Malta Holiday Apartments
Three things to watch for!
23/04/2011
Malta holiday apartments exist in numbers. So finding holiday apartments in Malta is easy. The question is – How do I trust the owner?
It is common sense that where you are going to sleep, basically your holiday accommodation is the most important thing. Get this wrong, and your holiday is practically ruined. We have all heard of terrible stories like for example the apartment does not look like the photos published to the extreme where basically guests have been scammed since they have rented an apartment which does not exists.
When you contact a property owner for a booking enquiry, it is extremely important to take note of the way communication is going on. Communication is of outmost importance since apart from getting a feel of the property owner (the way he communicates, time taken to communicate and many other factors), you also have the opportunity to ask further questions and clarifications that you may have.
If the holiday property owner simply ignores your questions, or his replies are vague and incomplete, it is time to move on and find another apartment. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or to ask for more information or photos. Remember that you are paying for the apartment so you have all the right to know everything, so you can book and rest assured that your accommodation is sorted, up to your expectations and you won’t find any bad surprises. If for some reason you are not comfortable, do not book the apartment.
Three things to really watch out when you are considering renting a holiday apartment are as follows.
Refundable Deposit:
Clarify refundable damage deposit, what it covers, how much it is and when you get it back. Be sure that you get back your damage refundable deposit on check out, provided that you have not damaged the apartment in some way or another. There is a trend that for some reason the owner will send you the deposit days later after you have returned home from your holiday. Personally I don’t understand this logic, but this way you are left exposed apart from the extra charges that you will incur when receiving back money through bank transfer or PayPal.
Cleaning, Electricity and Water Bills:
Ask for the final price, and clarify cleaning and electricity / water bills. Some property owners will market their apartment at an extremely low price, but then they will add up cleaning and electricity/water bills. Electricity and water rates in Malta are extremely high and normally property owners who try to ‘hide’ electricity and water rates, normally they charge extremely high rates and it is often deducted from the refundable deposit. Then it is too late to argue.
Our advise is to go only for apartments where prices and rates are crystal clear and include everything, rather than you need to end up with a page of summations (cleaning fee, electricity fee, water fee, parking fee, internet fee, taxes and many other things) to get to the final price. Property owners who make it really difficult to work out the final price, normally they have a hidden agenda.
The fairest approach is to go for properties where you are given a fair amount of units with your rental and then you are charged extra if you go overboard the limit. Normally serious property owners offer enough free electricity and water units, provided that you don’t leave the air conditions, and lights on for 24 hours. Be environment friendly please!
The prices qouted for our apartments are always the final prices with everything included. A fair amount of water / electricity units are provided which is more than enough for your stay. The capping is simply done to avoid waste and protect the environment. Why should you leave the TV or ACs on all day when you are out for example?
Parking:
Clarify Parking Space. In touristic cities parking is impossible so if you intend to rent a car, parking is crucial. Remember that in touristic cities many Maltese work in these cities, so finding parking during working hours is next to impossible. Many property owners do say parking is available but they leave it vague. When they don’t specifically specify parking pace or garage available, normally this means that parking is close by or offsite, meaning in the streets. You can of course park in the street, and there are no paid parking meters in Malta, but the problem is finding this parking space! Trust us but in Sliema for example you will not park during the day. Even during the night is difficult due to many pubs and restaurants in the area. So clarify parking space with the property owner beforehand!
Those are basically the three most important ‘hidden’ things to watch for, apart from the look of the apartment from the photos and other obvious things like amenities provided, location etc as regards to Malta Holiday Apartments. Final advise – choose carefully and if you are not comfortable, just look for another apartment. Do not take any chances since such mistakes will ruin your holiday!
Author: Summer Breeze Malta