Solidarjetà calls for systemic changes to prevent illegal evictions and other abusive practices

Solidarjetà has appealed for action in the face of minimal consequences for abusive landlords. 

The trade and tenant union held a press conference a few days after MaltaToday revealed the horrific experiences suffered by a number of tenants who live with one landlord in Mellieħa. 

The tenants described cases where the landlord would barge into their homes, scream at them and call them racist, demeaning names, take their AC remotes, and illegally evict them while keeping their deposit. 

During their protest, Solidarjetà’s secretary and treasurer, Gabriel Apap noted that currently, landlords who carry out illegal evictions face minimal consequences.

“Even if found guilty, there are no restrictions on landlords continuing to profit from renting out their properties,” saying that hundreds of tenants are illegally evicted from their homes every year. 

Present during the protest was Pastor Debbie Olugbem, who helped some of the abused tenants in the Mellieħa property, and was also insulted by their landlord for standing up to them.

Olugbem recalled one particular incident where she had to drive at midnight to assist tenants who had been illegally evicted. She further spoke about how a number of tenants are stripped of their privacy and dignity, as most of them are forced to share rooms due to unaffordable rents. 

Meanwhile, Solidarjetà President Matthew Attard stressed the systemic issues affecting the housing sector, explaining that the union’s calculations show that more than half of the rental contracts registered with the Housing Authority contain illegal clauses.

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Attard urged stronger regulation in the sector, including mandatory licensing of landlords and properties, as well as stronger legal protections for tenants, to begin addressing the widespread abuse in Malta’s rental sector.