Easy Landlord Managing Director outlines rental reforms that Malta actually needs

As Government moves ahead with proposals to overhaul Malta’s short-lets sector, Easy Landlord Managing Director Karl Cassar believes the conversation needs to focus “less on restrictions and more on practical enforcement, market realities, and the infrastructure required to support a rapidly evolving industry.” 

Speaking to MaltaCEOs, Mr Cassar, who manages the short-let property management company EasyLandlord, reacts to the core elements of the reform – including the proposed cooling-off period, public visibility of owner contact details, and zoning – and offers his perspective on what would genuinely make the system work better for residents, owners, and operators alike.

On the proposed three-month cooling-off period between long-term and short-term rental use, Mr Cassar expresses strong reservations. 

“This measure feels largely temporary in nature,” he says. “I don’t believe it will significantly deter owners who are determined to move into short-term letting.” He adds that the real challenge lies in implementation. “From an enforcement perspective, it will be extremely difficult to verify whether a property has genuinely remained vacant for the entire period. There is a real risk it could be worked around in practice.”

He is far more supportive of the proposal to make owner contact details publicly visible.

 “This is a step in the right direction,” he affirms. “Neighbours often feel frustrated because they don’t know who to turn to when issues arise.” He explains that Easy Landlord already implements several measures to reduce nuisance, including the use of security deposits and noise-monitoring sensors that track decibel levels and send automatic alerts without recording audio. But, he emphasises, technology alone is not the solution. “The most effective way to prevent nuisance is to discourage it at the source. We tell guests clearly that parties are not allowed in residential areas. Sometimes this means losing a booking – and that’s fine. Nobody benefits from parties in residential areas, not neighbours, not owners, and certainly not property managers.”

On zoning issues: “Tourists no longer stick to one hotspot.”

When it comes to zoning, the Managing Director acknowledges that certain predominantly residential or highly local areas could be justifiably restricted. However, he stresses that such decisions must reflect today’s tourism patterns. “Tourists no longer stick to one hotspot. They want an authentic feel of Malta, and that often means staying outside traditional hubs,” he says. 

This growing demand also comes from seasonal workers, including film crews and foreign corporate teams who frequently book apartments for work stints of two to eight weeks in locations like Żurrieq, Luqa, and Gudja. “These are not considered touristic areas,” he explains, “yet we receive steady demand there.”

His main concern with zoning relates to existing licences. “You cannot simply invalidate people’s licences after they have invested their life savings into a second property,” he stresses. “It would be deeply unfair and could spark a scarcity-driven licence market where existing licences gain speculative value.” He adds that market forces already act as a natural regulator. “Tourists gravitate towards lively areas. Underperforming properties eventually revert to long-term rentals anyway, because it makes more economic sense.”

Mr Cassar confirms that this reversion is already taking place. “We do see short-lets going back to long-lets,” he says. “It happens when properties are mismanaged or when owners underestimate how demanding short-term letting actually is. In those cases, long-term becomes the more stable option.” He explains that this is especially true in areas where short-letting isn’t viable. “Owners often try short-letting for a year, realise the numbers don’t work, and switch back. The shift happens naturally.”

An overseas case study and other proposals

International examples bolster his position. “Cities like New York introduced extremely strict short-let regulations, but many of those measures didn’t achieve what they were meant to,” he says. “High-end short-let properties don’t automatically translate into affordable long-term rentals. Removing them from the market doesn’t solve the long-term rental issue.” Additionally, he warns that restrictive licensing can unintentionally create a black market. “You end up with licences becoming valuable commodities because scarcity is artificially imposed.”

One of the more practical measures he advocates for is mandatory professional management in high-density areas once a certain threshold of short-lets is exceeded. “It may sound like a sales pitch,” he says, “but the truth is that many complaints arise not because short-lets exist, but because hosts are absentee and unresponsive.”

He explains that professional operators typically provide 24/7 support, structured escalation procedures, preventative tools such as automated messaging and AI guest screening, and rapid onsite intervention. “This means issues get solved within minutes, not days. The presence of professional oversight dramatically reduces friction within communities.”

Waste management is another area where he believes structural reform is long overdue. “Leaving garbage on pavements is an outdated system. It guarantees complaints,” he says. Drawing from his time living in other European cities, he highlights more efficient alternatives. “In Madrid, for example, buildings often have an administrator who handles waste collection using bins kept inside the property. They take them out only at precise times and bring them straight back in. That alone eliminates so many issues.”

He suggests that Malta could benefit from underground waste systems or internal garbage rooms, and also recommends adjusting collection times. “Late-night or early-morning collection would minimise disruption and improve hygiene.”

Reflecting on the overall direction of the reform, it is clear Mr Cassar is asking for pragmatic solutions rather than rigid restrictions. 

“The intentions behind the proposals are understandable, but real improvement depends on enforcement, accountability, and infrastructure. Not on blanket rules that are hard to enforce.” He concludes with a call for balance. “We support sensible, well-balanced regulation – the kind that protects residents while still allowing the short-term rental sector to operate sustainably and professionally.”