Best place for a family to live?

Welcome to the forum

Build quality is very poor in Malta with very few flats having central heating, double glazing or cavity wall insulation.

Nearly all the flats will be cold, so check on heating provided plus air con in the summer is a must.

Damp can be a huge problem!


Anything below the top floor will be noisy, think tiled floors and high heal shoes and echoing hallways.

You should really try to arrange a visit before you move over, if only to look at different areas to live!

I'm sure others will contribute plus loads of information regarding rental properties to browse through on the site.

Good luck
                  Terry

I would also advise avoiding living on the ground floor where possible , rain has a habit of making its way under the door uninvited along with many numerous insects

terry is right about damp ,  and about coming to visit

we live on the ground floor in a converted terrace house and although there are people living above us we hardly hear them , the most noisy thing we have is the church bells

Thanks  for all your response.  Very helpful and will follow your suggestions

Thanks for the replies.

I think it sounds like we should avoid ground floors because I'm not into uninvited creepy crawlies making their way in.  We've arranged a quick visit for next weekend to view some apartments, it's the only time we can come before moving over so that's why I wanted to hopefully be looking in the right area for us.  At the moment we're just looking at Swieqi with that being the only place suggested at the moment.  I've researched other areas and that's the one that seems more us and within our price range.

I don't get the damp thing, even though I've read a lot about it and people find it a problem.  I remember when we lived in England the beds used to get cold and maybe damp in the winter, is it the same in Malta or a lot worse?  We've lived in the south of France for the last ten years and only have electric wall heating for the winter, but we don't experience any damp at all so it's hard to get my head around why damp is a problem. Is it the lack of heating, or the poor insulation?  How long is damp a problem for and can it be sorted with making sure the property is heated properly within those months?

Its all down to humidity, very high in Malta.

Not helped buy lack of proper insulation.

The Maltese don't build flats, they throw them together as cheaply as possible.

Terry

When choosing an apartment, avoid taking one over a garage(s) even if your flat does not appear to be on ground level - that's another area for the cold to creep up from. It can be more noisy with an apartment on each side of you, but those apartments will protect you from the direct cold and heat you will get from having unprotected side walls. Yes, an apartment above you could be noisy, but a flat roof top just above your apartment is hellish hot in summer and if not well sealed gives you damp ceilings in winter.....The solution if you take an apartment with a flat roof above, is to cover it with shade cloth from about May - September to keep out some of the heat.... Try to find an apartment with airconditioners in the living area and bedrooms as they work well in both summer and the approx 3 months of winter - however they can wipe out your Eco allowance on your utilities bill if used in excess. As you are coming over soon to search, check insides of kitchen cupboards, bathrooms, look at ceilings and walls for damp patches or spots of black mould. happy hunting

Sam4321 wrote:

Thanks for the replies.

I think it sounds like we should avoid ground floors because I'm not into uninvited creepy crawlies making their way in.

creepy crawlies are on of my biggest fears, the first time i saw a cockroach in the house i freaked but now its quite interesting to see the different variety of wildlife who come in for a chat , the lizard was one of the funniest he ran in  round the bathroom and ran straight out again  , you get used to them after a while and most dont cause any harm. the other thing we have is the cats who will sit out side the door miaowing their heads off - i have tried talking to them but my maltese really isnt that great

be careful in summer whaterver floor you live on not to leave windows open .. flys , mosquitos and flying cockroaches like to visit but  I reccomend BOP lol its a fly spray that kills all flying insects.
we have found food in the kitchen cubaoards can get damp even if it doesnt look damp , things like salt and cereals  , if its in a cardboard package .. so tupperware is your friend lol
we have a dehumidifier this helps a lot

rooikat wrote:

Try to find an apartment with airconditioners in the living area and bedrooms as they work well in both summer and the approx 3 months of winter - however they can wipe out your Eco allowance on your utilities bill if used in excess.

Thanks for that.  It's really useful to know what to look for when we come over.  I've read loads of the forum, but I don't have a clue what the Eco allowance is.  I seem to remember seeing it mentioned, but can't find any information about what exactly it is?

robpw2 wrote:

creepy crawlies are on of my biggest fears, the first time i saw a cockroach in the house i freaked but now its quite interesting to see the different variety of wildlife who come in for a chat , the lizard was one of the funniest he ran in  round the bathroom and ran straight out again  , you get used to them after a while and most dont cause any harm. the other thing we have is the cats who will sit out side the door miaowing their heads off - i have tried talking to them but my maltese really isnt that great

be careful in summer whaterver floor you live on not to leave windows open .. flys , mosquitos and flying cockroaches like to visit but  I reccomend BOP lol its a fly spray that kills all flying insects.
we have found food in the kitchen cubaoards can get damp even if it doesnt look damp , things like salt and cereals  , if its in a cardboard package .. so tupperware is your friend lol
we have a dehumidifier this helps a lot

That's useful to know about the dehumidifier and tupperware.  I suppose it'll take a while to get used to how the different climate will affect things, including what insects come for a visit.  I think it might've been one of your posts that I read about a cockraoch near your bed?  Since then I've been having a slight panic about them, but I've not read up on them yet because I don't want to freak out too much before we get there.  We're used to lizards and scorpions and have even had a snake in the house, but cockroaches will be very new to us.

Toon in my opinion is the best person to answer about eco allowances and anything to do with utility bills in your own name etc etc. Rob's answer reminded me to say - if possible insist on mesh shutters over opening windows and balcony doors to keep out flies and mosquitoes.....the mosquitoes can be very vicious, especially with kids when they are asleep.

Hi
We are a family of four in the uk looking at moving over to malta. Can I just ask you did you go and have a look round at the weekend and if so how did you get on. We are also little unsure were to live and are focusing on area close to good school as we have 11 year old twins who will be going high school but really if possible don't want them in separated schools I have noticed  a lot of schools are boy and girl only.
Any advice tips will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Yes, we did go at the weekend and we chose Swieqi.  I'm not sure whether I'll be much help because most of my information is just research at the moment with us not living there, but we'll be there permanently in three weeks so I might be more help then.

We haven't visited any schools yet, but we have been in touch by phone with the boys secondary school in Sliema.  They told us that public schools in Sliema don't do mixed sexes when they get to secondary, but that might be different in private schools. 

Personally, but only due to research, I've been focusing on the St Julian/Sliema areas to be in the catchment for their schools, purely because of the amount of international students they have.  We've been told that if you go further inland or to the South, your chances of getting a public school with lots of different nationalities gets slimmer.  The one in Sliema made a point of saying that they have lots of different nationalities in their school and apart from religion and Maltese, they'll be taught in English.  Failing that, they'll be given a sheet in English so Maltese won't be necessary for lessons at that age. I thought this would be better for my son because he already speaks two languages and I didn't want him to need Maltese at school.  I'm not too bothered about my daughter having to learn Maltese with her only being four, so I've not researched schools for her yet.

So, basically because of the research when it came to public schools for my son, I was led to the Sliema and St Julian areas.  The rest is personal to what you want. At the moment we live in the middle of nowhere and have to drive everywhere, so we wanted to be within walking distance to life.  Swieqi looks perfect, it's quieter and more residential, yet within a 15 minute walk to St Julian, Paceville and Sliema.

Hi
Thank you for getting back to me all information is much appreciated. Yes of I have noticed most secondary schools are split my Husband things this maybe better for them in long run but they have never been separated before and always been in same class never mind school. So I feel maybe a massive impact on them specially on top of everything else and they are both shy characters especially my Daughter. Have found couple but would workout quite expensive.

Will have to have a look at Swieqi don't think have come across that area yet. Have you found any accommodation there yet.

How did your 15 year old feel about you moving our twins aren't impressed at all.

Hope your move goes well in three weeks you will have to keep me posted let me know how you settle.
Thanks Faye.

Yes we found accommodation, the payments have been made and the contract is signed and everything.  I'm not sure whether we were lucky, but we only looked at three places.  The first was filthy in St Julians, the second was old fashioned in Sliema and the one we chose was a lovely, new and modern one in Swieqi.  I usually just go with my gut feeling, but I think we've made a good choice.  We drove around the area at different times of the day and it seemed to be on one of the more peaceful streets.

My son is excited about moving.  He's also painfully shy, but he's up for an adventure. He wasn't sure about the single sex schools at first, but like your husband I think it will be a good thing. We've already moved areas once within France, like a lot of French people do, so he doesn't make long term friends as much as an English kid would.  Since starting school he's lost lots of friends as their families move on,  so I don't think leaving his friends is an issue.  He's definitely up for a new experience, even though he's painfully shy.

I think kids cope and adapt very well with a move, I know he did when we first moved to France when he was four and had to learn a whole new language.  Your kids will appreciate the chance they've had as they get older. because it's a great life experience for them moving to another country.

Hi sam
Yes think your right kids do adapt just hope if we do they don't hate it. They do have their own group of friends with being boy girl twins but just hope doesn't have a negative impact on them being in different schools. As friends they have have been their friends since age 4 and they are really close with each other do homework together hang out together etc.

That sounds great the apartment would love new and modern. Do you and your Husband have jobs lined up already over there.

Also I have heard crazy things about the traffic driving over there how did you find it is it really as bad as you hear.

Sorry for all the questions.

Yeah it might be harder for your kids with them having friends, but they will adapt.  I've no experience of that because my son has always been the one that stayed while his friends moved on. 

We both work from home, so luckily we don't need to find jobs in Malta. 

I was scared of the driving after reading about it as well, so we planned to take the hire car from the airport to the hotel and never use it again.  In the end we wanted to see more of Malta, so we just took the car out and I can honestly say that we didn't experience any of what I've read. French drivers are far worse if you've ever experienced driving in France.  They'll overtake when it's not safe and even overtake cars that stop at crossings to allow people to cross, so we're used to being cautious as pedestrians as well. The drivers in Malta stopped to let you out and cross the road in places, so to us it was a pleasant change. The only thing that I did notice was they tend to just pull out without looking, but again we're used to that in France. Italian drivers are much worse than French drivers, so I'm wondering whether that might have anything to do with the reputation of Maltese drivers. All my first hand experiences are outside of the main tourist season, so I do wonder whether things will change when more tourists arrive.

I suppose the driving would be a real eye open for us. When you were looking round accommodation do you know if anyone lets you rent with pets as we have a dog who we would want to bring with us.

How long have you been planning your move for has it taken a long time to get sorted. Did you visit Malta a few times before hand.
Thanks.

fayeb, may I suggest you read this:
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=370643
and this:
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=425461

Both should help you and come back with any questions. 

Thank you for this link will have a read.

Reference the driving, to a UK or German, Swiss etc outsider it will seem chaotic and undisciplined. To the French, Italian and Portuguese it will seem serene. (Generalisations, I know but based upon experience).
Amazingly, despite the very high vehicle per head of population ratio, the congestion in some areas and the poor standard of driving, Malta has one of the lowest accident rates in Europe. The driving in our square on a Saturday or Sunday morning is a wonder to behold, yet no accidents. Out of chaos, comes order.

fayeb wrote:

I suppose the driving would be a real eye open for us. When you were looking round accommodation do you know if anyone lets you rent with pets as we have a dog who we would want to bring with us.

How long have you been planning your move for has it taken a long time to get sorted. Did you visit Malta a few times before hand.
Thanks.

I think it's much harder if you're wanting to rent when you've got a pet, but it is possible.  Our contract states no pets, including birds, cats or dogs, but maybe other accommodation types allow them. We've rented through an agent from somebody who has a number of properties, but I think you maybe have more chance going directly through a private landlord.

No, we've never been to Malta.  This weekend just gone was our first time. We haven't been planning for long.  It probably sounds rushed, but when you've already done it once in another country it's not so scary.  I've done lots of reading and lots of phone call making over the last month or so after first having the idea to move in the middle of November after coming home from a holiday (not Malta).  I had done a bit of research about two years before that though and decided the time wasn't right. We used to live in Montpellier nearer the Languedoc coast line, but we moved more inland towards Toulouse two years ago and we hate it here. I just can't stay here any longer because it's not what we want.  We only rent in France, so we're not tied to anywhere.  We were going to move towards Nice and St Tropez, but to be honest we've had our time in France and just want a change.  Malta sounded absolutely perfect for us, so we thought we'd give it a try because we were planning on moving to a totally new area within France anyway.

I moved to Sliema with family 7 months ago. Glad we decided to as it's the ideal way to find your feet for your first year in Malta. Everything very convenient... Supermarkets, dr, pharmacies, etc...probably costs a bit more than other parts of the island.

Hi we are a family of 3 living in London from far too long considering to move to Malta!i am Italian, my husband Algerian and our son born in England😃 is malta a multicultural place to live?

Where did you move from lori and do you have children if so have they adjusted well and are they in education. If so have you any info on schools etc. we have 11 year old twins so would be going into secondary bit unsure as quite likely they would be put in separate school according to their sex not sure what impact them being separated would have on them.
Thanks Faye.

Hi Sam
Yes I can understand being somewhere you don't like the area we are in is starting to change quite rapidly really scares me thought of twins growing up around here as the kids are getting more out of control.

Hope we can find somewhere for our dog as she's like my baby and wouldn't leave her behind.

Thank you for all your info it Is all very helpful we wouldn't be looking at moving yet as twins have got holiday in school and sats exams to do in May. We would probably do what you fine and go put for the weekend.

Do you know if you have to have loads of money behind you to show you can support yourself as read somewhere couples have to have £23,000 and extra for each dependant.

Thanks Faye.

fayeb wrote:

Hi Sam

Do you know if you have to have loads of money behind you to show you can support yourself as read somewhere couples have to have £23,000 and extra for each dependant.

Thanks Faye.

I'm not sure about a lump sum because we have a regular income and will be applying for residency as being self employed.  Hopefully somebody else should be able to help you with that, but I've read loads of times on this forum about people going over with very little before finding a job, so I don't think that's the case, at least for someone coming from another European country.

Obviously if you don't have an income it's wise to have a bit in savings while you look for a job, but I don't know what, if anything, you need to have to be able to apply for residency.

You only need 23 k If your applying for the economic self sufficiency route , if you have work and apply as employed finances don't come into it ... But you will need money to cover your first few months etc

Thanks rob
Oh that's good Will have some but not that much.

That's great thanks sam

Fayed, to clarify, no you do not need a lump sum.

To prove self sufficiency an income is just as acceptable as a lump sum.

Single.  Weekly income of € 92.32. OR a minimum capital of € 14,000

Married. Weekly income of € 108.63 OR a minimum of  € 23,300

Dependants.  An extra € 8.15 is required per any added dependent.

Thank you for that information much appreciated. How lovely would it be to have that amount plus and not have to work and just enjoy Malta each day. If only will defo be looking for employment. 
Thanks

We manage easily on 2 pensions :-)

Yes it is... People are friendly and it is safe for kids.

Hi, Sam  moved to Swieqi last August, In a similar situation to you we were in Spain for 10 years before so my children have been schooled in Spanish all their lives. I also have a 15yr old son who turns 16 in April, so he is in his final year of secondary at state school As he is form 5 he had to go to a boys only school but if your son is due to turn 16 in 2016 he will be in the catchment for Santa Clara -Pembroke secondary, as that is the closest to Swieqi, my middle daughter goes there, years 3,4 and 5 there are single sex classes but the whole school isn't single sex, form 1 and 2 are co ed 3 and 4 are girls only classes and boys only classes so it's not strictly a single sex school.
The nearest school for the 4 year old would also be Pembroke Primary my youngest goes there.
Hope your move goes well!

Kelly

Sorry I've just realised I've probably given you some duff info,  if your son turns 16 in 2016 he can go to sliema boys, as I don't think they have 4th year boys at Pembroke ( don't take my word for it!) can ask my daughter though she will know!  if  he is 16 this year before end December you will probably have to put him back a year anyway as the 5th formers finish school at the beginning of April and take their o levels straight after, the o levels had to be booked and paid for end of last year. My son started at the end of September and has had to try and cram 3 years worth of work and coursework into a few months, along with learning Maltese as he's the only British person in his school so the kids tend to mostly speak in Maltese, he can only take a certain number of o levels as he's not fluent in Maltese and some classes are only taught in the Maltese language,  it's been tough but he's on target to do well......plus he's guranteed to pass his English and Spanish! If you need any info at all just get in touch x

fayeb wrote:

Hi
We are a family of four in the uk looking at moving over to malta. Can I just ask you did you go and have a look round at the weekend and if so how did you get on. We are also little unsure were to live and are focusing on area close to good school as we have 11 year old twins who will be going high school but really if possible don't want them in separated schools I have noticed  a lot of schools are boy and girl only.
Any advice tips will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Hi Fayeb, if they are 11 they will be in form 1 or 2 depending on their year of birth ( my daughter is born nov 2003 she is in form 1) Pembroke secondary  is in the  Swieqi / sliema / St Julian's / Gzira catchment area it currently has forms 1 and 2 as co-ed as this was the pilot school last year for mixed classes,  all other state secondary schools in Malta now  have form 1 as co-ed, they brought co- education in this September across all state schools in Malta for form 1 so eventually in another 4 years all years will be mixed sex classes

Hi izzybenjaz
Thank you for that information my twins were born October 2003 so same age as your daughter. That's good they are starting to mix them they have been in same class for seven  years and even though for last three years don't bother do much in school together they are very close and bit unsure what impact on top of a big move it would have on them being split up.
Do you have to pay for this school and if so how much roughly.
Thank you for your help much appreciated.
Faye.

Izzybenjaz wrote:

Sorry I've just realised I've probably given you some duff info,  if your son turns 16 in 2016 he can go to sliema boys, as I don't think they have 4th year boys at Pembroke ( don't take my word for it!) can ask my daughter though she will know!  if  he is 16 this year before end December you will probably have to put him back a year anyway as the 5th formers finish school at the beginning of April and take their o levels straight after, the o levels had to be booked and paid for end of last year. My son started at the end of September and has had to try and cram 3 years worth of work and coursework into a few months, along with learning Maltese as he's the only British person in his school so the kids tend to mostly speak in Maltese, he can only take a certain number of o levels as he's not fluent in Maltese and some classes are only taught in the Maltese language,  it's been tough but he's on target to do well......plus he's guranteed to pass his English and Spanish! If you need any info at all just get in touch x

Thank you so much!  It's lovely to hear from somebody in a very similar situation.  We definitely plan to put him back a year, plus we hopefully want to pay for some private tuition over the summer so that he can catch up a bit. He turns 16 in October and we assumed he'd be going to Sliema boys with living in Swieqi?  Is that where your son goes?  We did look at private, but with him only having a French education I thought it'd be a waste of money because he'd be so far behind that we'd have to pay for extra tuition anyway.

I've not even thought about my daughter yet, so thanks for that.  She hasn't started any schooling in France yet and doesn't speak any French, so I'm fine with her going into a school speaking only Maltese.  How old is your youngest and how are they getting on?

My son goes to Gzira boys, but, his school is closing permanently this year, so your son might be in sliema . we did actually try to get him into private but couldn't find one private school that offered Spanish so opted for state, plus none of the private schools really wanted to take him because of him being in his final year. I wouldn't worry about the fact your son hasn't been taught in English, none of mine have been either and they're all fine. I thought my son would be really far behind too but you may be surprised, after his first few days spoke to the head about putting him back a year to give him more time, but they said he was doing really well and was actually moved up into the top class in all his subjects within a week, he is now the only foreigner in the top class. The spellings are the biggest problem with my 2 younger daughters but they're starting to get better with that now, if your son speaks English as native he will be fine, you will find that some of his classes are taught in Maltese only, and a lot of the teachers tend to slip into Maltese when teaching as its of course their first language. Your son won't have to do his Maltese o level as he's not been here long enough, Maltese is a very difficult language and to be honest the pass rate even among the Maltese people ain't great, my son goes to private Maltese classes and he is the only non Maltese kid there! My son is doing very well academically he isn't keen on his school due to it being all boys, the Maltese boys are quite macho  and he is not a rough and tumble kind of kid, but he's not unhappy he doesn't get any hassle and only has to stick it out till April anyway, then he can go to higher secondary  He hasn't really made any friends who he hangs out with, but again that will change once he gets to do his a levels. It is a huge change for them, my son is usually ok with change, and very sociable and outgoing but he has struggled the past few months, but it's to be expected I think. Pembroke juniors for your younger daughter is full of all nationalites, it's one of the newest and best equipped primary schools here, they teach in English and Maltese , and is a really lovely school. My daughters are really happy in school and have lots of friends, my youngest is 9 and my middle one 11, but I know a few other mums who have kids aged 3,4,5 years in Pembroke primary. Good luck with everything!

fayeb wrote:

Hi izzybenjaz
Thank you for that information my twins were born October 2003 so same age as your daughter. That's good they are starting to mix them they have been in same class for seven  years and even though for last three years don't bother do much in school together they are very close and bit unsure what impact on top of a big move it would have on them being split up.
Do you have to pay for this school and if so how much roughly.
Thank you for your help much appreciated.
Faye.

Hi Faye,

No you don't pay for state school, you also get a free school bus service, you have to pay for uniform and stationary etc.