The Ministry of Construction and Housing’s Affordable Housing website has been shut down for several days. Those attempting to log in encounter a system message regarding “maintenance work,” but the reason for the closure is less technical. The ministry is updating its systems according to Justice Ministry requirements to prevent draft-eligible individuals who have not resolved their status with the IDF from receiving housing benefits from the state. Until the update is complete, those who served in the army, performed reserve duty, meet the criteria, and simply wish to issue an eligibility certificate or renew an existing one are left out.
Currently, it is impossible to issue new eligibility certificates or renew certificates about to expire. Applications submitted after September 17 at 6:30 p.m. will be processed only after the update is completed. The Housing Ministry announced it will publish a further notice after Yom Kippur, but did not commit to the website resuming operations then. Registration and renewal remain stuck in the meantime.
In ordinary times, it takes a lot of luck to be included in the list of winners. For the last lottery, about 115,000 landless households registered for fewer than 8,000 apartments. In the current round, 7,922 apartments were offered across 19 localities. Tens of thousands of couples register repeatedly, waiting for the next lottery or remaining on waiting lists in the hope that someone ahead of them will forfeit an apartment and they will be able to advance.
Change in eligibility could lead to loss of apartment
An eligibility certificate is valid for only one year. Renewal must be carried out within 60 days of receiving a reminder and costs NIS 50. If the deadline has passed, a new certificate must be issued, costing NIS 200 and requiring a wait of up to ten business days. Currently, this cannot be done, and the Housing Ministry’s announcement did not state that those whose certificates expire while the site is down will receive an automatic extension.
Those on the waiting list must exercise even more patience. There are couples who wait months, and sometimes years, to advance to a position from which an apartment can be obtained. If one of the winners ahead of them forfeits, fails to sign a contract, or loses eligibility, they can move up. A couple that has already reached a high spot on the list may be very close to getting an apartment, so any change in their eligibility could harm them.
“My husband served over 100 days of reserve duty, we paid fees, waited two years on a waiting list in Ashdod, and reached a realistic spot,” says Michal, 28, from Tel Aviv. “Now our certificate has been frozen, the site is closed, and we have no one to talk to. We are paying NIS 8,500 a month in rent, our money is burning, and we are hostages of the system because of a Draft Law that has nothing to do with us.”
The reason for shutting down the site is an April High Court…
Read More: Affordable Housing site shut down
