Party hopes rent reform 'not an exercise' to gain votes

The Nationalist Party is hoping that the rent reform announced by the government last Saturday is not an exercise to gain votes.

Spokesperson for Social and Affordable Accommodation Ivan Bartolo and candidate for the First District Darren Carabott said yesterday that they were disappointed in the pre-1995 rent reform proposal presented by PM Robert Abela, saying that the PL wanted to play on people’s emotions.

According to the National Statistics Office, 40% of Maltese who live in rented property are currently facing financial challenges, Bartolo said. In addition, 1,900 people are currently on a housing list waiting to be given property by the Housing Authority.

In the past eight years of the PL’s governance, Bartolo said, the party could have invested more wisely to address issues related to the renting of property.

“When the projected expenditure is a million euro in the first year, three million euro in the second year and five million euro in the third year, just imagine how many people could have been helped if the price of corruption wasn’t being paid, if €40,000,000 weren’t being put every year into SOCAR’s pocket”, Bartolo said.

Carabott said that while the intentions of the rent reforms are good, they will result in discrimination between those with pre1995 rents and those who wish to start renting now.

The government is going to give a maximum of €10,000 to those who have been renting prior to 1995, while those who started to rent property after 1995 will get nothing, he said.

Carabott also said that the rent reform should not be used as a political manoeuvre for the PL to gain more votes, but rather the situation should be viewed as a basic human right to property which every individual is entitled to.