Social Policy Minister Marie Louise Coleiro Preca launched a new scheme whereby tenants who have been renting pre-1995 can apply to repair structural damages.

The scheme – through which tenants can get a maximum of €7,000 – does not need the approval of the owner.

“We are launching this scheme because we are coming across several cases where buildings are in a perilous state but the owner does not have the means to finance the repairs,” Ms Coleiro Preca said.

She said that, so far, the ministry was only aware of about 11 cases where this scheme could be applicable – but was certain that once people became more aware of it, more would apply.

At the moment 3,249 applications for social housing are pending.

“When we took office, we only found 47 units available,” she said. She added that this scheme would help people make their house safer and, therefore, retract their request for new social housing.

On the whole there are about 900 residential buildings in Malta which are in a dangerous structural conditions, amounting to a cost of €2 million.