Subsidy on Adaptation Works

Overview

Substandard housing is rarely a single problem. It is usually old wiring, a failing drainage system, rising damp and a bathroom that was never properly installed, all at once, in a property whose occupant cannot afford to fix any of it. This scheme funds that kind of work, and it does so through three separate routes depending on who is applying and what needs doing.

An owner occupier can claim for the full range of structural and finishing work. A tenant can claim for finishing work in a home they do not own. A landlord can claim for structural repairs in a property they rent out. Each route carries its own ceiling, and the amount actually paid depends on income.

Who This Is For

The scheme serves both audiences, though not equally. Owner occupiers and tenants improving the home they live in are its main focus, and the substantial figures sit there. Landlords can apply as well, but only for structural repairs, at a lower ceiling, and only on one property.

Eligibility

The applicant must be the owner, hold a temporary emphyteusis of more than forty years, hold usufruct on the property, or be a recognised tenant or temporary emphyteuta. At least one member of a couple must be Maltese or an EU citizen, both spouses must have been ordinarily resident in Malta for twelve consecutive months before applying, and married couples who are not separated must apply jointly. Engaged couples may apply in joint names provided both are over 18, and both become jointly and severally liable for the scheme's conditions.

Tenants need a lease or a grant of temporary emphyteusis not exceeding 21 years entered into before the scheme came into force, and the Authority must be satisfied there is no collusion between the parties.

The property must be at least fifteen years old at the date of application, must be lawfully used for residential purposes, and must have been declared substandard by the Housing Authority or a competent court.

Several bars apply. Applicants cannot hold capital exceeding €60,000, nor own other habitable property or land carrying a building permit. Anyone who already benefited from the former Home Ownership Scheme or comparable home ownership assistance is excluded, with a narrow exception for someone who transferred their rights to a former partner after a broken engagement or marriage, provided the subsidy they had enjoyed was refunded in full at the time. Someone related to the owner within two degrees, or a co-owner with the lessor, cannot apply. Neither can an applicant whose dwelling sits in a slum area earmarked for demolition, or who acquired their property through a Government expropriation reallocation, or from the Housing Authority, the Department of Social Accommodation, the Joint Office, or another parastatal body, though the Authority retains discretion to accept a genuine application despite this.

What It Offers

An owner occupier can receive up to €21,000, covering repairs to dangerous structures, necessary structural repairs, replacement of old water and electrical installations, bathroom improvement or installation, floor tiling, drainage repair or replacement, external doors, apertures and balconies, roof waterproofing, damp proofing as a permanent solution to rising damp, and professional and permit fees where a permit is required. Where the work consists only of bathroom improvements or installing a bathroom, the ceiling drops to €5,000.

A tenant can receive up to €15,000 for the finishing categories above, but not for structural repairs, which remain the landlord's responsibility, and not for building additional rooms or altering the structural layout.

A landlord can receive up to €6,000, restricted to repairs to dangerous structures, necessary structural repairs, and associated professional and permit fees, on one property only.

How much of the approved cost is actually paid depends on household income:

Applying

Nothing is paid upfront. The Authority pays only after it has confirmed the work was carried out in full and as approved, against fiscal receipts, and approved works must be completed within twelve months of the approval authorising them. Work carried out before approval does not qualify unless an architect and civil engineer appointed by the Authority certifies it as necessary, and no grant is paid where the required permits were not obtained or where the Authority considers the applicant's own fault caused the problem.

Where an applicant cannot occupy the property until the works are done, a married applicant receives the grant only once they move in, and an engaged couple must occupy within eighteen months of approval.

Applications carry a €20 administrative charge, which is not refunded even if the application is rejected, plus a further charge covering the Authority's research on the applicant.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted on the prescribed form, in person or online, at the Housing Authority's offices at 22 Pietro Floriani Street in Floriana or its Gozo branch at 25 Enrico Mizzi Street in Victoria.

Living With The Conditions

The property must be used as the beneficiary's ordinary residence for at least ten years from the final payment, and an owner cannot transfer it during that period. The Authority is entitled to register a special privilege, special hypothec or general hypothec over the property for those ten years to secure repayment. Vacating early, or ceasing to occupy the property as an ordinary residence, means repaying the subsidy, though the Authority may consent to early vacation in exceptional circumstances to relieve hardship, on whatever conditions it considers appropriate. Anyone intending to transfer the property must give one month's notice.

Where the works are carried out in a property the applicant does not own, obtaining the owner's permission is entirely the applicant's responsibility, as is ensuring the works do not prejudice their own lease or title. The Authority is subsidising the cost, not carrying out the work, and takes no responsibility for it.

Beneficiaries can apply again for further improvements once five years have passed since the original works were certified complete, provided the new application covers different works and the combined total received under this scheme, original and new together, does not exceed €21,000.

Engaged applicants face a specific procedure if the engagement breaks down before the works are finished. Both parties must notify the Authority within thirty days, payment is suspended while the Authority investigates, and the couple then has a further window to jointly arrange for the dwelling to be transferred into one name so the application can continue.

What Can Require Repayment

False declarations are penalised more heavily here than in most schemes: the fine equals the entire subsidy received, on top of a five year ban from every Housing Authority scheme and the possibility of criminal proceedings.

Source & Verification

This summary draws on the Housing Authority's Subsidy on Adaptation Works page and its full Terms and Conditions, cross checked clause by clause and last verified on 4 August 2026.

• Scheme page: https://housingauthority.gov.mt/scheme/subsidy-on-adaptation-works/
• Terms and Conditions (PDF): https://housingauthority.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ADP-Conditions-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.