The bill on the reform of the Rent Laws, even though it tackles some of the problems, still requires a number of clarifications, The Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise said.

The Chamber, through its Rent Laws Committee, is of the opinion that the Bill does tackle parts of the problem inflicted by the previous legislation but it maintains that the Bill does not give a concrete way forward and may lead to confusion.

The draft Bill, as said by the Chamber, opens a number of loopholes and several sections of the Bill are open to interpretation and can lead to various ambiguities.

The Chamber said that in August it was assured by the Minister that the long awaited overhaul of the Rent Laws would be enacted into one document but it was disappointed to see that references to old laws were still made and that parts of the previous legislation have not been repealed.

The Chamber stated that where exceptions exist, these should have been listed within the draft law, otherwise the old legislation should have been abrogated.

It maintained that the State should remain the only carrier of the country’s social burdens. The subsidization of minimum rents was the sole responsibility of the State and not of the private property owner as the Bill still indicates.

The Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise will study the Bill in more detail within the next few days.

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