As from this year (2020), the Housing Authority has set up a Small Claims Tribunal which focuses on real estate disputes related to maintenance, security deposits and bills in rental situations. Prior to the set-up of this Tribunal, cases of disputes of this nature, would generally have to resort to Court.

The purpose of this Tribunal is to act as a mediator, provided that the contract in question is registered with the Housing Authority. Moreover, the said Tribunal aims to be rapid and efficient and therefore avoiding the need for such disputes to go to court.

If one of the parties wishes to initiate such proceedings, they may go to rentregistration.mt to sign up and download the application form. Once the dispute is initiated, the authority will notify both parties.

To date, the Tribunal has decided upon 26 cases.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.