Are vacant dwellings increasing?

Malta's rate of residential vacancy has been found to be high in the past few Census reports, indicating conditions of oversupply in the housing market.

The 2005 Census notes that vacant dwellings now amount to 53,136, or 27.6 per cent of the total dwelling stock. The vacancy rate has risen since 1995, when the Census reported it at 35,723 (23 per cent).

Of the 27.6 per cent vacancy noted in 2005, 22.4 per cent is permanently vacant while 5.2 per cent accounts for second homes. Between 1995 and 2005, the number of permanently vacant dwellings increased by 20,352, or 89 per cent.

The increasing vacancy does not reflect housing needs: households increased by 17 per cent between 1995 and 2005, while vacant dwellings increased by 49 per cent. Most of the vacant dwellings (64 per cent) were apartments and maisonettes, and the large majority (89 per cent) were in a good state of repair or needed minor or moderate repairs. The highest rates of vacancy, both total and permanently vacant, were in the northern region (41 per cent and 25 per cent respectively) and Gozo and Comino (48 per cent and 35 per cent respectively).

Sources: COS (Central Office of Statistics). 1986. Census '85 Vol. 1 - A Demographic Profile of Malta and Gozo, COS, Valletta; COS (Central Office of Statistics). 1998. Census of Population and Housing Malta 1995: Final Report Volume 6 Dwellings, COS, Valletta; NSO (National Statistics Office). 2007. Census of Population and Housing 2005: Volume 2 Dwellings, NSO, Valletta.

Environmental tip: If you own a second property do your best to ensure that it is occupied.