How much deposit do you pay when signing the Konvenju?

Dr. Michael LaferlaNotary · Notary, Notarial Council of Malta

BuyingReviewed: 10 June 2026

The short answer

When you sign the Promise of Sale (Konvenju) in Malta, the customary deposit is 10% of the purchase price. It isn't a figure fixed by law but a long-standing convention — and where the buyer is taking a mortgage, the bank typically finances up to 90% of the price and requires the buyer to put down the remaining 10% as their own commitment. The deposit is part of the purchase price, normally held by the notary until the final deed.

The customary deposit is 10%

Notary Dr. Michael Laferla puts it simply: the custom in Malta is that a 10% deposit is paid when the Promise of Sale (Konvenju) is signed. It's a convention rather than a figure fixed by statute — but it's so well established that 10% is what most buyers and sellers expect and structure the transaction around. Because it's customary rather than mandatory, the percentage can in principle be negotiated, but 10% remains the standard reference point; departures usually reflect a specific arrangement (such as a developer agreeing a different structure).

How the deposit ties to a bank loan

Where the purchase is financed with a mortgage, the 10% lines up directly with how Maltese banks lend. Dr. Laferla explains that the bank normally finances 90% of the price and requires the buyer to pay the 10% deposit as their own form of commitment. This is why the figure is so consistent — it mirrors the standard loan-to-value Maltese banks lend against for a primary residence. A buyer using a mortgage should budget for the 10% as cash they need available at the Konvenju stage; it is not part of what the bank advances.

The deposit is part of the price, not an extra cost

The 10% is not an additional fee — it's the first instalment of the purchase price itself, paid at the Konvenju and credited toward the total at the final deed, when the balance (the bank's 90%, in a mortgage purchase) is paid and ownership transfers. It's worth separating it from the genuine upfront costs of buying — stamp duty, notary fees, searches — which are extra expenses on top of the price. Once paid, the deposit is normally held by the notary in their client account and released to the seller only at the final deed.

Sources

Dr. Michael Laferla — Yitaku Asks video (10% custom + bank 90% financing)
Central Bank of Malta Directive No. 16 (borrower-based measures) — loan-to-value limits underpinning the standard 10% own-funds requirement
Maltese notarial practice — 10% Konvenju deposit convention, held in the notary's client account
Civil Code of Malta, Chapter 16 — deposit on account of the price