Moving in 1 week - a few questions

1. i can refer you to quicklets if you like get someone to call you back - ill pm you , i also know of someone else who works finding people property and can pass your details onto her
you shouldn't find it too difficult to get a property in December - there are some good value ones to be had  and its always worth negotiating  if you don't ask you don't get . whats your budget like ?
2 there are quite a few lidls round the island and most of them within easy distance from main towns
i dont know what the places you are looking at are like- but they arent in the usual tourist/night clubbing areas so i suspect they will be reasonably quiet and nice to set up home in   but be aware that for work and things you will be having to travel into  traffic inorder to say get to silema

upstairs flats can be cold yes - but slippers and a thick coat and you'll be fine - you probably wont notice the temperature difference this year because your so used to living in the uk but once you become acclimatised then you will defiantly notice the cold - be aware there is no central heating in malta so heating the house will be costly

i would strongly suggest if you havent already book a short term let in the msida area and see what its like living there before signing up for somewhere long term  because then you will get an idea of what everything is like


anyway ill pm you some details


rob

Hi Rob,

Thanks for your quick reply and the helpful info!

Very interested in your offer about Quicklets and the other agent - I'll message you my details in sec

We will definitely visit the area around Msida once we've arrived. Good tip on the short term rental, my partner seems to be in favour of that as well. I'm a bit scared about paying agent fees twice and not getting the deposit back from the short term rental. Airbnb sadly has gotten very expensive since I last visited the island (Feb 2014). Makes me consider subletting a room myself! 

Our budget is decent I think, we'd be willing to pay up to 900€ for a nice, modern 2 bed flat with terrace. Air-conditioning is a must. To give an example of what we like here's one I bookmarked a while ago (might be gone by now):
http://www.quicklets.com.mt/property-detail/1056

What do you think it would cost to heat a 2 bedroom apartment per month if we want it nice and warm? Currently I'm budgeting with €100 for electricity - I hope that's enough!

Thanks,
Melanie

Still cheaper to heat a property here than UK

Same for Ireland, gas prices are ridiculous. We paid €50 per month just to heat our living room and both bedrooms a few hours in the morning and evening. Then we bought two fan heaters, have them running almost constantly now on low setting and pay €25 a month! I find them more efficient because they make me feel warm exactly when I need it, don't have to wait for ages like with GFCH.

Hi,  here's the ones I contacted:
Ina Pavlova <ina@stepsproperties.com> Mobile (+356) 99878073
Cecile Garcia - Relocate Malta <cecile@relocatemalta.com> Mobile (+356) 77 400 771
Antonio Quicklets <antonio@quicklets.com.mt> 
Nicola Schulz <nicolaschulz@rocketmail.com> Mobile (+356) 99537712 
Tony Bartolo <tonyb@remax.com.mt> Mobile (+356) 99247819 
Aleksandra Scheibe <aleksandra@simonmamo.com> Mobile (+356) 99638220 
Dragana Rankovic <dragana@belair.com.mt> Mobile (+356) 7979 1976
Joseph Sullivan <joseph@sql.com.mt> Mobile (+356) 99474404 <- High end apartments

@ Manliogman6  That list is brilliant thanks!! Anyone on there you found particularly helpful with a good selection of properties? Thanks

Good information thanks all. I visit in February prior to move in April. I can tell you all I've just got back from a day in Chester. Cold !! 

Is there really no one that can give information about Msida/Pieta, especially the area around Junior College?

:-) Hi,  yes. The most helpful was Ina, the first one on the list. Tell her that I and Georgy referred you to her. She is very nice and the only one out of the list who was kind enough to respond in a reasonable time.
My problem was that I was looking for a room in a shared apartment, which is a situation that is uncommon in Malta (they are used to renting entire apartments). Another problem was my low budget (looking to spend 320/month max).
All the agents that I listed all kindly refused to help me saying that "sorry, but it would not have any rooms to let as we only rent out whole apartments." (yes, their English is not very good).
Ina was the only one who eventually sent me some links to facebook ads that were right up my ally, and she did that on her own free will.
You may want to look here in facebook,... constant new ads. Also send a post yourself and tell folks what you're looking for.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/4390365 … p_activityhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/1587559 … 1/?fref=tshttps://www.facebook.com/groups/3128051 … 6/?fref=ts

Don't waste much time in Malta Times website.
You might want to check out Just Landed:  housing.justlanded.com/en/Malta
But your best bet is a realestate agent and Facebook, from my experience. It also happens to be the same advise many folks were telling me when I arrived.

Good luck, maybe we'll meet up and have a Kinnie and a pastizzi :-)

Thanks for doing all the legwork, this will help so many people looking for accommodation!
Will definitely reach out to Ina and check out the Facebook groups you posted. I want to look at a minimum of 5 properties, even better if 10 before making a decision.
Kinnie is my favourite drink and I can't wait to get my hands on it + pastizzi once we're there. A meet up with other expats on this forum would be great

Thanks Manliogman6 for the great info - as blackangelheart has already said, this is really helpful! This is a great forum with so many helpful people, and we'd definitely be up for a meet up once we're in Malta, too

Think low rise street with nice cars parked on it. These will have families and long term residents. Not high rise apartment blocks with short termers and students.

justinshine wrote:

Think low rise street with nice cars parked on it. These will have families and long term residents. Not high rise apartment blocks with short termers and students.

That's spot on. We viewed our first three properties today in Msida, especially the Swatar area and it was completely different to how I imagined it to be. The houses were beautiful, lots of green/palm trees and very quiet.

We have decided on a property in the Ta' Paris area now and will put the deposit down on Monday

ok

Hi Melanie!
I know it's a bit early, as you just recently moved there, but I wanted to ask you guys how the moving worked out? What were your expectations based on research and forum posts and what is the "reality"? What are the things that seems to be how you imagined and what are others that are the exact opposite?
I can't wait to go myself, although we have to wait until February (marriage preparations).
Thanks!

1.Sliema is much nicer than msida
2. All house are very humid as they are built with limestone which absorves water
3. Will you have a car? Bus journeys are not always great and if your partner is going to work in birkirkara I would look at a small car.
Living in Malta comes with good quality of life, especially if you have a family. Having said that be mindful of estate agents as service can be very different (I would probably not recommend one in particular); make sure your landlord is declaring his rental income as you may be at risk of having to foot a huge electricity bill if he is not.
Good luck

1.Sliema is much nicer than msida
2. All house are very humid as they are built with limestone which absorves water
3. Will you have a car? Bus journeys are not always great and if your partner is going to work in birkirkara I would look at a small car.
Living in Malta comes with good quality of life, especially if you have a family. Having said that be mindful of estate agents as service can be very different (I would probably not recommend one in particular); make sure your landlord is declaring his rental income as you may be at risk of having to foot a huge electricity bill if he is not.
Good luck

When you say it's humid, do you mean there is mould everywhere? What does that mean in real life? One particular thing we wish to avoid is mould in the house. We had bad experiences here in UK with mould.

Hi there, can you tell me how you found jobs in Malta whilst applying from the UK? I've been applying with recruitment agencies for 3 months now with no joy whatsoever.

Any tips or tricks you have would be very much appreciated.. I am also looking to move to Malta with my partner in late December 2015 (this month)

Most people find it easier to apply for jobs once they have moved here.

I did think about this, but sadly did not want to risk getting there to be dissapointed. do you think there will be plenty of jobs around.. i have done most types of jobs, retail, nhs healthcare, administration, etc.

you need to get the landlord to sign a form "H" if he refuses it means he is not declaring his income to the tax.people and when the utility bill comes in you will  be paying in excess of 50%  more for your water and electricity....i have heard in some cases between €250 - €400  per month so beware

Alex in Malta wrote:

1.Sliema is much nicer than msida
2. All house are very humid as they are built with limestone which absorves water
3. Will you have a car? Bus journeys are not always great and if your partner is going to work in birkirkara I would look at a small car.
Living in Malta comes with good quality of life, especially if you have a family. Having said that be mindful of estate agents as service can be very different (I would probably not recommend one in particular); make sure your landlord is declaring his rental income as you may be at risk of having to foot a huge electricity bill if he is not.
Good luck

Thanks for those tips! However in regards to 1. I'd be careful not to generalise too much since Msida is quite big. The area near the yacht marina is very nice and I also loved Swatar which was quiet and beautiful. Rent was reasonable, too.

I'm actually not too keen on Sliema anymore after staying in a temporary apartment for a week. It's just too noisy and busy for me. As a tourist I always loved the area but having to live there permanently - not my cup of tea.

I couldn't agree more in terms of landlords declaring their income. We were lucky that we had only 1 out of 7 landlords we spoke to who tried to make us believe "there is no difference!". Yes, maybe if you don't consume anything!? In the end he agreed to put 1 person on form H but called it "subsidising your bill". Ridiculous. We thanked the agent and said no.

We might get a car but I hate driving, it's the wrong side of the road for me (and the steering wheel on the wrong side, too!) plus what I've seen so far just sitting in property agents' cars has put me off. Just a few days ago a landlady showing us a property seemed to be in a foul mood - when she arrived in her massive SUV she crashed into a parked car, made a huge dent and didn't even care! Unbelievable.

Soni84 wrote:

Hi Melanie!
I know it's a bit early, as you just recently moved there, but I wanted to ask you guys how the moving worked out? What were your expectations based on research and forum posts and what is the "reality"? What are the things that seems to be how you imagined and what are others that are the exact opposite?
I can't wait to go myself, although we have to wait until February (marriage preparations).
Thanks!

Hi Soni,

I will elaborate a bit more on Thursday or Friday- it's a bit early as we haven't signed our contract for the apartment yet. Once that's done I can give you the full story of our flat hunt (because this is where it differed most).

Marriage preparations - how exciting! Congrats

Melanie

Thanks Melanie, I would be happy to hear everything you have to say, not only about apartments. As you come from Ireland your and our views are probably similar. We also want a fairly quiet place, no mould, no rain in summer and similar standards as Ireland. Not a life with diamonds and sportscars, but a happy one with sun and beaches

Soni84 wrote:

Hi Melanie!
I know it's a bit early, as you just recently moved there, but I wanted to ask you guys how the moving worked out? What were your expectations based on research and forum posts and what is the "reality"? What are the things that seems to be how you imagined and what are others that are the exact opposite?
I can't wait to go myself, although we have to wait until February (marriage preparations).
Thanks!

Hi Soni,

Sorry for the late reply. Things have been busy with flat hunting and job interviews at the same time.

We've been on the island for just over a week now and love every minute. There have been a few bad things (mainly noise and landlords) but we don't regret anything having moved. It might sound like a cliche but the weather really does help - it lifts your mood instantly when you see a blue sky :-)

Here's my expectation vs reality:

1. I did not expect that so many people on the island smoke. Having quit just over 2 years ago I find it a bit annoying. It seems rather fashionable to smoke, whereas in the UK or Ireland it's more like a silly, expensive habit people are trying to get rid of. Even parents smoke in front of their babies/toddlers. Not cool.

2. A lot of the landlords are in fact a bit dodgy. During the viewing watch him/her closely and you get a good impression how you'll be treated once you'll live there. Some landlords had no respect whatsoever and talked bad about the tenant e.g. "I told him he should/shouldn't do this/that." or "He's from Eastern Europe". I was asked about our nationality when I reached out to letting agents, so they could promote us being German (apparently very sought after). Having no kids helped, too, if you want to rent a brand spanking new property. The landlords said they wanted a young-ish couple with no kids, pets and non-smokers. Getting form H signed can be tough. Only 2 out 10 were willing to do it.

3. The bus system seems better than I thought. Buses have always been bang on time so far BUT in Sliema the number 12 und 13 often doesn't stop as it's too full! It's one of the many reasons why we don't want to live in that area since a commute would technically be possible to Birkirkara but we don't want to run the risk of waiting at the bus stop for an hour! (That was in Balluta Bay btw - they probably fill up in St Julians or even way before).

4. I expected to have a greater selection of properties during winter. We are in a good situation in terms of negotiating rent (managed to knock off 50-75€ each time we liked one) but not that many are actually available since not too many are moving out before Christmas. It might pick up again in January.

5. Food is so much more expensive than in Ireland. I saw strawberries in Towers supermarket the other day for €9! A kilo of tomatoes was €2.80 which we saw for €1.50 at one of those food vans later. So definitely watch out where you buy and shop around. Frozen food also extremely expensive. We'd sometimes be lazy and just throw some chicken dippers in the oven. In Lidl they'd cost around €2 - here it's €3.61 in Towers. So, getting to a Lidl once a week is crucial for us. I also found coffee a lot more expensive.

6. Noise. I knew Sliema would be noisy. What I didn't know was that even once you're inside your apartment you can pretty much hear everything your upstairs neighbour does. The temporary apartment we stayed in was in Belmonte Heights (great location!) and we could hear the upstairs neighbour walk, pee and even open the wardrobe doors! We stayed in the same block but moved to a penthouse apartment yesterday and it's much better. All the apartments we viewed were pretty much the same. The internal walls are super thick but strangely the ceiling - no sound proofing whatsoever due to the tiled floors. You hear everything. If you value your sleep then get a penthouse. We will!!

7. The tap water really doesn't taste great. It's a bit salty, too and gives me super frizzy hair when showering We will try and get a water filter soon (€13 for the Britta jug in Towers and €4 for the filter I think). Large 5 litre water bottles cost €1.50 here in Sliema and so far we've needed 1.5-2 bottles per day so factor that cost in as well (we drink a lot though).

8. Having just moved from Ireland it definitely is NOT cold inside the apartments even the penthouse. Yes, the latter is slightly colder but no heating required, no hot water bottle, no electric blanket, etc. In the apartment before I was even sweating at night in my pyjamas and slept without socks... Might be different once we've experienced our first summer here.

I think that's all so far but certainly a lot in just one week ;-)

We're still to move into our permanent place and had to walk away from the one in Ta' Paris due to form H. Now we'll hopefully be moving into a lovely penthouse in Naxxar.

Let me know if you want any further info. I can also let you know which estate agent was helpful and which one wasn't. There was one that was hyped here in the forum but didn't live up to the expectation including over priced properties and full-on sales techniques pressuring us into making a decision within 1 hour since "there is another appointment afterwards and it could be gone by then". Well, it's still on the market

blackangelheart wrote:

8. Having just moved from Ireland it definitely is NOT cold inside the apartments even the penthouse. Yes, the latter is slightly colder but no heating required, no hot water bottle, no electric blanket, etc. In the apartment before I was even sweating at night in my pyjamas and slept without socks... Might be different once we've experienced our first summer here.

It's not cold yet, it definitely gets colder!  We moved here in February and I've never felt cold like it.  It really gets inside your bones and can be a lot warmer outside.

we have lived here for close on two years now there are some facebook sites that are really helpful but i dont think im allowed to give you them on here but if you send me a message on here i might be able to give you my email address if i am allowed to do that....anyway...form H ..if your landlord refuses to actually sign it you can take the form with your contract passport/registration card to the arms building and get them to put you on the lower tariff....a bit of advice we were given which we ignored but since followed it was to bring our electric blanket with us.....they are expensive to buy over here....but you will find your bedding feels cold/dampish in the winter months and the electric blanket just takes the damp chill off. Humidity is a great cause of mould many properties suffer from it its just one of those things...however keeping the place ventilated helps....we had some by this time last winter i used a mould cleaner which got rid of it i had to scrub it twice more before the spring..i pointed this out to my landlord who came and inspected the outside of the property and found tiny  hairline cracks in the paintwork which let the rain in....btw last winter was the worst and coldest winter for over 34  years.... this summer he paid for a company to come and completely repaint the outside with an acrylic paint to seal the cracks...now ...nothing.......oil filled radiators set on 2 give enough heat to take the edge of a room...if you use a gas heater remember to ventilate as it puts moisture into the room as well...also look around for a dehumidifier...very handy to have.... our a/c system chills/heats and is also dehumidifier....good luck

Thanks for the great and detailed update, Melanie!

We're going to come over to Malta in February to look for apartments (our situation will be a bit different, though, as we'll only rent one for 6 months or so, i.e. till October, and then go back to Austria again before deciding if we really want to move), so any recommendations regarding agents are more than welcome You can also pm me, of course.

It's good to hear that "being German" is a plus when looking for properties - we're Austrian, so I hope that as usual, people will think it's the same country anyway

As for the cold in winter: I've heard many people complain about this, as well, although usually the humidity seems to be the bigger problem than the cold. I'd suggest getting a hygrometer and checking the humidity in the flat - if it's above 65% or 70%, you should take action. In fact we had (and would still have) the same problem in our apartment in Austria (humidity of over 80 %, damp walls, mould) - we eventually bought a dehumidifier, and it really feels a lot nicer when the rooms are not damp.

Hí Melanie,
Thank you for your exhaustive answer, appreciate it
I think it's mostly feedback what you found to be negative. On the positive side, is there anything you expected to be bad, but turned out to be good?
I think the rental agencies must be really awful in Malta, heard many stories about it on the forum. Have you tried on Maltapark from private owners? Do you think they'd be happy to sign the H form if we offer say...50 euro /month more?
Have you been around the beach, restaurants, did you talk to locals? What we're your first impressions?
Noise seems to be a serious issue it seems. Would a penthouse apartment solve this issue? Is it not colder at winter\warmer at summer? Would it not get mouldy easier? Sorry for the massive amount of questions )

Soni84 wrote:

Hí Melanie,
Thank you for your exhaustive answer, appreciate it
I think it's mostly feedback what you found to be negative. On the positive side, is there anything you expected to be bad, but turned out to be good?
I think the rental agencies must be really awful in Malta, heard many stories about it on the forum. Have you tried on Maltapark from private owners? Do you think they'd be happy to sign the H form if we offer say...50 euro /month more?
Have you been around the beach, restaurants, did you talk to locals? What we're your first impressions?
Noise seems to be a serious issue it seems. Would a penthouse apartment solve this issue? Is it not colder at winter\warmer at summer? Would it not get mouldy easier? Sorry for the massive amount of questions )

Why pay €50 ? All you need do as been mentioned on numerous occasions complete form H and
tale it in yourself you do not need landlords permission.

mdillyd wrote:

we have lived here for close on two years now there are some facebook sites that are really helpful but i dont think im allowed to give you them on here but if you send me a message on here i might be able to give you my email address if i am allowed to do that....anyway...form H ..if your landlord refuses to actually sign it you can take the form with your contract passport/registration card to the arms building and get them to put you on the lower tariff....a bit of advice we were given which we ignored but since followed it was to bring our electric blanket with us.....they are expensive to buy over here....but you will find your bedding feels cold/dampish in the winter months and the electric blanket just takes the damp chill off. Humidity is a great cause of mould many properties suffer from it its just one of those things...however keeping the place ventilated helps....we had some by this time last winter i used a mould cleaner which got rid of it i had to scrub it twice more before the spring..i pointed this out to my landlord who came and inspected the outside of the property and found tiny  hairline cracks in the paintwork which let the rain in....btw last winter was the worst and coldest winter for over 34  years.... this summer he paid for a company to come and completely repaint the outside with an acrylic paint to seal the cracks...now ...nothing.......oil filled radiators set on 2 give enough heat to take the edge of a room...if you use a gas heater remember to ventilate as it puts moisture into the room as well...also look around for a dehumidifier...very handy to have.... our a/c system chills/heats and is also dehumidifier....good luck

For some reason I'm too afraid of those gas heaters. We specifically chose our new place because there was no gas hob but an electric one. It might be completely harmless (and normal) here but we prefer a flat without any gas ;-)

A dehumidifier is something we'll definitely need though. Did you buy yours here in Malta? If yes, any advice where to buy and which is the best one? The bedrooms in our new place will be rather small (for Maltese standards - not UK or Irish ones ) so might not need it there (aircon should be enough) but the living room is huge. It's an open plan living/dining area of 40sqm or more. I've heard that dehumidifiers for rooms larger than 30sqm are not worth it. Is that true?

Thanks

bernie_iris_fabian_david wrote:

Thanks for the great and detailed update, Melanie!

We're going to come over to Malta in February to look for apartments (our situation will be a bit different, though, as we'll only rent one for 6 months or so, i.e. till October, and then go back to Austria again before deciding if we really want to move), so any recommendations regarding agents are more than welcome You can also pm me, of course.

It's good to hear that "being German" is a plus when looking for properties - we're Austrian, so I hope that as usual, people will think it's the same country anyway

As for the cold in winter: I've heard many people complain about this, as well, although usually the humidity seems to be the bigger problem than the cold. I'd suggest getting a hygrometer and checking the humidity in the flat - if it's above 65% or 70%, you should take action. In fact we had (and would still have) the same problem in our apartment in Austria (humidity of over 80 %, damp walls, mould) - we eventually bought a dehumidifier, and it really feels a lot nicer when the rooms are not damp.

Haha, yes you will benefit from the German reputation! Austria is a beautiful country with wonderful friendly people and at times a very different language - it's sad that most people think it's just an extension of Germany

You're right with the humidity. This is what makes the colder temperatures unbearable and we have yet to experience a rainy and stormy day here. So I might post again soon with an update! Hygrometer sounds interesting I will definitely look into that. Humidity was a big problem in the UK and Ireland. I've lived in mouldy places for pretty much 10 years so either Malta is the same or better. It certainly can't get any worse.

In terms of agents: Nick from Steps Properties (nicky@stepsproperties.com) was amazing. He showed us properties that were almost all within budget (the ones that were over he would negotiate them down), seemed to have a great relationship with the landlords and once he even drove us to Lidl and back to the apartment because he lived closed by. It was more like spending the day with a friend looking at properties. I very much recommend him.

Also Claudine from Bel Air (claudine@belair.com.mt) is a fabulous lady. She will have tough conversions with landlords for you and ask all the right questions (mainly form h ). If the landlord would evade a question she would not let go

I was rather disappointed by Quicklets. Seen lots of recommendations and all I got were three properties, two way over budget and the third one within budget I declined because I had seen other pics from a different agent with pictures of dogs. I emailed the agent that we definitely don't  want to view because of those pets and he came back with "you do know the penthouse doesn't come with the dog right". Found that rather rude and from there it went downhill.

I asked for a replacement so that we have more than just two overpriced apartments - he advised no penthouses left (my requirement) but plenty of apartments. My reply was "OK, then let's move on to apartments but no ground floor and outside space would be nice". He came back with "in all honesty penthouses usually have the outside space. With apartments the outside space would be very limited".

Well, I've seen plenty of apartments since with great outside space! There's lots of duplex apartments that are almost like a penthouse and often have a large balcony or terrace... We did view one property with this agent in the end and he was pressuring us like crazy to make a decision. Really, the full works with "the next appointment is in 2 hours" , "you have to be quick" and "let me know as soon as possible as it might be gone by then".  Very disappointing experience.

Wow, I guess it really depends on what agent you get. What would you say are the general prices for penthouses, that you were also fine with? About 500? Or rather 700?

Soni84 wrote:

Wow, I guess it really depends on what agent you get. What would you say are the general prices for penthouses, that you were also fine with? About 500? Or rather 700?

I gave a budget of €800 and the worst suggestions came from Quicklets - two penthouses for €1000 in Msida and Birkirkara! Way too expensive for these areas in my opinion... We viewed a lovely but small-ish 2 bed penthouse in Swatar for €700 (big, sunny terrace, beautiful unobstructed view over valley) and a 2 bed penthouse in Pieta for €800 with a lot of wear and tear + horrible landlady who didn't turn up twice for a viewing, the third time she crashed a car whilst parking and didn't even leave a note.

We've now decided on a 3 bed penthouse in Naxxar for €885 (down from €950) with a very large terrace that has a view of Mosta's dome, Mdina and the sea

I think it really depends on where you want to rent! €500 does seem rather low though. I didn't come across any 2 bed penthouse within that budget, at least not in the areas I mentioned in my post. Do you know where you'll be working or where you want to live?

Thanks for the recommendations re agents, Melanie! We'll definitely contact them in February!

As for dehumidifiers for larger rooms - there are some (probably the more expensive ones) that work well: My sister in law lives in Sardinia and she used to have one in the basement of her house (about 40 - 50 sqm, and very humid as the whole area was flooded 6 years ago and they've had problems with ground water in the walls ever since...) It worked very well. (Now they've got a pellets heater in the basement, for warm water and heating, that helps even more).

BTW, Naxxar's a nice town as far as I can tell - a friend of mine used to live there. And you've got GS Superstore, which I believe is one of the largest supermarkets in Malta

ive not had to buy a dehumidifier as our aircon system comes with that facility built in...if you have aircon units check the remote if it has something like a teardrop over a bucket then its also a dehumidifer...there are plenty of places to buy units over here and the prices seem to be quite reasonable ......i know people who dont have
anything at all and just use those night light candles and they swear by them....remember you are only talking of a few months.....and as i said last winter was the coldest and wettest for 34 years.....the first winter is not too bad as you will become acclimatised ...tbh we are finding this winter not as cold...this time last year we were wearing hoodies inside of an evening...outside was definately warmer than in lol...you may have read lots of gloomy posts but its not as bad as all that....i swam about a kilometeter  in the sea from mid march through to mid november this year almost everyday...i only really stopped because my wife was worried about the swell we were getting....i only started to wear trousers and shoes last week....no i wasnt naked i was wearing shorts and flip flops ....as for weekly food shopping being about the same as the uk....well it can be but it all depends on where you go ...just like in the uk....you will soon find out the best places to go..just talk to your new neighbours....meat wise lamb is expensive but isnt it always...chicken is cheap and i get mine free range at around about 4 euros for a 3.5k bird and it comes with the giblets too...local pork is just beautiful....rabbit is nice and also cheap and so is horse meat...my lot havent ventured onto that yet but they will given time....of course fish is cheap depending on where you go and who you know...i know fishermen now and this year i bought fresh tina off them for 5 euros a kilo...in fact he gave me well over a kilo for tje same money...lampuki...is just awsome and i got that for next to nothing too...so really its a matter of getting out there and networking.....the traffic takes a bit of getting used too....just because your on a zebra crossing doesnt mean they will stop lol

Hi Melanie,

moderated : advertising your services is not allowed on the forum. Please register in the business directory

Joe.

I moved to Malta in March after making our first trip for viewings in January and we arrived in one of the coldest times of the year. I dont do cold so it really affects me the humidity and its often much warmer outside than in.
property agencies , we used a lady called Karin from Quicklets who was really helpful and by the 5th day we found somewhere perfect for us. There are many agents on the island, just be specific with what you would like and honestly prices have shot up this year so the low budget properties are far and few between no w and when they are around they are sought after very highly and will go quickly. Not all agents are incompetant adm Ive met a few personally, but some are extrodinary helpful but they dont tolerate time wasters very well as they are not salaried but work solely on commissions, thats not an excuse for rudeness either but bare in mind when someone is ferrying you around its a cost to themselves and its in their interest to complete a sale so they can keep a roof over their head and bread and butter on the table. Yes they are providing a service but for every 1/10 clients they spend time showing peop,e around they will get a sale. Regarding landlords, there are some unscrupolous ones and some fantastic ones and to be honest they are the ones that dictate the pricing on properties not the agents, something which I found quite odd when we did our search.

Utilities - theres been long term issues over what landlords have been charging because they have been allowed to get away with it for so long. It is changing but slowly.  Malta has become a law unto  itself and  its dependent on who you know , how much money you can pay someone  and how you can bend the rules, so be under no illusion that they meet all the EU criteria because they dont and  none of the EU countries do in fact the Uk is the only country that complies hence why its so damn expensive to live there. Like other countries there is very little competition for the utility companies to market each other out as the island is so small so you have to pay what utility companies charge but that does not give the right for landlords to swindle people either.

Social aspects - We got involved with Malta social which helped us meet new people. Move me to Malta Island Properties and relocation service also offers a free  upto date private members advice hub, a relocation service and a social group that meets once a month so you can get to meet new people and get advice. I would also ensure you network with local maltese, they become your best allies, they are very friendly people and if your backs up against the wall they will always help people out. Sundays are social / family days on the island, the Maltese tend to go to the beach or meet for family gatherings in eateries, and they also know all the best places to go!

Shopping- electrical items, clothing and cars I have found to be the most expensive. If you have time to shop around and can stomach the traffic and parking to do it but find out where the locals hangout for food sources because they are very canny and know where the best places to go are.  I dislike shopping because many items are not priced and the labelling is barely readable, I also avoid shopping on Saturday because every Maltese and his wife are out. Remember there are no late night shops open after 7.30 unless your in a tourist area and Sundays the big supermarkets dont open.

Driving - brought my car with me and never had an issue with driving, once you get used to getting around on the island its easy and you do integrate, I still use my indicators and obey all the english law regards to driving. Many maltese never had to have licences or tests until a few years ago  so they still behave badly on the roads but they are just doing what they have always done. To them they arent bad driving its just normal. I go with the flow.

Old v New- there are varying frustrating degrees on the island where sometimes I feel I am stuck in a 1970's time warp, old antiquated systems or there is a system but no one is trained or professional enough to deal with it, one person tells you one thing on Saturday and you go back Monday and someone else tells you a different story. There is little consistency, a huge lack of customer service and business owners often have an attitude that people will always come so they can charge what they want and do what they like. My advice is to prevent cabin fever get off the island for a few days away, it can feel quite closeted so go for a jolly somewhere every now and then.
Good luck with everything :-)