Expats are warning EU nationals who want to settle in Malta not to sign lease contracts before they know whether they will be paying their utility bills at a residential rate, or at the higher “unfair” domestic rate.

“Until you have it in writing that the landlord registers you as tenant or agrees to put your name down as a resident in the bill, do not sign the contract and walk away,” spokeswoman Patricia Graham said.

This warning comes two weeks after a lobby group of European expats was told all consumers will be treated equally during a meeting with Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi and ARMS CEO James Davies.

This means the two-tier pricing system, where EU nationals are charged more than their Maltese neighbours for utility bills, has come to an end.

However the group was informed that the utilities company Arms will not contact the customers about the changes, and Ms Graham expressed concern that many of those eligible for lower rates would not hear about the changes.

Asked whether everyone will now be automatically transferred to the residential rates the Energy Ministry told this newspaper that customers have to ask for the change.

A spokeswoman said ARMS registers new utility accounts in the name of a particular consumer when they submit an application for new services or an application to transfer existing services to a new or a registered consumer.

Domestic tariffs apply by default to new accounts unless the consumer lodges a formal request in writing to register the number of people having their primary residence in Malta in a particular tenement.

“The onus to register the number of people having their primary residence in Malta entitled to benefit from residential supply tariff lies with the registered consumer as envisaged in sub-regulation 36(6) of the Electricity Supply Regulations and sub-regulation 12(6) of the Water Supply Regulations,” she said.

The spokeswoman added that while regulations granted discretion to ARMS to determine the nature of the required documents to register people in a particular primary residence, the Ministry was committed that ARMS treated Maltese and foreigners alike.

The ministry and ARMS were also asked whether those expats who were not able to transfer to residential rates in the past months, would receive backdated over charges, but the newspaper was not given a reply.