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Demand for return of a rent deposit (Malta)
Malta · in English · for tenants
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For a tenant in Malta who has moved out and is still waiting for the deposit. The letter to the landlord gives the date the lease ended and the date the keys were handed back, asks for the deposit within 14 days or a written list of any deduction with the reason and evidence for each, and says which deductions you dispute. The next step it names is the Adjudicating Panel for Private Residential Leases, for claims up to €5,000 on a registered lease. Send it by registered letter and keep the post office receipt.
- Made for use in Malta
- Last updated November 3, 2026
- Document in English
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- You moved out of your flat in Malta and the landlord still has not given back your deposit.
- Your landlady is trying to keep the deposit for damage you do not accept or that was there before.
- You handed back the keys weeks ago and the landlord no longer answers your messages.
- You want to ask for your security deposit back in writing before going to the Panel.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Tenant
- Tenant's address
- City
- Tenant's postcode
- Date
- Landlord
- Landlord's address
- Landlord's postcode
- Address of the property
- End date of the contract
- Handover date
- Deposit amount
- IBAN
- Points in dispute
Common questions
- How long does a landlord in Malta have to return a rent deposit?
- The Private Residential Leases Act (Cap. 604) sets no deadline and no limit on the deposit, so this letter asks for it within 14 days of its date. The landlord may keep only what the lease justifies: unpaid rent or bills, or damage beyond what has worn out with age, measured against the inventory. If you left before the minimum period of article 11(1), the landlord may also keep up to one month's rent from it and claim any other sum you owe.
- Where do I go if the landlord still keeps my deposit?
- To the Adjudicating Panel for Private Residential Leases, which alone decides disputes about keeping or returning a deposit where the claim does not exceed €5,000 (article 23 of Cap. 604). It hears only claims on leases registered with the Housing Authority, so check first that yours was registered; if not, send the letter asking the landlord to register the lease before anything else.
- What should I enclose with the deposit demand, and what proof should I keep?
- Copies of the lease and the inventory, proof that you paid the deposit, and the handover record or dated photos of the property on the day you left. Send the letter by registered letter and keep the post office receipt, which shows when the demand was sent. Keep the originals yourself, and keep any reply from the landlord.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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