French guys moving to Gozo (?) : hello everyone !

mdavid wrote:

* we've never had any trouble being a gay couple on Gozo as tourists, do you think that would change if we were to live on the island full time ?

hey , just thought i would pick up on this point ,
from my experience in Malta most people couldn't care less who your with , we haven't suffered any abuse or anything and apart from our landlord who refers to my husband as my friend ..there is no problem.
we have seen other gay couples walking hand in hand in the street, or cuddling each-other on the beach and no-one really blinks an eye .. or if they do they keep it to themselves

however i think if you don't make a big issue of things then people don't make a big issue either and  i am sure you will be fine ,

Thanks for your answer ! I wasn't afraid at all, just wondering... as I said, we never had any trouble before and we didn't hide or show anything, just as we usually do in France. And from what I've experienced in Gozo it is as you said : nobody could seem to care less about this.

David, whether you can sublet or not will be subject to contract but I would say that it will be very unlikely that you will be able to do this. As for your proposed income earning professions, my own opinion is you will be very lucky to do this and generate any reasonable income. In Xaghra, where I live, the people are very tolerant of each other, irrespective of circumstances.

Hi, mediation is the first step appointed by the courts after filling separation/divorce proceedings. It is usually a court appointed mediator (in the court building.)
I am not sure if you can opt for your own, private mediator or not?

coxf0001 wrote:

Hi, mediation is the first step appointed by the courts after filling separation/divorce proceedings. It is usually a court appointed mediator (in the court building.)
I am not sure if you can opt for your own, private mediator or not?

It's meditation he wants to do, not mediation 

Yep coxf0001, Redmik is right : this is meditation (mindfulness) I teach 

Redmik, thanks for your answers. I know that none of these ideas would generate much income, but we don't need that much. Our flat in Paris (minus charges and the small loan we still have on it) can generate something around 1000 to 1200 euros per month, so I guess that can pay a rent on Gozo and be used as a basic income we would just have to complete.
About subletting rooms : in the MyGozo magazine there was an interview of an english couple running a b&b here in a farmhouse they rent... so I wondered how this could be possible. I guess the best would be emailing them (not sure they will answer to a possible competitor, but I won't know until I try )

mdavid wrote:

About subletting rooms : in the MyGozo magazine there was an interview of an english couple running a b&b here in a farmhouse they rent... so I wondered how this could be possible. I guess the best would be emailing them (not sure they will answer to a possible competitor, but I won't know until I try )

As I wrote I think this will depend upon contract. I am sure it could possible. Good luck.

Lol, you can see I wasn't quite awake this morning Thanks Red

I agree with redmik, it depends on what's agreed with the landlord upon signing the tenancy agreement. Generally speaking and from the previous contracts I've signed, there is always a clause saying that the premises in question cannot not be rented out to other people and I can quote the one from mine: "The premises are being granted by tittle of letting to be used exclusively for residential purposes of the tenant or his immediate family, and are not to be used as business premises or for any commercial purpose. The landlord shall not recognize during the period of the lease any person other than the tenant for the responsibility of the premises let. Also, tenant should not be entitled to sublet the premises or any part thereof, or assign the lease, in whole or in part, to third parties."

That said, I believe that some landlords might agree with that but that will depend on the kind of agreement you might be able to reach with the landlords before signing up the tenancy agreement.
With regards to your questions about your and your partner's "self-employment" or business idea, unfortunately, I cannot say if you guys will make a good income or not, but it's a matter of trying

Best of luck!
Antonio

its not his wife lol .. unless he chooses to call him that ... ha ha

robpw2 wrote:

its not his wife lol .. unless he chooses to call him that ... ha ha

My bad lol...emended!

Ahah mantonas, no harm done And thank you for your answer.

For those who might be interested : I still have to figure out the rental contract issue, but with the informations I've gathered so far what is sure is that I will need to get a licence from de MTA in order to rent rooms as a b&b and a VAT number, wether I rent or buy the premises, then register in order to pay the taxes. And as you and redmik have said, the rest depends on the agreement with the landlord, but from what I've understood so far it's not impossible (and I guess having a chat about that with real estate agencies will clear the subject !).

Hi David, if you wish me and my wife have decided to sell our property in gozo as with 3 kids and currently very busy jobs we do not have the time to go from malta to gozo to make good use of it. It is brand new and we managed to go there on two occasions since we finished it this year. It is located in ta Cenc ( 30 seconds away from the Ta cenc cliffs - amazing landscape areas !!  )

The property is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment , sleeps up to 7 people with all necessities ; washing machine, touch screen oven etc


It also has use of a communal pool and Jacuzzi and parking space.

We would also like to sell as we want to upgrade our property here in Malta. Should you want some photos etc please let me know. My email is robertlautier@hotmail.com

I know you mentioned you would like to rent rather than buy but though its worth a try for me to mention

Price we are asking through an agent is 143,000 euro but bought directly with us with will be obviously cheaper.

Thanks and regards

Robert

Thanks Robert but we're not in the process of buying property in Malta right now, that would mean selling our flat in Paris and we need the income it can generate to get us started ! (and before we even consider buying, I think we need to spend at least one or to years on the island, to see if it fits us... and if we fit in )
Good luck in selling your apartment !

Hi David,

yes i fully understand. I wish you all the best on your new venture ,, i am sure you will enjoy it

Take care

Rob

Hello expats !
many thanks again for all the informations you provided, whether on this thread or all around the forum, your expat-wisdom and your expat-experience have been a great help for us.
So, the big move is planned on March 1st (yup, that's almost tomorrow, yihaaaaaa !) We decided to settle on the main island : Gozo is perfect for holidays but to quiet for us all year long. We booked a room for 10 days in March and will use this time to find our own place around Valetta... We'd like to be as central as possible for our first months here, so that we can easily wander around. Would you suggest any areas in particular ? We know we want to avoid St Julian and Paceville (we need some quiet at home   and right now we thought Floriana / Gzira / Msida / Birkirkara or even Swieqi could fit us, but any advice or previous experience would be greatly appreciated.

Happy new year to you all, and maybe see you around one of these days. (for real or here again, as I'm pretty sure I will have TONS of questions once settled)

I havent lived in any of the areas you mentioned but if i was to choose i would go with Birkirkara, its a nice town and there looks to be decent properties, also birkirkara is on the bus route for a number of service that go accross the island .
If your looking to go to work in the mornings either by public transport or driving then Msida and Gzira ( you could walk to both sliema and valletta from here)  are ok if your working in sliema but not so much if your working elsewhere as they get extremely busy traffic wise.

happy new year to you guys too and maybe once your over in malta you would like to join me and my husband for a drink
if you do think of anything you might like to know if we can help in anyway just drop me a message

all the best and good luck

We won't have office jobs (we're both self employed and planning to keep things as-is and work from home as we do in Paris) and we both like long walks... (well, maybe we won't like them as much once the maltese heat kicks in)

I'd rather not walk from gzira to valleta, trust me it is not so close

for a place, i have couple of friends who live both in sliema and st. julians they are just couple of streets away from main roads and it is not noisy at all, don't exclude them form your search

if you don't want to be "in the buzz" then b'kara is good choice, as you'll get much more for your money when renting, but form for me it is just too quiet (+ we like our walks by the sea), although maybe that is just what you want after Paris

valleta and floriana - pro is def. the fact that bus depot is there, but you are surrounded with sea on 3 sides so not so central position as you think

Thanks for the tips Duxx. Yes we want quiet after Paris (and sadly these last days more than ever). It's true I hadn't considered St Julian and Sliema but you're right, Is should be a bit more open And I never considered the fact that Floriana was surrounded by the sea either ! It's hard to leave my parisian glasses and watch things and places with a maltese perspective while abroad. I guess I have to wait until march to really figure things out...

Walking from Gzira to Valletta is fine. Might be too hot in the summer, but I walk from Sliema to. Valletta and it takes about 40 min. You'll be/stay fit!

mdavid. First of all my commiseration for the events in Paris over the last few days. You should know that there are many of us that are thinking in solidarity of everyone at this time.
My suggestion is that you really have a good look at maps, photos of areas and such like. Floriana may have water either side but I would suggest that with the harbour etc it is not what one may suggest a 'beauty to behold'. There are industrial areas, ship repair and berthing etc.
Use Google maps and satellite views, they should help.
Je suis Charlie!

Hi David,  If you're a cyclist then getting around anywhere between St George's Bay and Valletta is easy as you can cycle along the stretch of promenade and use the parks along the sea front without having to use the road. I did it every day for 6 months and it was the quickest way to get from A to B and good exercise. As far as I'm aware the promenade  is still for shared use. The approach to Valletta using the wide tree lined pavement is good for bikes as well. For more information on cycling around Malta join the Bicycling Advocacy Group (Malta) on Facebook. All the best!  Georgette

Good luck with your move x