Do I need a contract to rent out a room in my own house in Malta?

Yes. A room let in the home you live in is a lease of a shared residential space under the Private Residential Leases Act (Cap. 604): it must be in writing, has a minimum duration of 6 months, and must be registered with the Housing Authority within 10 days of starting.

How is rent from a lodger taxed in Malta?

As rental income. You can opt for the flat 15% final rate on gross rent, declared annually on the TA24 return to the Commissioner for Revenue, or declare it with your other income at progressive rates. The 15% route allows no deductions.

Can my lodger leave before the six months are up?

Shared-space tenants have deliberately light exit rules: after the first month they can withdraw on short notice. Expect churn, hold a deposit, and keep the listing photos ready for the next advert.

Does it cost anything to advertise a room on Darscover?

No. Room listings are free, up to 5 active listings at a time. Photos, an honest description and the real rent are what fill a room.

Can I choose who lives with me?

You choose your lodger, and fit matters when you share a kitchen. What the law draws the line at is advertising or refusing on protected characteristics: describe the home, the rent and the house rules, and select on references and stability.

Renting out a room in your house in Malta

A spare room in Malta is income with a legal shape: the law calls it a shared residential space, the lease has a minimum term, it must be registered, and the rent can be taxed at a flat 15%. Here is the whole arrangement, and the room listed free at the end of it.

Minimum shared-space lease: 6 months
Register the lease within: 10 days
Flat tax option on the rent: 15%
Room listings on Darscover: Free (up to 5)

The advert is the whole job once the paperwork is right. Room listings on Darscover are free, and tenants contact you directly.

List your room free

Want the room landlord's pack?

We will send the shared-space agreement checklist, the registration and TA24 tax steps with links, and what furnished rooms are advertised at in your area.

A lodger, in Maltese law, rents a shared residential space

When you let a room in the home you live in, sharing the kitchen or bathroom with your tenant, the Private Residential Leases Act (Cap. 604 of the Laws of Malta) treats the arrangement as the lease of a shared residential space. That matters because the rules are lighter than a whole-property lease but they are still rules: the contract must be in writing, it must be registered, and it has a minimum duration of 6 months.

The tenant's side is deliberately flexible: after the first month, a shared-space tenant can leave on short notice. Build that churn into your expectations rather than your grievances; the same flexibility is why rooms fill quickly in Malta, because the people who rent them, workers on new contracts and students on courses, cannot commit to a year.

Registration is not optional, even for one room

Like every private residential lease in Malta, a shared-space lease must be registered with the Housing Authority within 10 days of its start. An unregistered lease is null, you cannot enforce it against the tenant, and administrative penalties for letting unregistered run from €2,500 to €10,000.

Registration is done online and needs the written agreement and the deposit details. When the tenant changes, the registration changes with them: keep it matching who actually sleeps in the room.

The rent is taxable, and the simple route is 15%

Income from letting a room in your home is rental income like any other. You can opt to have it taxed at the flat 15% final rate on the gross rent, declared annually on the Commissioner for Revenue's dedicated return (the TA24), or declare it with your other income at normal progressive rates. The 15% final option is the route most small landlords take for its simplicity; note that it applies to gross rent with no deductions.

Keep the paperwork thin but real: the registered lease, the deposit record, and the annual tax return. A room let properly is boring, and boring is the goal.

From spare room to paying lodger, in six steps

The order below keeps you legal from day one and spares you the classic first-timer mistakes.

Set the rent from real asking prices. Check what furnished rooms in your locality are actually advertised at before you pick a number. Rooms price on locality and commute more than on finish.
Write the shared-space agreement. Term (6 months minimum), rent, deposit, which rooms are shared, house rules on guests and smoking, and who pays utilities. Written, signed, dated.
Register within 10 days. Register the lease with the Housing Authority within 10 days of commencement. Unregistered means unenforceable, and fines start at €2,500.
Choose the tax route. Opt for the 15% final rate on gross rent via the TA24 return, or declare at progressive rates if that genuinely works out better.
List the room free. Advertise it with honest photos of the room and the shared spaces, the real rent, and the real house rules. Room listings on Darscover are free, up to 5 at a time.
Pick the person fairly. Choose on references, stability and fit with the house rules. Maltese and EU equality law applies to advertising and letting: describe the home and the terms, never who is excluded.

Where this comes from

This guide describes the position in August 2026. The lease rules are the Private Residential Leases Act (Cap. 604 of the Laws of Malta) and the Housing Authority's registration scheme; the tax treatment is the Commissioner for Revenue's 15% final withholding option for residential rents (TA24). For anything unusual, a term other than the standard 6 months, a relative rather than a stranger, a room in a property you do not own, ask the Housing Authority or a notary before signing.

Common questions

Do I need a contract to rent out a room in my own house in Malta?: Yes. A room let in the home you live in is a lease of a shared residential space under the Private Residential Leases Act (Cap. 604): it must be in writing, has a minimum duration of 6 months, and must be registered with the Housing Authority within 10 days of starting.
How is rent from a lodger taxed in Malta?: As rental income. You can opt for the flat 15% final rate on gross rent, declared annually on the TA24 return to the Commissioner for Revenue, or declare it with your other income at progressive rates. The 15% route allows no deductions.
Can my lodger leave before the six months are up?: Shared-space tenants have deliberately light exit rules: after the first month they can withdraw on short notice. Expect churn, hold a deposit, and keep the listing photos ready for the next advert.
Does it cost anything to advertise a room on Darscover?: No. Room listings are free, up to 5 active listings at a time. Photos, an honest description and the real rent are what fill a room.
Can I choose who lives with me?: You choose your lodger, and fit matters when you share a kitchen. What the law draws the line at is advertising or refusing on protected characteristics: describe the home, the rent and the house rules, and select on references and stability.