Act XXVII of 2018 from various angles and perspectives

Abstract

Laws are forever changing, and their very nature should never be static. They are forever influenced by the situation a country is in at that point in time. This statement seems to fall on deaf ears when it comes to rent laws. Rent laws in Malta have always been a point of discussion, their history is rather long and complicated with various amendments being enacted with no real change. This thesis offers a detailed account of a fairly new amendment to the Housing (decontrol) Ordinance Act, Chapter 158 of the Laws of Malta which is Act XXVII of 2018. The sole purpose of this research paper is to analyse whether this amendment offers a ray of hope for landlords and the protection of their rights or whether it continuous to add to the static nature of these laws. The fundamental concepts of this term paper is to analyse whether this amendment offers a fair balance or whether the landlord-tenant relationship is once again at odds, if the legislator has once again overcompensated with policy in favour of the tenant while offering a disservice to the rights of the landlord. This analysis will be done by examining this amendment from a legal and social point of view through the help of interviews, if it is found that the amendment is not as equitable as it sets out to be, then various solutions will be proposed.