Housing Benefit Scheme

Overview

Renting privately in Malta rarely leaves room for a lean month, and rent is usually the one bill that cannot wait. The Housing Authority's Housing Benefit Scheme addresses that pressure directly, paying a monthly subsidy toward rent to tenants who qualify, calculated case by case against household income, family size and the rent actually being paid. A related, higher value stream sits alongside the main scheme for survivors of domestic violence, administered jointly with Aġenzija Appoġġ.

Who This Is For

This is a scheme for people who rent, not people who buy, so it has no direct bearing on a tenant applicant's own purchase decisions. For property owners and investors, though, it is worth knowing about: a subsidised tenant is a more dependable one, and the scheme effectively underwrites part of the rent a landlord can expect to collect on a residential letting. Only privately owned dwelling houses qualify. Properties owned or leased by the Government, the Housing Authority, a parastatal body or a local authority are excluded, as are summer residences, since the property must serve as the applicant's ordinary residence.

Eligibility

To qualify for the general benefit, an applicant must be a recognised lessee of a privately owned dwelling house occupied as their ordinary residence. The lease must run at least six months, or take the form of a temporary emphyteusis not exceeding twenty one years, and it must be registered with the Housing Authority under Chapter 604 of the Laws of Malta. Older leases signed before this scheme came into force are only considered if the rent has stayed the same, or if any increase came about through law or a court judgment, and the Housing Authority is satisfied there was no collusion between the parties.

Applicants must be Maltese or EU citizens, refugees, or hold subsidiary protection, long term residence status, or a specific residence authorisation. Where a married couple or civil union applies jointly, at least one partner must be Maltese or an EU citizen, and applications from more than three joint applicants must be made jointly in solidum. The property itself must be in good repair and habitable, and the person letting it must be its owner or an emphyteuta holding no more than twenty one years on the title.

Legally or de facto separated applicants can also qualify and are asked to provide a court judgment or public deed evidencing the separation. The scheme extends this to non-Maltese applicants married to a Maltese citizen who are separated and hold custody of children permitted to remain in Malta until their twenty first birthday, provided the other standard conditions are met.

A household will not qualify if its aggregate annual income exceeds the threshold for its category, if the property is not being used as the applicant's ordinary residence, if the lease is not registered with the Housing Authority, if the applicant already benefited from the former Home Ownership Scheme, or if the applicant previously received an interest rate subsidy and retained rights to that property.

What It Offers

The benefit is calculated against household category, annual income and rent paid, and is credited monthly.

The income cap rises to €35,000 where the household includes a disabled member. On top of the table amounts, families receive an extra €125 a year for a disabled member, another €125 a year if the household has more than five members, and €300 a year if the household includes fostered children. Single applicants who grew up in care, were fostered, left a child care facility, or completed a rehabilitation or therapeutic programme can receive an enhanced benefit up to the age of twenty eight, though the scheme's published text does not specify by how much, so that figure is worth confirming directly with the Housing Authority before relying on it.

Income is assessed against the calendar year before application, then reassessed every two years, and the applicant must still meet every eligibility condition at each reassessment to keep the benefit. Rent receipts must be kept for at least six months and produced whenever the Housing Authority asks for them; not doing so means refunding that year's benefit.

Assistance for Domestic Violence Survivors

A separate, higher value stream exists for people still living with a perpetrator who face barriers to social housing because separation proceedings are ongoing. Applications come through social workers at Aġenzija Appoġġ's Domestic Violence Unit or the Active Ageing and Community Care directorate, based on a trauma informed assessment of vulnerability, risk and housing need, and supporting documents must be dated within six months of the application.

To qualify, an applicant must be a victim of domestic violence, at least 18 years old, and hold the same citizenship or residency status required under the general scheme.

A one time deposit and first month's rent are paid in addition to the ongoing monthly benefit. Approved support runs for one year, with a review at the ninth month led by Aġenzija Appoġġ that can result in a full year's renewal, a fifty percent taper, non renewal, or referral toward long term social accommodation. Beneficiaries under this stream cannot be allocated social housing at the same time, and their contract with the Housing Authority includes a condition that the perpetrator must not be invited to the property, subject to professional discretion where the perpetrator is engaged in an approved abuse intervention programme.

Applying

There is no fixed application window; applications can be lodged at any time. Each one requires a €10 administrative charge, which is not refunded whether or not the application succeeds, and any other expenses incurred while applying are the applicant's own to bear.

The Housing Authority may ask applicants to sign declarations, including under oath, and reserves the right to verify rent directly with landlords. Submitting false or incorrect information carries a fine equal to the total benefit received, a five year disqualification from every Housing Authority scheme, and possible criminal proceedings.

How to Apply

Applications are made on the prescribed form, available from the Housing Authority's offices at 22 Pietro Floriani Street in Floriana, its Gozo branch at 25 Enrico Mizzi Street in Victoria, or the Housing Authority website. Applicants can also apply online through Malta's central government eServices portal.

What Can End the Benefit

The benefit stops immediately if the registered lease lapses or the contract ends, and any amount paid for a period after the applicant stopped living there has to be refunded, so applicants who plan to vacate should notify the Authority in advance. Failing to produce requested documents, submitting information that turns out to be incorrect, no longer using the property as an ordinary residence, or failing to produce rent receipts when asked can each mean losing the benefit for a period the Authority sets at its own discretion, plus a penalty of up to twice the benefit already received. The Housing Authority also retains a general right to refuse any application.

Source & Verification

This summary draws on the Housing Authority's Housing Benefit on Privately Rented Dwellings terms and conditions and its Housing Benefit Scheme page, cross checked clause by clause and last verified on 7 August 2026. The scheme's legal duration is one year from its Gazette publication, automatically renewed each year unless the Housing Authority publishes a notice withdrawing it.

• Scheme page: https://housingauthority.gov.mt/scheme/housing-benefit-scheme/
• Terms and Conditions (PDF): https://housingauthority.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Beneficcju-fuq-il-Kera-English-2026.pdf

Disclaimer: This information is provided for general awareness only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Schemes are reviewed and amended periodically, so availability, amounts, deadlines and eligibility criteria may have changed since this page was last verified. Always confirm current details on the official Housing Authority scheme page before applying or making any decision.