Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi and Minister Jonathan Attard published a White Paper for public consultation on the reform of the Condominium Act.
In this white paper a number of proposals and observations are being presented to strengthen the legislative framework that regulates Condominia. The Minister for Public Works and Planning Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi explained that when back in 2001 the Condominium Act was brought into force, the urban reality of our country was different from today. He noted that while currently this law has become more important because more people are living in condominiums than before, over the years the discussion to update it has been a continuous one.
He mentioned that after a public consultation was held in 2021, the need was felt to now carry out a legal analysis to introduce legal principles and draw up a new bill. The minister said that this bill should lead to the new Condominium Act that better respects what our country needs.
“One of the main issues that must be addressed is how we will be looking at the condominium, whether it is simply a collection of properties that have common parts or how it is being suggested that it has legal personality, that is to say that it is considered a person for the purposes of law,” repeated Minister Zrinzo Azzopardi, while also emphasizing, among others, the need to have standards on how these condominiums are operated and managed and on the need to regulate who offers the services of ‘ administrator to raise the quality of the service.
Minister for Justice Jonathan Attard stressed that, “With what we are launching today, we are providing legal certainty in such a sensitive area. This is because we are proposing the introduction of new definitions, of key players who will work in the sector and above all in case of conflict, a legal remedy where one can go and resolve a conflict efficiently.”
Minister Attard gave a background of a number of concepts that are being proposed including the introduction of a regulator that among others regulates the administrators, the resolution of disputes through alternative methods such as mediation or arbitration, the -digital use in the hearing of conflicts and meetings between condominiums, and provisions related to the insurance coverage of the blocks and the introduction of the juridical personality of the commune. “These concepts are all intended to equip the law with clarifications and guidelines according to today’s needs,” concluded Minister Attard. The White Paper can be obtained here.
Submissions from the public can be sent here until Wednesday 6 December 2023.
