Do I have to use an estate agency to sell in Malta?

No. There is no legal requirement to involve an agency. You need a notary for the konvenju and the final deed (the buyer appoints and pays the notary), and you need an Energy Performance Certificate. Listing directly and handling viewings yourself is entirely lawful and saves the whole commission.

Can I list my property on Darscover for free?

Yes. Owners list free on Darscover: no commission and no listing fee. With a price, buyers contact you directly; open to offers, verified buyers register their interest and you choose who to talk to.

What tax do I pay when I sell property in Malta?

The default is a final withholding tax of 8% of the selling price, withheld by the notary at the final deed. It can be 5% if you sell within five years of buying, 10% for property acquired before January 2004, and zero if the property was your sole ordinary residence for at least three consecutive years and you sell within twelve months of vacating it.

Who pays the stamp duty, the buyer or the seller?

The buyer. Stamp duty in Malta is generally 5% of the price and it is the buyer's cost, as are the notarial fees. The seller's statutory cost is the final withholding tax on the transfer.

How much do Maltese estate agencies charge to sell a property?

The standard quotes are 5% of the selling price on a multi-agency listing and 3.5% on a sole agency mandate, plus 18% VAT on the fee. On a €300,000 sale that is €17,700 multi-agency or €12,390 sole agency, VAT included.

How long does it take to sell a property in Malta?

Plan for four to eight months end to end: an unpredictable stretch from listing to accepted offer, a few weeks to the konvenju, then typically three months from konvenju to final deed while the searches and the bank financing complete.

The konvenju is the promise of sale: a binding preliminary agreement, usually valid three to six months, under which the buyer typically lodges a 10% deposit with the notary and pays a 1% provisional stamp duty. Conditions such as bank financing are written into it; when its conditions are met, both sides are bound to appear on the final deed.

What happens if the buyer pulls out after the konvenju?

If a buyer withdraws without a valid reason provided for in the konvenju, the deposit is typically forfeited to the seller. If a genuine condition fails, for example the bank declines the loan and financing was a stated condition, the deposit is normally returned. The drafting decides which is which, so read it before signing.

Do I need my own notary as the seller?

The notary who publishes the deed is chosen and paid by the buyer. As the seller you may engage your own adviser to review the konvenju and the deed, and it is worth doing when the sale has any complexity: inheritance, co-ownership, ground rent or unpermitted works.

How do I find out what my property is worth before selling?

Start with a data-backed estimate from the asking prices of comparable property in your locality, then, if you want a formal figure, commission a perit valuation (from around €250). Agencies will value it free, but a valuation from someone who wants the mandate is a pitch as well as a number.

Selling property in Malta: the costs, the eight steps, and listing it yourself free

Most owners hear one route: sign with an agency at 5%. There are three, the gap between them runs to five figures, and the tax bill is the same on all of them. Here is the whole picture, from the first valuation to the final deed, before you sign anything.

Multi-agency commission: 5% + VAT
Sole agency commission: 3.5% + VAT
Final tax on the sale: 8%
Listing it yourself on Darscover: Free

The three routes to a sale

Maltese property is usually sold one of three ways: with several agencies at once (multi-agency), with one agency exclusively (sole agency), or directly by you, the owner. Maltese listings are not exclusive by default, which is why the same apartment often appears with four agencies at once.

The route decides your fee. The standard rates most Maltese agencies quote are 5% of the selling price on a multi-agency mandate and 3.5% on a sole agency mandate, with 18% VAT added to the fee in both cases. Selling directly costs no commission at all: on Darscover owners list free and buyers contact them directly.

Nothing stops you combining routes over time. A common pattern is to try a direct listing or a sole mandate first, and widen to multi-agency if the property does not move.

Route	Commission	On a €300,000 sale	Who does the work
Multi-agency	5% + 18% VAT	€17,700	Several agencies, none exclusively
Sole agency	3.5% + 18% VAT	€12,390	One agency, contractually committed
Sell it yourself	None	€0	You: photos, viewings, negotiation

Commission figures include VAT at 18% on the fee. Rates are the standard quotes in the Maltese market; individual agencies can and do agree different terms in the mandate.

Listing it yourself, free

On Darscover, listing your own property costs nothing: no commission, no listing fee and no agency in between. You describe the home, add photos and a phone number, and buyers contact you directly.

No price yet? You can list it open to offers and decide once you see the interest. You can change the price, or mark the property sold, from your account at any time.

Selling it yourself means you handle the viewings and the negotiation. The eight steps below are the same either way, and the documents and the notary are needed whichever route you take.

What the sale costs beyond commission

Whichever route you pick, Malta taxes the transfer itself. The default is a final withholding tax of 8% of the selling price, withheld by the notary at the final deed. It is a final tax on the transfer value, not a capital gains calculation, and it applies whether or not you made a profit.

There are important variations: 5% can apply if you sell within five years of buying (for property that is not part of a project), 10% applies to property acquired before January 2004, and the sale of your own home is exempt entirely if you have owned and lived in it as your sole ordinary residence for at least three consecutive years and sell within twelve months of moving out.

The other seller-side costs are small by comparison: an Energy Performance Certificate if you do not already hold a valid one (typically €150 to €250, of which €75 is the Building Regulation Office fee), and optionally an independent perit valuation from around €250 if you want a professional figure rather than an agency estimate.

The buyer, not you, pays the 5% stamp duty and engages and pays the notary. Do not let anyone fold those into your side of the negotiation.

How to sell, in eight steps

The order below is the order that avoids rework. The expensive mistakes in Maltese sales, a stale overpriced listing or a deed stalled on missing permits, almost always come from skipping steps one and three.

Establish the value. Get a data-backed estimate from comparable asking prices in your locality, and a perit valuation if you want a formal figure. Everything downstream, the route you choose and the offers you take seriously, is priced off this number.
Choose your route to market. Multi-agency at 5% commission, sole agency at 3.5%, or list it yourself free with no commission. VAT at 18% is added to any agency fee. The route is revisable later; an agency mandate is a contract, so read its term and termination clauses before you sign.
Get the paperwork ready. You need a valid Energy Performance Certificate to market the property, your acquisition deed, and planning permits for any works. Chasing a missing permit now costs days; discovering it during the notary's searches costs the deed its date.
Market the property. Photos, a floor plan, an honest description and a defensible price. Whether an agency markets it or you list it yourself, see the listing before it goes live: your money is the one on the table.
Take offers and negotiate. Offers in Malta commonly land 5 to 10 percent under asking on realistic pricing. Agree the price, what furniture stays and the target deed date before anyone drafts the konvenju, because renegotiating inside a konvenju is far harder.
Sign the konvenju. The promise of sale binds both sides, is typically valid three to six months, and usually carries a 10% deposit held by the notary. Your buyer pays a 1% provisional stamp duty on registration. Conditions such as bank financing or permits are written here; anything not written is not agreed.
Notary searches and the buyer's bank. The buyer's notary verifies your title back through the chain and checks for hypothecs and permit issues, while the buyer's bank processes the loan. This is the quiet stretch of the sale; answer fast when the notary asks for a document, because you are the only person who can un-stall it.
Sign the final deed. Everyone meets at the notary, often at the buyer's bank. The buyer pays the balance, the notary withholds your final tax on the transfer (8% by default) and collects the balance of stamp duty from the buyer, and the keys change hands. Take final utility meter readings the same day.

The documents that must exist

Every Maltese sale needs the same short stack of paper. Assemble it in week one and the rest of the process runs on your timetable instead of the registry's.

Your acquisition deed (the contract from when you bought the property)
A valid Energy Performance Certificate (valid 10 years; €150 to €250 to commission if you have none)
Planning permits and compliance certificates for any works done
Your ID and, if the property is inherited or co-owned, the documents establishing every seller's title
Ground rent (cens) documents where the property is not freehold

How long a Maltese sale takes

From listing to an accepted offer is the unpredictable part: weeks for a well-priced apartment in a liquid area, months for niche property. From the accepted offer the process is more fixed: the konvenju is signed within a few weeks, is typically valid for three to six months, and the final deed follows once the notary completes the searches and the buyer's bank issues its sanction letter.

Plan for four to eight months end to end. Pricing against real market data, rather than against hope, is the single biggest lever on the timeline: overpriced stock in Malta sits, and a listing that sits goes stale.

Where Maltese sales actually stall

Three stalls account for most lost months. An overpriced listing that sits until the market has mentally discounted it. A konvenju signed before the buyer's financing is realistic, which expires and returns everyone to the start. And permit problems surfacing in the notary's searches, which can hold a deed hostage for months while regularisation is sought.

All three are preventable by the seller: price against data on day one, ask for evidence of financing before signing the konvenju, and pull your permit file before you market rather than after an offer lands.

Common questions

Do I have to use an estate agency to sell in Malta?: No. There is no legal requirement to involve an agency. You need a notary for the konvenju and the final deed (the buyer appoints and pays the notary), and you need an Energy Performance Certificate. Listing directly and handling viewings yourself is entirely lawful and saves the whole commission.
Can I list my property on Darscover for free?: Yes. Owners list free on Darscover: no commission and no listing fee. With a price, buyers contact you directly; open to offers, verified buyers register their interest and you choose who to talk to.
What tax do I pay when I sell property in Malta?: The default is a final withholding tax of 8% of the selling price, withheld by the notary at the final deed. It can be 5% if you sell within five years of buying, 10% for property acquired before January 2004, and zero if the property was your sole ordinary residence for at least three consecutive years and you sell within twelve months of vacating it.
Who pays the stamp duty, the buyer or the seller?: The buyer. Stamp duty in Malta is generally 5% of the price and it is the buyer's cost, as are the notarial fees. The seller's statutory cost is the final withholding tax on the transfer.
How much do Maltese estate agencies charge to sell a property?: The standard quotes are 5% of the selling price on a multi-agency listing and 3.5% on a sole agency mandate, plus 18% VAT on the fee. On a €300,000 sale that is €17,700 multi-agency or €12,390 sole agency, VAT included.
How long does it take to sell a property in Malta?: Plan for four to eight months end to end: an unpredictable stretch from listing to accepted offer, a few weeks to the konvenju, then typically three months from konvenju to final deed while the searches and the bank financing complete.
What is a konvenju?: The konvenju is the promise of sale: a binding preliminary agreement, usually valid three to six months, under which the buyer typically lodges a 10% deposit with the notary and pays a 1% provisional stamp duty. Conditions such as bank financing are written into it; when its conditions are met, both sides are bound to appear on the final deed.
What happens if the buyer pulls out after the konvenju?: If a buyer withdraws without a valid reason provided for in the konvenju, the deposit is typically forfeited to the seller. If a genuine condition fails, for example the bank declines the loan and financing was a stated condition, the deposit is normally returned. The drafting decides which is which, so read it before signing.
Do I need my own notary as the seller?: The notary who publishes the deed is chosen and paid by the buyer. As the seller you may engage your own adviser to review the konvenju and the deed, and it is worth doing when the sale has any complexity: inheritance, co-ownership, ground rent or unpermitted works.
How do I find out what my property is worth before selling?: Start with a data-backed estimate from the asking prices of comparable property in your locality, then, if you want a formal figure, commission a perit valuation (from around €250). Agencies will value it free, but a valuation from someone who wants the mandate is a pitch as well as a number.