A Housing Authority official has gone into some detail about a recent investigation into rental conditions at a particular Mosta house.

Romina Fenech spoke to TVM about how enforcement officers had investigated the house on 1st September to find out whether it had a registered rental contract as required by law.

Instead, they found that this building was housing 35 tenants in conditions described as “undignified” and “unsanitary”. It had six bedrooms, with two of them containing ten beds each, only two bathrooms, a toilet, and a kitchen.

“Their conditions were completely undignified,” Fenech said. “There were sanitary facilities in the corridor and the landing with absolutely no privacy, men and women washing while holding a shower curtain. There was filth and insects everywhere.”

This was just one of 36 properties uncovered across the island since a joint taskforce – composed of officials from Identità, the Housing Authority and the Planning Authority – was set up last August to investigate overcrowded residences.

Social Accommodation Minister Roderick Galdes said that the government plans to update the law to give the Housing Authority more powers to clamp down on overcrowded residences, but didn’t give further details in this regard.

Besides all the humanitarian issues associated with overcrowded residences, the phenomenon risks further inflating the rental market.