sea water, which is very expensive - hence why a cubic metre of tap water costs approx €5

100% of Aruba's water is from desalinated sea water. It is not longer too uncommon. Malta is lucky that is can do such a thing as many nations do not have the infrastructure to do so.

If I am correct...1 cubic metre = 1000 litres of water? I cannot imagine using more than 6000 litres of water monthly which would work out to approximately $30. If that's the case $5 sounds per cubic metre sounds very reasonable.

Based on what others have reported, typical water consumption in Malta seems to be 0.1-0.2m2 per person per day(thats drinking, washing, sewage, garden), or 3-6m2 per month, so ties in with your figure

JoeToronto wrote:

monthly which would work out to approximately $30.

Imagine a family of 5 - thats € 1800 per annum, which is alot when typical salaries are 12-15,000

georgeingozo wrote:

JoeToronto wrote:

monthly which would work out to approximately $30.

Imagine a family of 5 - thats € 1800 per annum, which is alot when typical salaries are 12-15,000

With both parents working (assuming they make 12k yearly) which I find a little low, that's a combined salary of $24000/year. $1800/year is minimal for a family of 5, considering how low rent and car insurance is. Additionally, with the increased empty properties, one can negotiate better rental rates as there is great competition amongst landlords. Furthermore, assuming a family of 5 (3 children,) a parent living in Malta will not have to set up a 'university/college' fund at birth as responsible parents in North America do. University in North America is easily $5000-7000/year per child. Children who have to take government loans for university/college graduate with debts excess of $20 000.

Its unusual for married women to work in Malta - Malta has the lowest female participation in the workforce in the whole of the EU

"With both parents working (assuming they make 12k yearly) which I find a little low" - yes, I find it very low as well coming from the UK, but thats a typical salary in Malta

JoeToronto wrote:

University in North America is easily $5000-7000/year per child.

in the UK its even more than that, up to £ 9K a year = about $15,000

georgeingozo wrote:

which is very expensive - hence why a cubic metre of tap water costs approx €5

You will agree that Austria has plenty of water reserves and hence water is not a limited good, but I had to pay about 450,- per year for approx. 120m³ ... which makes EUR 3.75,- for 1 m³ !!!
OK, 70% of the cost is used for waste water treatment, but anyhow, the total prices for water here did not surprise me.

you also have to realise that here every drop of water is metered and as such can be very expensive to use, unlike in the UK for example most dwellings have water that is not metered thus you can use as much as you want without worrying abut a bill - some households do of course have meters but there are far more that dont.

Wages here are substantially lower here and as such savings in both power water and gas have to be made to afford these basic ameneties. it is that simple.