The Minister for Culture, Lands and Local Government, Owen Bonnici, launched a new scheme by the Lands Authority entitled TEMP25+. Its purpose is to provide fairer solutions for families who are or will be owners of residences burdened by temporary emphyteusis payable to the Lands Authority. The scheme focuses exclusively on residential property and excludes commercial aspects.

This scheme, divided into three categories, builds on earlier schemes that allowed families to redeem temporary emphyteusis payable to the Lands Authority on residential properties they own or will own. The aim is to facilitate faster processes and to offer greater certainty and peace of mind to those who currently have no remedy or who require a fairer solution than that provided at present.

Minister Owen Bonnici described this new scheme as another concrete step toward ensuring certainty and peace of mind for families with residential properties subject to temporary emphyteusis in favour of the Lands Authority, particularly those who have long awaited a solution.

"This scheme will be highly beneficial because it offers faster processes, fair, clear and reasonable redemption prices, and extended options for a wide range of applicants with various permutations. It shows how closely the government stands to Maltese and Gozitan families and how ready it is to take the decisions necessary so that no one is left behind due to legal issues related to temporary emphyteusis," stated Minister Bonnici.

The CEO of the Lands Authority, Robert Vella, added that this scheme will replace the 2019 scheme. The authority will accept requests for pending applications under the 2019 scheme to be transferred to TEMP25+ if applicants wish.

Vella explained that the scheme has been designed to be more advantageous for those wishing to redeem this form of emphyteusis.

Implemented through a Legal Notice, the scheme provides solutions for three categories of residential properties.

The first category offers simplified processes for those wishing to redeem temporary emphyteusis payable to the Lands Authority.

The second category covers residential properties that are not an ordinary residence, such as holiday homes, vacant residences, or properties developed into several units.

The third category provides solutions for the redemption of emphyteusis on prospective residential units to be built on land subject to temporary emphyteusis payable to the Lands Authority. This also benefits prospective buyers of such residential units, who currently face various difficulties in redeeming their share of the emphyteusis.

The scheme establishes that, in the event of a subsequent sale of the redeemed property within 15 years of redemption, the applicant must pay an additional 3% of the sale price. However, transfers between family members, individuals aged 65 or over, persons with disabilities, and first-time buyers will be exempt from this 3% payment.

Through TEMP25+, more families with non-commercial properties subject to temporary emphyteusis in favour of the Lands Authority will have the opportunity to become full owners of their homes. The scheme is fair, less bureaucratic, more transparent, and it will provide solutions while offering certainty and peace of mind.

The scheme will be available on the website of the Lands Authority.