Letting to people on holiday.
Somebody stays for a few nights and goes home. The property needs a licence from the Malta Tourism Authority, a sign at the door, and a person who answers the phone at any hour.
The authority
Malta Tourism Authority
The law
L.N. 92 of 2026, the Tourism Accommodation Regulations, made under Cap. 409
What it takes
A licence, applied for and renewed with the MTA. An unannounced inspection is how it is enforced.
In force since 15 June 2026, and what it asks of you depends on when you applied.
For operators
You own a place and you want to let it out. This takes you from checking the property to renewing the licence, in the order it happens.
- What the rules requireL.N. 92 of 2026, and which licences it reachesBefore you let
- What a unit must containAll 148 standards, filtered to your propertyGetting licensed
- The eco-contributionIt tripled on 1 July 2026Running it
- Luggage after checkoutWhat a host can offer between checkout and a flightRunning it
- Renewing the licenceWhat travels with every renewalRenewing
For property managers
You look after places that belong to somebody else. The 2026 rules name you directly, and one letter to the MTA decides whether you or the owner ends up paying.
For guests
You are booking somewhere to stay. Here is how to tell a licensed place from an unlicensed one before you pay, and what the price should already cover.
Which of the two you are in is a question about the person staying.
Cap. 604 does not cover a place let to a tourist purely for tourism, and it says in terms that a property registered as holiday furnished premises is still covered when the person renting it does not qualify as a tourist. So holding an MTA licence does not settle it. If a letting of yours sits near that line, a lawyer is the person to ask.
Questions about which rules these are.
- Who licenses short lets in Malta?
- The Malta Tourism Authority, under the Malta Travel and Tourism Services Act (Cap. 409). The detail is in L.N. 92 of 2026, which is S.L. 409.24, and a short let is licensed there as Category E, short-let rented accommodation.
- What happened to the old holiday premises rules?
- L.N. 92 of 2026 repealed them, along with the Host Family Regulations and related instruments. A page still quoting those is quoting something no longer in force.
- How are the short-let rules enforced?
- By unannounced inspection, then a period to put things right, then an enforcement notice, then suspension or revocation of the licence. A licence can also be suspended for breaches relating to noise, waste management or health, but only once a court decision or another authority's enforcement notice has established them and can no longer be appealed.