- Agencies in Malta usually charge half a month’s rent plus 18% VAT.
- Often both the tenant and the landlord pay it, on the same home.
- On noagent.rent tenants pay no agency fee and landlords pay a flat fee.
The usual fee
When you rent through an agency, the fee is usually set as a share of the rent: half a month’s rent, plus 18% VAT on top. It is paid once, when the lease is signed. In many cases the landlord pays the same amount again on their side.
Because it is a share of the rent, the fee grows with the rent. A more expensive flat means a bigger fee, even though the work of opening a door is the same.
Do the maths for your rent
Half a month's rent plus 18% VAT. This is arithmetic, not advice on any particular agency's terms.
What the fee usually pays for
Finding listings, arranging viewings and preparing the paperwork. All useful, but much of it is now simple to do directly: booking a viewing slot online, checking who you are dealing with, and keeping the lease and inventory in one place.
Before you pay any fee, ask in writing what it covers, when it is due, and whether it is refundable if the home is not as described.
How it works without an agent
On noagent.rent every person is ID-checked and landlords prove they own the home. Surveyed listings show measured rooms and photos of every room, and past rents stay visible. You book a viewing slot yourself, and nobody takes a share of the rent.
Five questions to ask any landlord
- Is the lease registered, and who registers it?
- Is there an inventory, signed by both of us?
- What is included in the rent, and what is not?
- How is the deposit held, and when is it returned?
- How much notice does each side need to give?