Why screening in Malta works differently
Landlords arriving from the UK or Germany look for a credit bureau and find none - there is no tenant credit score a private landlord in Malta can lawfully pull. What Malta gives you instead is a short, sharp toolkit: documents the applicant provides (employment, payslips, references), one official register created by the 2024 amendments, and your own judgement at the viewing.
That makes process matter more, not less. Each item in the checklist above is cheap on its own; skipped together they are how landlords end up in front of the Adjudicating Panel. Work through the list per applicant - the ticks reset when you press New applicant.
The Register of Defaulters, step by step
The 2024 amendments created something Malta never had: an official register of people who ignored a rent tribunal's decision. The registry of the Adjudicating Panel maintains it Cap. 604·Art. 31(1), and prospective landlords may query it before signing Cap. 604·Art. 31(2).
Three things to know before you rely on it:
- The draft lease is the key. Information is only released against a draft lease agreement identifying both parties - the law's way of limiting queries to genuine transactions. Prepare the draft (our agreement generator produces one), then request the check from your rentregistration.mt account.
- It answers yes or no. No history, no details, no scores - whether the person sits on the register today, nothing more.
- Its memory is short. Only disputes from leases signed on or after 1 September 2024 can produce entries, and each entry expires three years after it was made Cap. 604·Art. 31(4) - or sooner, once the decision is honoured.
The register cuts both ways, by the way: it lists defaulting landlords too, and your prospective tenant has the same right to check you.
The checks the law won't let you make
Equal-treatment law reaches housing: nationality, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability and family status are off the table as decision criteria, in your adverts as much as your answers. And GDPR treats everything you collect during screening as personal data - gather the minimum, decide, delete.
We wrote up the red flags and the tempting-but-illegal checks in detail in what the law won't let you check about a tenant - worth five minutes before your next viewing.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a tenant blacklist in Malta?
There is an official one, and it is narrower than the name suggests: the Register of Defaulters, kept by the registry of the Adjudicating Panel. It lists people - tenants and landlords - who failed to honour a Panel or appeal decision, from leases signed on or after 1 September 2024. Entries are removed once the decision is honoured and expire automatically after three years. Informal Facebook blacklists are a GDPR minefield - don't rely on them, and don't contribute to them.
How do I check the Register of Defaulters?
Through your account on portal.rentregistration.mt, as a prospective lessor. The registry only releases the information against a draft lease agreement identifying both contracting parties - so you prepare the draft first, then ask. The answer comes back as a yes or a no.
Can I ask a prospective tenant for payslips?
Yes - asking for proof of income to judge affordability is a legitimate part of screening. What GDPR requires is proportionality: ask for what you need to make the decision, use it only for that, and delete it afterwards. Keeping a folder of old applicants' payslips is where landlords get it wrong.
Can I photocopy or photograph an applicant's ID?
Only with their clear consent, and even then you should delete it once the decision is made. Checking the ID visually against the person in front of you achieves the same purpose without storing anything.
Can I run a credit check on a tenant in Malta?
There is no tenant credit score a private landlord can lawfully pull in Malta. The Register of Defaulters is the channel the law provides. Employment confirmation, payslips and a previous-landlord reference cover the same ground legitimately.
Is a clean Register of Defaulters result a green light?
It is a good sign, not a guarantee. The register only reaches back to leases signed on or after 1 September 2024, only captures disputes that went through the Adjudicating Panel, and entries expire after three years. Treat it as one tick on the checklist, not the whole check.
What am I not allowed to check or ask?
You may not base the decision on nationality, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or family status - equal-treatment law reaches housing adverts and decisions alike. Digging through an applicant's social media for exactly those traits is the same violation with extra steps.
More landlord tools
Rental Agreement Generator
A ready-to-sign lease with every clause Cap. 604 requires, plus the signed photo inventory.
Rent Registration Wizard
Your 30-day Housing Authority deadline, your exact fee and what to prepare.
Related guides: Tenant red flags the law won't let you checkAll landlord tools →
Half this checklist disappears when applicants arrive verified
On Letify, tenants apply with a profile and can be ID-verified before you ever exchange numbers - list once for a flat €49, no agency in the middle.
List your propertySources: Private Residential Leases Act (Cap. 604), Art. 31, Housing Authority FAQ on private residential leases. Register mechanics as amended by Act XX of 2024.
This checklist is practical guidance, not legal advice. Equal-treatment and data-protection duties apply to how you use it - when a situation feels borderline, ask a lawyer before you ask the applicant.