The Searches Unit also provides services related to the Land Valuation Office which incorporates thousands of files (notices) containing proof of ownership of residential tenements and other relevant details (such as rental values, Rent Regulation Board judgments, details on deeds of transfers relating to the property in question and other correspondences). The registration of property was carried out between 1939 and 1948 and was officially required in the wake of the setting up of the War Damage Fund. An inquiry can be made on whether an application for War Damage on any given property had been made in the past. Please send an email to: pubsearches.identita@gov.mt containing the:

• Full address of the property;
• Type of property;
• Last property owner.

If a file is retrieved, the client is informed to visit the Searches Back Office. Please note that due to the fragility of these documents, no photocopies are allowed, but only handwritten notes or photos without flash.

This service does not carry a fee.

The Department is also responsible for the Issuing of Decontrol Certificates aimed at determining whether a particular property would have been decontrolled in the past. The department possesses several registers containing a list of addresses of properties situated in different localities spread across Malta and Gozo together with a reference to the file containing the decontrol application.

A formal request can be made through the Searches Unit portal: pubsearches.identita@gov.mt. Full address of the property is required.

Certificate fee is €2.60.