Malta Real Estate Sector | Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates Malta Law Firm

Industry

Property

Our Property & Development team competently manages real estate portfolios for a number of clients in the property & development industry in Malta.

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Summary

Malta’s serene Mediterranean landscape, the fusion of neolithic, baroque and contemporary architecture and the hospitality of the Maltese people all render Malta a unique destination for any traveller. Its Mediterranean climate, mild winters and hot summers, coupled with a low crime rate, excellent healthcare, a quiet way of life and relatively low cost property, entice expatriates to purchase property on these small islands and make it their home. Thus, Malta's Property & Development industry thrives as more locals as well as foreigners seek to turn their maltese property into a home.

key contacts

ccmifsud@ccmalta.com +356 2205 6298

Dr. Charlene Mifsud

Partner

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Maltese Properties Types

Malta’s property market presents a wide range of possibilities for anyone seeking to invest in property on the island. Ranging from high-end villas and villa apartments, to houses of character, maisonettes, town houses and apartments, all needs are catered for.

A number of Special Designated Areas exist in various locations in Malta and Gozo. These are areas comprising top-end and exclusive residential or commercial properties offering a wide range of facilities and amenities. Set in Fort Chambray, Portomaso, Cottonera, Manoel Island/Tigne Point, Tas-Sellum Residence (Mellieha Project), Madliena Village, Fort Cambridge Zone, Ta’ Monita Residence in Marsascala, Pender Place and Kempinski Residences San Lawrenz Gozo, properties in these areas enjoy several exemptions established in Maltese law.

The Property & Development Industry in Malta: Malta’s Property Market

While property values have, in the last 5 years, plummeted around the globe, the Malta property market downturn has been nowhere near as radical. The average Maltese property prices recorded an annual fall of just 2.7% in 2011, according to statistics by Malta’s Central Bank. Malta’ previous property boom was owed to Malta’s climate, the country’s tax-efficient status and special residency status schemes that attract foreigners to our shores. The fact that Malta retained, to a certain extent, its property values has been very encouraging to past and current investors eyeing the island as their next investment project.

Malta’s property & development industry has seen a surge in property prices in 2015 as the Maltese economy continues to perform among the highest performing eurozone economies. According to the central bank of Malta, Malta’s property prices rose to 10.03% (8.53% inflation-adjusted), a trend which can be partially attributed to government measures aimed at increasing property demand, such as the Malta Individual Investor Programme.

Malta’s property can be bought through a company or via a trust, a fact which investors see as highly advantageous. Property purchases through companies are usually used in order to use the retained earnings within the company directly. There is no distribution from the company to the personal shareholders, and therefore there is no additional dividend tax. This mechanism can also be used for asset protection purposes. Malta is renowned as a respectable and stable trust jurisdiction based on a modern trust law, it has also become very common for property in Malta to be acquired in trust. Regulated by the Trusts and Trustees Act 2004, trusts give acquirers the possibility that the property bought is maintained and managed in the best interests of the beneficiaries and in a manner that maximises the property investment held in trust.

Our Property & Development Industry Team

Our specialist property& development team is made up of tax advisors, property lawyers, accountants and trust consultants and administrators who competently manage a real estate portfolio for a number of different clients. We bring together expertise not only in legal, trust and financial management but also in property investment, development, procurement and management.

Our property & development lawyers and planning consultants can provide counselling on residential, commercial, mixed-use and industrial property acquisition, sale and lease as well as consulting services on residential, tourism and industrial real estate development; government permits and procedures. Our Property & Development Team also provides a full service in connection with the drafting, review and negotiation of preliminary agreements and deeds of sale/ purchase of property in Malta. We also work closely with banks, architects and involved parties to ensure smooth property transactions. Our property & development lawyers are also able to coordinate our in-house project management service for conversion or refurbishment projects of residential and commercial property where appropriate.

Our Malta Real Estate Sector Products

Malta Property Ownership Options

Our Malta Real Estate Sector Services

Malta Notary Public

Malta Estates, Probate & Wills

Malta Property Purchase

Malta Property Development

Malta Property Loans

Malta Property Legal Due Diligence

Malta Property Tax Advice

I highly recommend the services of Chetcuti Cauchi. They assisted me as my appointed Resident Agent with the MDIA, they fully understood my requirements and also have a great reputation as a top law firm in Malta, making them an ideal chioce. They delivered my project on scedule, which had a tight deadline.

Jean-Philippe was a key advisor to me on the general European and in particular Maltese related tax, legal, accounting and secretarial aspects of a rather complex corporate group structure. We were operating in an extremely dynamic situation, and I was most grateful for his patience and understanding when we had to scrap the last idea and start all over again. He is highly professional, responsive and is excellent at finding practical solutions to difficult situations, whatever the time of day or night. He also has an excellent relationship with his team, and the service provided by his firm is intelligent, joined up and seamless. He is good humoured and imminently likeable and I look forward to working with him again in the future.

Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates is a very strong team with a great understanding of complex matters. They enjoy a profound knowledge and expertise.

Dr. Chetcuti has always shown great wisdom and knowledge. He’s remarkably courteous and client-oriented.

I approached Chetcuti Cauchi with the objective of establishing a company in order to provide public health information management services to collaborators throughout the European Union.From my first interaction with them through phone discussions and emails to ongoing communications and a visit to their offices in Valletta, I have been extremely pleased with their professionalism, competence, and timeliness.They have been very attentive to the specific needs of my company’s collaborations and have provided much-valued guidance and support both in establishing the company and in its ongoing operations.Iam very satisfied with the work so far, and look forward to more successful interactions in the future.

Dr Natasha Cachia’s experience in Financial services in Malta were invaluable to Porterpays team as we establish our business here in Malta. They have worked in a professional manner and were constantly supportive and open to understand new innovative ways in payments and provided us with a stellar advice.

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Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates offers great ability and strength in handling and resolving difficult and complex matters.

Not only do Chetcuti Cauchi have experience, they’re academically proficient as well. They offer a wide variety of different expertise.

Chetcuti Cauchi is a firm with very educated and knowledgeable lawyers and advisors.

Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates boasts an incredibly diverse and talented team. Everyone brings skills, knowledge and experience to the table, creating a dynamic and collaborative environment.

Antoine is very professional and knows his field of expertise very well.

I have had the pleasure of having Chetcuti Cauchi as my lawyers for my Maltese Citizenship application and also for property acquisition in Malta. I am extremely satisfied with their professionalism and attention to detail at all times making them, in my experience, one of the best law firms I have ever dealt with anywhere. I am truly honoured to be their client and shall continue to remain so.

My wife and I have an association with Chetcuti Cauchi since 2009. They assisted us with our original residence permit applications for Malta and since then have taken care of our annual income tax submissions and PR sticker / E-residence card renewals. They always handle our matters very efficiently and professionally. The consultants that work with us are friendly, helpful and very competent. They are familiar with the regulations and procedures in the related government departments, and this makes the process run extremely smoothly for us. We are very satisfied with the service we received from Chetcuti Cauchi and will continue to maintain our relationship with them in future. We can highly recommend them for any of the services that they offer.

The professionalism and international collaboration of Chetcuti Cauchi’s team are a testament to their cohesive corporate culture. They are prompt in communication and consistently reliable, always delivering on their promises and never committing to tasks they cannot fulfil. This dependability gives us great peace of mind at the start of every project. In particular, we have been working with Magdalena Velkovska and Antoine Saliba Haig, who have been pivotal in building our trust in CC.

Chetcuti Cauchi has been doing many different aspects of IP work for us for several years, and I have always been more than satisfied with their work. All the people at the firm with whome I have been in contact have been very professional, efficient and quick in their efforts to assist us. Dr Maria Chetcuti Cauchi has always kept me well informed about every angel of the matters we have dealt with, extremely professional and I fully trust her advice and suggestions. Another thing which I have appreciated is her swift way of replying to our requests.I can highly recommend the firm Chetcuti Cauchi to anybody who needs IP advice on Malta.

Chetcuti Cauchi has embraced a flexible and modern approach to hybrid working. Rather than prescribe a set number of office days, the firm empowers employees to exercise their judgement in how they manage their working schedule. So long as underlying principles of providing an excellent client service and a collaborative team environment are met, employees have a great degree of freedom in how, and where, they work.