Landlord checklist between tenants in Malta

Before you start

This checklist covers the practical work of getting a rental property in Malta or Gozo ready for the next tenant. It does not cover leases, deposits, registration, tax or other legal obligations. For those, speak to your lawyer, notary or letting agent, or check with the Housing Authority, because the rules can change and every tenancy is different.

1. The move-out inspection

If you can, do the walk-through with the outgoing tenant present, so you agree on what you both see.

• Go room by room against the inventory. Note anything missing, damaged or worn beyond what you would expect.
• Photograph everything, including walls, floors, ceilings, fixtures, inside cupboards, appliances and outdoor areas. Make sure the photos are dated.
• Test appliances: oven, hob, fridge, washing machine, dishwasher, air conditioning, water heater.
• Check fittings: lights, door handles, window locks, shutters and persjani, taps and toilets.
• Look for damp and mould, especially in bathrooms, behind wardrobes and in rooms that were kept closed.

2. Meter readings and keys

• Photograph every meter reading, with the date.
• Collect every key: front door, internal doors, windows, mailbox, garage, roof, gates and any remotes or fobs. Count them against your records.
• Arrange the utility accounts for the change of occupant with the providers.

3. Items left behind

It is very common to find furniture, appliances, boxes or rubbish left behind.

• Photograph and list everything that has been left.
• Contact the tenant in writing and give them a chance to collect anything they want.
• Take advice before disposing of anything of value. Your lawyer or agent can tell you what applies.
• Once you are free to clear it, book a clearance. A good service removes furniture, appliances, mattresses and general rubbish in one visit, passes on what can be reused, and leaves the rooms swept.

See our guides on getting rid of old furniture and disposing of a mattress. Our junk and furniture removal service is built for exactly this, including quick turnarounds between lets.

4. Repairs and maintenance

Use the gap between tenants for the jobs that are hard to do while someone is living there:

• Touch up paintwork and fix marks on walls.
• Re-seal around baths, showers and sinks if the silicone is mouldy or lifting.
• Fix dripping taps, running toilets and sticking doors.
• Service the air conditioning units and clean their filters.
• Check the roof and clear the roof drains, especially before winter.

5. Fireplaces, wood burners and pellet stoves

If the property has a fireplace, wood burner or pellet stove, have it swept or serviced before the next tenant uses it, particularly if the changeover is in autumn or winter. A tenant lighting a fire in a chimney that has not been swept, or a pellet stove full of ash, is a real fire and carbon monoxide risk.

• Have the chimney swept and checked for nests and blockages.
• Have pellet stoves serviced, including the burn pot, heat exchanger, exhaust fan and flue.
• Leave clear instructions for the tenant on safe use and what not to burn.

See our guides on how often to sweep a chimney and pellet stove cleaning, or book a sweep or stove service.

6. Alarms and safety

• Test smoke alarms and replace batteries where needed.
• Fit or test a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fireplace, stove or gas appliance.
• Check that gas appliances have been looked after by a qualified person.
• Make sure windows, balcony doors and railings are secure.

For any formal safety requirements that apply to rentals, check with your adviser or the relevant authority.

7. Deep clean

A rental that looks and smells clean lets faster. Pay special attention to:

• Kitchen: inside the oven, fridge and cupboards, extractor hood and filters.
• Bathrooms: limescale on taps and shower screens, grout, extractor fans.
• Floors: including under and behind furniture.
• Windows and glass: see the next step.

8. Windows, tracks and balcony glass

Glass is one of the first things a new tenant notices, at the viewing and in the listing photos. Salt, dust and red rain build up fast in Malta, especially on sea-facing flats.

• Clean all glass inside and out, including balcony doors and glass balustrades.
• Clean the frames and sliding tracks, and clear the drainage holes so winter rain can escape.
• Clean the persjani and shutters, because glass behind them is often missed.

Upper-floor glass reached only from outside is a job for a window cleaner. See also our guide to removing salt from sea-facing windows.

9. Ready to let

• Photograph the property again, now that it is clean and repaired. These photos work for the listing and as the starting record for the next tenancy.
• Update the inventory with anything replaced, repaired or removed.
• Leave manuals and instructions for appliances, the water heater and any stove.
• Put together a welcome note with bin days, emergency contacts and who to call for repairs.

Short lets

For short lets and holiday apartments, the same steps apply in a lighter form between every stay, with a deeper round between seasons. Regular window cleaning and quick removal of anything guests leave behind keep reviews and photos looking their best.

Our short-let turnover checklist covers glass, balconies and what to check between guests.

Let us take care of the heavy lifting

clear.mt arranges clearance of items left behind, window cleaning and chimney and stove servicing across Malta and Gozo, and can work around tight changeover dates. Send photos and your dates for a free quote.