Foreword [Renting immovables in twenty-first century Malta. Does the law provide a level playing field?]

Abstract

The proportion of rental markets has been decreasing across all of Europe since the 1980s, with the sole exception being the United Kingdom, where the assured shorthold tenancies (only six months guaranteed security of tenure) have, however, rendered this form of housing tenure an extremely precarious one. The increase in the share of tenants, therefore, does not reflect the sudden attractiveness of the sector, but rather a changing scenario for a growing number of households who can no longer access home ownership. [Excerpt]