Extending government’s online services with e-RENT

Some 21,000 tenants in Malta and Gozo, from now on, will benefit from the convenience of paying rent bills for government property through the new eRent website. The new web site is accessed by logging onto the Malta Government portal www.gov.mt and by clicking on "Housing".
Launched by the Ministry for IT and Investment and the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs, the eRent website continues to facilitate the interaction between the Government and the public.
Tenants can now pay by means of a credit card over the Internet and at the same time they will be saving time from going to Valletta and queuing up for payments. The system is easy to use, safe and secure and, above all, there is no extra charge.
Logging onto the new website, the public will no longer have to go to the Lands Department to pay the rent due. It is now possible to simply fill in the on-line payment form and paying over the Internet by using a credit card from a computer either at home, work place or at the Local Council. In addition, tenants can also make use of the Web Phones, which are installed in different localities around Malta. The money will go into the rent account within three working days.
The recent addition of payment of rent due to the Government on immovable property, by means of the Internet, is yet another step forward in further strengthening the significant number of online electronic services available for the Maltese public.
"Our aim is that 90 per cent of all government services will be available online within a few months," said the Minister for IT and Investment, Dr Austin Gatt. "Paying government rents by means of the Internet is the latest addition to the range of online services already available within the eGovernment programme. This is the result of our process that was initiated only two and a half years ago, and offers public services to all citizens in a manner that optimises the timeliness and quality of response."
The Government Property Division (GPD), which is responsible for the management of Government’s immovable estates, is a unit of the Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs. One can log on the new web site for all land registry documentation. The website also provides information and initiatives of the Government Property Division and a very useful list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The high technological change conducted by Government is providing real and potential benefits for the Maltese public. Through the Government portal: www.gov.mt, the Public Service has moved from the old legacy systems to Internet standards. This means that Maltese citizens have free and easy access to any online service.
The list of such services, within the e-Government programme, accessed through the Internet via the government portal www.gov.mt, currently includes: servizz.gov; Public Registry; e-Examinations; e-Licences; Acquisition of Immovable Property; Marriage Grants; Elderly & persons with disability online services; court services and legal services; Local Enforcement System; and the Inland Revenue Department website.
These on-line services are opening new possibilities many of which were not even dreamt of by most of us just a couple of years ago. It is in everyone’s interest now that these on-line services are increasingly available, that more people take advantage of the improvement in the quality of life they can bring with them.