Let it quietly: renting out a buyer's permit home in Malta Living

Can you rent out a buyer's permit home in Malta Living? Not the normal way. Tourists and permit holders who buy outside the homes open to all buyers need a buyer's permit, the AIP, and that permit comes with a promise: the home is yours to live in, never to rent out. Malta has the same rule for non-EU buyers, set out in the tax authority's conditions for buying property.

So the game now gives you a choice where there used to be a dead end. Let it quietly is a Risky way to let a permit home off the books, for a bit more rent, and hope no inspector knocks.

Who sees Let it quietly

Open Homes on your phone and look under Homes you own. On a home bought with a buyer's permit, the normal Rent it out stays shut, with its reason. Right under it sits Let it quietly, in the Risky look every risky move has: a white card, a red outline, the red Risky chip and a red €.

You won't see it on every home:

• Locals let every home the normal way, so they never need it.
• Homes open to all buyers, at Tigné Point, Portomaso and Pender Place, let the normal way too, whoever owns them.
• Not the home you live in. Move out first.
• Not a home with a loan to live in it. The bank would call it in. Pay the loan off first.

New to buying? Our guide to coming as a tourist, on a permit or as a local explains who needs a buyer's permit, and investing in property, cabs and businesses covers letting the normal way.

What you get

Tap it and the Risky sheet says what can happen, in plain words. You let it to the game without telling anyone. The rent is the home's game rent plus 20%, a week at a time, paid on rent day at 18:00 like any let. On the Valletta townhouse that's €756 a week instead of €630. The Bank shows each week's rent as "let quietly".

While it's let, the home stays in the risky look in Homes, so you never forget, and Stop renting it out ends it whenever you like. Selling the home ends it too.

The inspector

Housing inspectors do check. The game never tells you how likely a visit is, as with every risky move, but it does tell you this much: the longer you keep a home let quietly, the likelier it gets. Some months pay. Some don't.

If the inspector calls, you'll know the next time you open the game. A knock, then ten seconds with your breath held: "A housing inspector is at your townhouse in Valletta, asking who lives there." Then the outcome:

• A fine of four weeks of the quiet rent (€3,024 on the townhouse). Caught again within 30 days, it's doubled.
• No rent that week, and your tenant moves out.
• No letting for 7 days. That's every home you own, the normal way too. Lets already running carry on.
• A mark on your record for 12 hours, like any fine. Record shows it as "Let without a permit".

There are no heat stars. This is paperwork, not a night out gone wrong like the risky moves in Paceville. If the inspector finds nothing, nothing shows at all: you just get paid.

Is it worth it?

That's your call, and it's meant to be. Over a first month, four quiet weeks on the townhouse pay about the same as one catch costs, so it's a gamble you feel, not a sure thing. If you can let a home the normal way, that's still the better deal.

Letting quietly to another player is coming later, with renting your home to other players.

New here? Read what the Malta life simulator is all about, or play Malta Living free in your browser.

Questions people ask

Can a local let it quietly?

No, and they don't need to. Locals can rent out any home they own the normal way. Let it quietly only shows on homes bought with a buyer's permit.

Does the inspector come while I'm offline?

Yes. Rent day and the check happen on time, whether or not you're playing. The caught card waits for your next visit, and shows once.

What if I can't pay the fine?

The fine takes what you have. It never puts you in the cell, and it never takes your home.

Can I let another home after a catch?

Not for 7 days, quietly or the normal way. Homes shows until when, and the button waits until then.