Malta Developers Association President Sandro Chetcuti presented a number of proposals to encourage the growth of social housing stock to Parliamentary Secretary for Social Housing Roderick Galdes during a meeting at MDA’s offices in Guardamangia.
One proposal, Skema Kiri, has been immediately taken on board and Mr Galdes confirmed that some five applications are being received each day from property owners since the scheme was launched, a total of some 195 in all.
Another relates to a social gain that can be contributed by developers of big projects in certain areas where they would be able to develop a site beyond what the policy permits without creating a negative impact on the neighbourhood. They could agree with the Housing Authority to either give a monetary contribution or assign certain property for social housing and preferential rentals over a period of, say, 15 years.
The Housing Authority could invest in refurbishing properties that are abandoned, in return for a fixed rent that would make the properties more affordable. The threshold on IIP rents are considered too low and the MDA feels that those applying for a Maltese passport should be able to afford a higher rent.
Mr Chetcuti committed the MDA to giving its contribution to Mr Galdes’s proposed White Paper to revise the rent laws, which it believes should also be reviewed.
28 September, 2017