Lately, more and more women are coming forward on the popular Facebook group Women for Women (Malta) to talk about a very common issue that single mothers are currently facing when they’re looking to rent an apartment. Whilst the frequently mentioned issues remain as such, including drastic increases in rent prices to long term tenants, we have just met Tina*, who is experiencing what looks to be discrimination specifically targeted to single mothers, where landlords refuse single mothers looking to rent a place to live in.
Tina* has been renting a flat for the past year, and has always paid her rent and bills in time without any problems. And while during the lockdown period most landlords reduced their prices, Tina* kept paying the full rent amount without any complaint. However, her landlord has just decided that since her 1 year contract is about to expire, he won’t renew it unless she pays an extra Eur100 monthly, a drastic amount which she can’t afford). This led her to look elsewhere.
Whilst she has been looking and booking viewings, most of these viewings are being cancelled before she gets the chance to see the properties. Tina* has noticed that when landlords ask her how many people would be living in the flat and she states that it would be 2 children and herself, irrelevant questions start popping up. On behalf of their clients, agents ask questions totally unrelated to whether or not she would be able to pay the rent, questions such as “Are you separated or a single mother?” “How old are you?” “Do you have a man?” Whilst these questions are undoubtedly uncalled for, Tina* was shocked to hear from agents that many landlords don’t want to rent their places to Maltese citizens, especially single mothers. Even more shocking was the fact that when she asked why, she was told that they believe that single mothers would start getting ‘boyfriends’. One particular landlord also had the guts to tell Tina*, ” I don’t want you to start getting black men and Arabs here”, a statement that was probably the result of noticing that her children are of mixed race. The same landlord also told her that he will also most probably increase her rent after 6 months. Needless to say, Tina* was very offended by the landlord’s statement as it speaks volumes.
Tina* is feeling really angry about the whole situation. There seems to be so much discrimination against Maltese nationals and single parents by landlords in Malta. She is running out of time and is really in need of a decent place which she and her children can call ‘home’, because they are all sick of moving around. “I know Tina* personally and can vouch for her, she is a hard working, decent and honest woman, who is also responsible enough to go for what she can afford so that she will not have any problems with paying her rent always in time.” confirmed Francesca Fenech Conti founder of Women for Women.
Tina* and her children deserve peace of mind like everyone else, irrespective of their social status. They deserve a decent place to live in. It is a basic human right and no landlord should dictate otherwise or reduce this right to oblivion.
As women we have the power and capacity to bring about changes and help our sisters in need. Thus, if you have a place you can rent out to women like Tina*, please contact us on [email protected] and we will connect you with women who truly need an understanding, compassionate ‘landlady’ to offer them a place to live in. We look forward to hear from you!
*Name has been changed to protect the woman’s true identity.
If you too have a story like Tina*’s where landlords refuse single mothers, please contact us or send us an email in strictest confidence on [email protected]
Claire Galea is a mum of three currently reading for a Degree in Nursing at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta, as a mature student. She is keen about holistic patient-centered care as well as public education about health-related subjects, which she frequently writes about on Wham as a Content Writer and Website Editor.
Claire is also passionate about spreading awareness on the negative effects that domestic abuse leaves on its victims’ mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing. She is the author of two downloadable ebooks, namely Heal Your Life Forever and 5 Simple Steps To Creating The Life Of Your Dreams.
Click here to check out Claire’s full bio as well as a list of all her Wham published articles
