Watch: Landlords Have Asked Tenants For Sexual Favours, Union President Tells Parliament
Some tenants in Malta have been asked for sexual favours from landlords abusing their power, Solidarjetà president Matthew Attard told parliament earlier this week.
“I don’t think I need to say much about the impact this has on tenants,” he succinctly told Malta’s Members of Parliament.
Attard delivered a powerful speech in Valletta, shedding light on the reality of abuses that tenants in Malta face from their landlords. He listed several experiences that have been shared with the union’s tenants and lessees section, saying them in order of rare to most common.
The first shocking act on Attard’s list was sexual harassment by landlords. This was followed by cases of landlords illegally cutting off electricity and water supply, as well as unjustly evicting their tenants.
He went on to detail cases of agents who work with landlords to offer multiple contracts to avoid paying tax.
“These are a few rare examples and exceptions but they happen and I felt the need to share with the room,” Attard said.
He went on to detail the more common cases, some of which have even evolved into becoming the “norm”.
Landlords have begun asking tenants for a deposit before any contract is signed. After paying the deposit a tenant may notice an issue and bring it up. Landlords respond by deciding not to move forward with the contract and still keeping the deposit. Oftentimes, these cases are part of a larger scam where there was never a property to begin with, Attard explained.
“There isn’t a legal remedy for this, victims can go to the police and make a claim in court but this costs about as much as the deposit.”
The next thing on Attard’s sobering list are illegal clauses wedged into most rental contracts. Clauses that, for instance, allow the illegal eviction of tenants. These contracts end up being accepted by the Housing Authority.
From the contracts it has seen, the union estimates that around half of the contracts registered with the Housing Authority contain at least one illegal clause. This means that, according to its estimates, there are at least 30,000 contracts registered with the Housing Authority with illegal clauses.
“We cannot talk about the property market without mentioning the increase in property prices,” Attard said, introducing his final point.
Property prices are increasing and exceeding the rise in wages. Attard pointed out that landlords can increase prices without regulation as long as tenants are informed at least three months before. This has led to an annual increase of around 70% in rental prices.
Solidarjetà is a Maltese non-partisan trade union looking to end the exploitation of workers and tenants by organising and uniting all workers and tenants regardless of gender, race, ethnic origin, religion, class, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability or caring responsibilities.
The section focussed on abuses faced by tenants will continue working to ensure a better housing environment for people in Malta. If you are interested in helping actualise this change, you can join the union.
Have you ever faced sexual harassment by your landlord and want to share your story? Reach out to [email protected]
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