‘I give up UK for English-speaking paradise island – one factor is most interesting about it’ | Europe | Travel

It was a full accident that saw high-flying lawyer Geraldine Noel relocate to a Mediterranean paradise where locals communicate English as a first language.

She said: “I never would have thought adopting a rescue dog and being banned from bringing it into the UK would have led me to settling in Malta, but I love my life here in the sun and wouldn’t change a thing.”

Born in south-west London, Geraldine was offered a job at a Maltese bank. This was prior to Brexit, she explains, when it was far easier for UK citizens to live and work in EU countries.

She explained to the I newspaper how property prices on the the sun-kissed island have changed dramatically since she arrived there 16 years ago: “I’m very fortunate. I was able to purchase a property in the north of the island in St Paul’s Bay 13 years ago. So I’ve been able to avoid the year-on-year increase of property prices that we are currently dealing with.”

Property price increases are being fuelled by a dramatic rise in demand. Malta’s population is currently estimated to be around 580,000 – with much of the increase coming from American retirees, who have been attracted by the Mediterranean paradise’s balmy climate and easy access to Italy and Greece, as well as North Africa. The single biggest expat community in Malta, however, is from the UK – with around 15,000 Brits living on the island.

Geraldine added: “When I moved, a two-bedroom in St Paul’s Bay would have cost between £150,000 and £250,000 and now that same property would be worth between £200,000 and £350,000.”

All this demand for property is driving a building boom, with new homes and home extensions under construction everywhere you look. That means there’s quite a bit of traffic and noise, Geraldine says.

But it’s the island’s tax regime that makes Malta so attractive to Brits, she says: “Tax efficiency is one of the most appealing things about living here. Malta still has the British non-dom regime and a variety of tax breaks that include a 15% rate on income remitted to the country, and no capital gains or inheritance tax.”

Unfortunately, relocating to Malta from the UK isn’t as easy as it once was: “The curse of Brexit, though, means it’s so much harder for young people to move over – you have to have a work permit or be on a residency programme,” Geraldine explained.

However, she adds, if you have a trade – if you’re a plumber or a carpenter or an electrician – then the Maltese building boom means that there’s plenty of work to be had.

And when it comes down to it, Malta is a great place to live, Geraldine says. She grows tropical fruit in her garden and her home is just a five-minute walk from a beach, but at the same time Malta offers plenty of come comforts for homesick Brits: “There are so many things that make Malta appealing to British nationals,” Geraldine says.

“English is an official language, there are British pubs galore that do roasts with all the trimmings, red post boxes, Marks & Spencer. You can get Waitrose and Iceland-branded products in certain supermarkets. I actually have Greggs sausage rolls in the freezer right now.”

Malta was half of the British Empire until it gained independence in 1964. English is subsequently one of the island’s two official languages, along with Maltese.