These are documented quotes and testimonies from real people affected by Malta's housing crisis, collected from news reports, academic research, and official surveys. Behind every statistic is a story. These are some of them. All quotes are attributed to their original sources.

From the Academic Research

A Maltese Housing Agent ('Sensara')

Interviewed for a 2024 University of Malta housing study

"Right now, it's very difficult even for Maltese to be able to afford to rent—'mhux facli jlahhqu l-Maltin.' When we are speaking about places being rented for €1,200, we are speaking about a price which is more than the minimum wage, they cannot afford it. You need to account that a family, a husband and wife, if they have an income of €800/900, you cannot afford rent because then you need to factor in electricity, internet, medical expenses, and everyday life. This is too much."

— Housing agent interviewed for Come HoMe Malta Case Study (2024)

"For me to negotiate prices to be lower, I find it very difficult. Owners tend to say 'leave it empty if you can't find me with that high price,' because then eventually they will find tenants. And they really do find people to rent it out to."

— Housing agent interviewed for Come HoMe Malta Case Study (2024)

On Discrimination in Housing

Letting agents and landlords interviewed about tenant selection

"This week I spoke to a landlord, and she said, 'no to Asians and Africans due to smell of food'. Others say Europeans ok and other say yes to Europeans but not Italians. Italians are opportunistic like the Maltese ['bhal Maltin, mis-seba jiehdu l-id']."

— Letting agent, documented in University of Malta housing research (2024)

"If you have two Swedish people sharing, the landlord would be ok. You get two Indians willing to share, and they tell you no. We see this difference [in perception]."

— Letting agent, documented in University of Malta housing research (2024)

From News Reports

Semihar, Eritrean Mother in Malta

Featured in The Malta Independent, November 2014

"I have no husband, no family, but I am grateful for the Maltese volunteers at Hal Far, who truly help us out. I would work if I could, but I need to look after the children. I wanted them to go to school, but I have no money to buy their uniforms or other materials they require."

— Semihar, The Malta Independent (2014)

"I am being forced to move out from Msida in January, and start looking for my own place. But the €300 allowance would barely cover the rent. I would need to leave this country, and try to start a life for my family. My sister is in Sweden, she can help out. I miss my family every day, and to make things worse, I have no friends here."

— Semihar, The Malta Independent (2014)

iGaming Worker

Featured in MaltaToday, February 2018

"I'd like to live alone, but I can't afford to pay some €700 a month."

— iGaming employee quoted in MaltaToday (2018)

From Tenant Experiences

Expat Tenant in Malta

Blogging about rental experiences, 2020

"We paid practically double over a 35 month period because my landlord did not see fit to register us on the Arms bill, so we were on the extortionate domestic tariff instead of the correct residential tariff for people living in their primary residence. We had our bank account and my salary garnisheed when we refused to continue overpaying."

— Expat tenant, Absolutely Prabulous blog (2020)

"Other than the Arms issue, there is no certification of electrical safety, accommodation is substandard, no return of deposits even when the tenant returns the property to the landlord in a pristine state, dodgy plumbing and drains, illegal evictions, extortionate rents, unfair rental contracts…"

— Expat tenant describing rental market problems (2020)

From Housing Authority Research

Tenants on Rent Burden

Malta Residential Rental Study (2021)

The Housing Authority's 2021 rental study documented that 93% of respondents facing economic obstacles reported that "high prices of adequate housing were higher than the household income." The study also found:

  • 31% of respondents cited required deposits as a major economic obstacle
  • 12% indicated the requirement of having stable income as a barrier
  • 56.4% of tenants facing rent increases said they either had no solution or did not know what they would do
  • 5.3% said they would leave Malta if their situation did not improve

Tenants on Their Rights

From the same Housing Authority study

58.3% of tenant respondents told the Authority they required further information on their rights as tenants, with only 41.7% feeling confident they knew their rights well enough.

Historical Echoes: This Has Happened Before

From Early 20th Century Valletta

Research from University of Malta archives — describing what happened to Valletta between 1900 and 1935

"The great commercial activity in Malta brought about a constant arrival of foreigners and of British residents, and this led to a great demand for accommodation in Valletta. The consequence was that the landlords raised the rents and gave notice to the poorer tenants to leave. Many of the inhabitants were thus forced to abandon their homes to make room for wealthier tenants. It often happened that they were turned out into the streets with their numerous families, without the means of getting a habitation."

— Historical research on Valletta 1900–1935, University of Malta

The language is over a century old. The pattern is indistinguishable from 2026. When the history of displacement in Malta is written, the question will be: at what point did those in power know — and what did they choose to do?

The Common Themes

Across these documented testimonies spanning from 1912 to 2024, common threads emerge:

  • Rent unaffordability: Wages not keeping pace with rental costs, particularly for minimum wage earners
  • Deposit barriers: Upfront costs preventing access to housing
  • Discrimination: Nationality and race affecting housing access
  • Power imbalance: Landlords holding disproportionate leverage over tenants
  • Lack of regulation: Absence of protections for tenants
  • Displacement: Long-term residents forced out by wealthier newcomers

A Note on Fictional Stories

Correction: An earlier version of this page contained fictional composite stories. This has been corrected. All quotes above are from documented sources including academic research, news reports, and official government surveys.

We continue to seek real testimonies from those affected by Malta's housing crisis. If you have a story to share and are willing to be quoted, please contact us.

Sources

  • Come HoMe Malta Case Study (2024) - University of Malta research on housing
  • The Malta Independent (2014) - "Eritrean mother lives on €300 a month"
  • MaltaToday (2018) - "Sky-high rents now a big problem even for iGaming's foreign workers"
  • Housing Authority (2021) - "The Annual Malta Residential Rental Study"
  • Times of Malta (2024) - "59% of young adults in Malta live with their parents"
  • University of Malta archives - Historical research on Valletta housing 1900-1935