Malta’s popular €10,000 First-Time Buyers Scheme will be extended to people who benefitted from it while in a relationship but ended up being single before they received the full amount, Prime Minister Robert Abela has said, expanding on an announcement by Housing and Lands Minister Owen Bonnici earlier this weekend.“The scheme has helped so many people over the years to become homeowners,” Abela said during an intervention on TV earlier today. “But I remember this couple during the campaign trail who shared their situation me. They bought an apartment together and they benefitted from the scheme, including the €10,000 over the course of 10 years.”“Unfortunately, their relationship failed and they had only received the first €1,000 by then,” Abela continued. “They managed to sell the apartment, but they would have lost out on the remaining €9,000 when buying a new apartment. And that’s how the scheme was working up till then.”Going on to say he had personally told minister Bonnici to address the situation based on the couple’s “logical argument”, Abela said their story is what prompted the change in the scheme where the two would be able to claim the remaining €9,000 for their technically new, first house. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)Announced last Friday, the First-Time Buyers scheme extension addressed three major changes. Beyond the one outlined by Abela earlier today, people will disabilities will now receive double the amount, €2,000 per year for a total of €20,000. Meanwhile, an update will see the scheme covering cases where a property was donated after 2022 but a loan was taken out for its construction or completion (here, €10,000 will also apply).Another scenario which led to the extension of the scheme, Abela said, centred around families which would be looking to upgrade their homes due to them having more children and their first home not being able to suit their needs. The requirement here is that the second property becomes their primary and sole residence and they do not own any other properties.What do you make of these changes and extensions? Sound off in the comments below.•