The Malta Developers Association is committed towards better safeguards and best practices. Today, the MDA is launching a “Safer Neighbourhood Scheme”.
This initiative is aimed at raising awareness on one’s rights and duties, offer support and to establish better neighbourhood practices between the construction industry and those living adjacent to construction sites.
The “Safer Neighbourhood Scheme” is aimed to give all adjacent property owners a better opportunity for more peace of mind. Prior to the commencement of any project, third parties adjacent to a construction site would be able to have a professional report drawn up as requested by law on the method statement/condition report.
The report is to be drawn up by a Perit independently chosen by the third party, and the MDA developer member will be obliged to refund all the Perit fee upon the presentation of a fiscal receipt.
In those cases where a third party cannot afford to pay the Perit’s fee, the developer will hand to the third party the amount to be paid to the Perit, upon the presentation of a fiscal invoice by the third party.
MDA President Sandro Chetcuti said that all MDA developers are to adopt this first initiative under the “Safer Neighbourhood Scheme”. He added that the MDA has also decided that those members or their companies who do not make payment upon the presentation of receipts or invoices by third parties will be inserted on a public blacklist by the MDA.
“The MDA is committed to raise the bar of the industry towards its members. This initiative should help significantly in putting neighbours’ minds more at rest as now everyone can go to his Perit of choice irrespective of his/her financial standing. We urge non-MDA developer members to follow suit and adopt this initiative too,” MDA Director General Marthese Portelli said.
“While the scheme will also alleviate any financial burdens on the part of third party neighbours, we hope that this will also help to establish a better relationship between the developer and the neighbours at an early stage and prior to the start of a project,” MDA A/Vice-President Denise Micallef Xuereb said.
This is the first initiative under the “Safer Neighbourhood Scheme” and the MDA Council will be coming up with more initiatives over the next months to protect both its members and the public.