Bill on Rent Laws tackles only parts of problem

The bill on the reform of the Rent Laws tackles parts of the problem but does not give a concrete way forward and could lead to confusion, the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise said.

It said that in many instances, the Bill opened a number of loopholes and several sections of the Bill were open to interpretation and could lead to ambiguities. Moreover, it still required a number of clarifications.

The Chamber noted that it was unfortunate to see references to old laws in the Bill and that parts of the previous legislation was not being repealed.

Exceptions, it said, should have been listed within the Bill.

The Chamber expressed its disappointment that most of its recommendations were not included.

It maintained that the State should remain the only carrier of the country’s social burdens. The subsidisation of minimum rents was the sole responsibility of the State and this onus should not fall on the private property owner.