What does this grant entail?
This grant applies for people who are going to buy or already have properties and wish to restore and finish these properties, which work of restoration have been carried out from or after 12 October 2021.
However, the properties must meet one of the following criteria:
- A private residential Urban Conservation Area (UCA) property;
- A private residential property that has been built for more than 20 years and has been vacant for more than seven years;
- A new private residential property developed in conformity with approved criteria as defined by the established guidelines and approved by the Board.
Who is eligible to apply?
The applicant must be a Maltese resident, aged 18 and over, and officially recognised as an owner to a private residential property falling under the criteria for this grant.
A property benefitting from the grant cannot be divided, where the number of residential units must remain the same. If the property is re-developed into separate residential units, the applicant will have to refund the full amount of the grant paid to them.
Costs related to restoring and finishing the property are eligible, such as the cost of materials, labour, hiring of equipment, professional fees, planning fees, and other government charges. Exterior and interior finishing works are eligible, such as plastering and painting, electricity and plumbing works, tiles and marble, internal and external doors, windows and bathrooms.
What documents are needed to apply?
- Submission of a certificate issued by the Planning Authority (PA) certifying that the property falls within a UCA, in accordance with article 57 of the Development Planning Act or any Act which may be substituted therefor.
- Appropriate document issued by ARMS confirming that the property was in fact vacant for more than seven years.
- Architect’s certificate, certifying the date the property was built (in shell form). This is only applicable for properties that have been built for more than twenty years and have been vacant for more than seven years. This document does not need to be submitted in cases where the property on which the claim is being made was acquired after the 11th of October 2021.
- For new properties, the applicant must submit a Certification from the Board appointed by the Minister responsible for finance, confirming that the property was built and finished according to the established guidelines.
- A copy of Development Permit issued by the PA which covers the works on the property on which grant is being requested.
The approval of the application and the delivery of the service takes between 2 to 4 months. More information can be found here: Grant on the Restoration and Finishing of Privately Owned Residential Properties
Disclaimer: This article is purely informational and does not replace the formal guidelines enforced by the authorities.