Calcalist, Amitay Gazit  28.10.20

Evacuation-construction in public housing will not increase the area of ​​the original apartments, nor will it decrease according to the size of the family; In return for this relief to the developer, he will transfer to the state monetary compensation that will be deposited in a dedicated fund set up to finance the payment of the house committee to the public housing tenants - according to the new regulations of the Urban Renewal Authority published for public comment.

In any evacuation-construction project, the owners of the apartments that are demolished are usually entitled to a new apartment that is larger than the area of ​​the original apartment. The public housing apartments are owned by the Ministry of Construction, and when these are evacuated-construction, the ministry should also receive enlarged apartments like the other owners of the rights in the building.

But now the new regulations stipulate new arrangements, according to which in most cases the state will apply for an exchange apartment in an area smaller than it is entitled to and the balance of value will be received in cash in a procedure known as "low", which is also exempt from tax payments.

The funds received in cash will be put into a dedicated fund, which is managed by the Urban Renewal Authority. The fund funds will be used to fund the maintenance cost differentials for public housing tenants after moving to the new building, where maintenance costs are higher than those that were customary in the old building. The funds that will be accumulated in the fund are intended for all tenants of public housing, even in buildings where it has not been made low but it is necessary to supplement the maintenance fee.

A Calcalist survey shows that between 1,500 and 2,000 public housing apartments are in evacuation-construction projects at various stages. According to the Urban Renewal Authority, about 60% of the families living in these apartments are 2 to 2 people, and they will receive a new apartment with a relatively small area compared to the original apartment. Accordingly their rent will also decrease accordingly (in case an apartment area increases the rent remains as it was).

As for the house committee fees, ie management and maintenance costs of the common property, in cases where the apartment has not grown and perhaps even shrunk the tenants will continue to pay the same amount they paid before the project was implemented. If the apartment they received is larger, the maintenance fee will increase by NIS 50 per month. In case a higher payment is required, the money will come from the fund. Einat Ganon, VP of the Urban Renewal Authority: "The money that will accrue in the fund will be directed to tenants who returned to the building that was rebuilt. It is important for us to preserve the housing of the public housing tenants and not throw them away because they can not bear the high maintenance costs."

The Urban Renewal Authority Act approved in 2016 first anchored the rights of tenants of public housing and stipulated that the right of first tenants is to return to the apartment in the new building, just like all tenants. The new regulations determine the size of the apartment to which a public housing tenant is entitled who chooses to return to his apartment in an eviction-construction project: a family in which up to two people will be entitled to an apartment of 75 sq.m. at most; a family of three is entitled to an 80 sq.m. A family of four is entitled to an 85 sq.m. apartment; a family of five is entitled to a 90 sq.m. apartment; And a family with six persons is entitled to a maximum of 95 square meters.

The new regulations of the Urban Renewal Authority are integrated into another process in which Amidar approached about 700 families living in a double apartment created by the connection of two apartments, and asked them to vacate half of their apartment. The connection of the apartments was created many years ago as a constraint in order to adapt the area of ​​the apartment to the number of people in the family. But the number of people in the families to whom Amidar turned has decreased since the apartment was enlarged. The purpose of these moves is to correct distortions created over decades and free up budget and apartments for the benefit of all public housing tenants.