Life in Malta · · 4 min read
Renting in Sliema, or buying a villa: homes in Malta Living
By The Malta Living team · Updated
Anyone who has hunted for a flat knows the drill: the deposit, the agent's fee, the landlord's message the day before rent is due. Malta Living is a free-to-play life sim set in Malta, on Malta time, and renting in Sliema works the way you'd expect, only simpler to follow. Start small in Żurrieq, rent a flat in Sliema, or save up and buy. Every home tells you exactly what it costs before you pay a cent.
Outside the game, Sliema (the busy seafront town facing the capital) sits on the peninsula across Marsamxett Harbour from Valletta, and Wikipedia calls it the most densely populated town on the island.
Six homes, from Żurrieq to Mellieħa
Every home sits on one ladder of six, and each one rents by the week:
- Budget apartment, Żurrieq: €120 a week, through Frank Salt.
- Studio, Gżira: €180 a week, with a balcony.
- One-bedroom flat, Sliema: €300 a week, and a bedroom of your own.
- Townhouse, Valletta: €600 a week, through Sotheby's, with a roof terrace.
- Penthouse, Portomaso: €1,000 a week, with a sea-view terrace.
- Villa, Mellieħa: €1,600 a week, with a garden and a pool.
Open the Homes app on your phone and your own home is on top, marked "You live here". Every other card shows how much bigger it is than yours ("+38 squares · balcony"). Tap View to look inside first.
What renting in Sliema costs
Moving into a rented home takes two things up front: a refundable deposit, which comes back when you move out, and the agent's fee, half a month's rent plus VAT. The first week's rent is taken on Saturday, not on the day.
The Homes app adds it all up before you tap Move in, so you know what you need. Leaving a rented home? The deposit you get back comes off the bill.
Then rent goes out every Saturday at 18:00, Malta time. Your landlord messages you the day before, and rent sits with your other bills in Essentials. Can't pay? You get a week's grace. Miss the next one too and you move to the cheapest home for your way into Malta, owing nothing.
Moving day
Moving is instant. Hire movers for €100, or carry it all yourself for free, which costs 20 Energy. Everything in your home comes with you, even the basics it came with. If a piece won't fit, it goes into storage, and the moving card tells you before you pay. Once you're in, furnish your home in Buy mode.
Buying a home with a loan
Homes has three tabs: Rent, Buy outright and Loan to own. Every card says what you pay now, what you pay after, and what you get. These are game prices, not real valuations: the Żurrieq apartment is €8,000, the Sliema flat €40,000 and the Mellieħa villa €400,000.
A loan to live in takes a 10% down payment. The bank lends the rest, plus 3%, paid back every day at 18:00 for 720 days, and you can pay it off early for free. For the Sliema flat that's €4,000 down, then €51.50 a day. Miss seven payments in a row and the bank repossesses it.
On top of the price there's stamp duty, 5%. A first home for someone living in Malta pays none on the first €200,000; tourists pay it on every home. Tourists and permit holders also need a buyer's permit (AIP), €233, paid right there, except at Tigné Point and Portomaso. Your way in matters, so read about arriving as a tourist, on a permit or as a local.
Marisa, your adviser at the Bank, answers questions about buying with your own numbers, and Homes offers "Your first home, step by step" once one is in reach.
Homes you own, and letting them out
A home you own has no rent. One you've moved out of can be rented out from Homes, and the weekly rent lands even when you're not playing. You can't let the home you live in, a home bought with a buyer's permit is yours to live in only, and a home with a loan to live in can be let once the loan is paid off. For the rest of the Malta property game, see investing in property, cabs and businesses, or start with our guide to the whole Malta life simulator.
Renting also decides who fixes things. In Sliema you pay the first €15 of a repair and the landlord the rest; in a home you own, it's all on you. Ready to pick your first place? Play Malta Living free in your browser.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to rent a flat in Sliema in Malta Living?
The one-bedroom flat in Sliema rents for €300 a week. Moving in takes a refundable deposit plus the agent's fee (half a month's rent + VAT), and the first week's rent is due on Saturday.
Can you buy a house in Malta Living?
Yes. Every home on the ladder can be bought outright or with a loan to own, at game prices from €8,000 in Żurrieq to €400,000 for the villa in Mellieħa. A loan to live in needs 10% down.
What happens if you can't pay the rent?
Rent is taken every Saturday at 18:00. If you can't pay, you get a week's grace; miss the next one too and you move to the cheapest home for your way into Malta, owing nothing.
Can you rent out a home you own in Malta Living?
Yes, from the Homes app, as long as you don't live in it. A home bought with a buyer's permit is yours to live in only, and a home with a loan to live in can be let once the loan is paid off.
