If like me you feel concerned by the total mess and lack of regulation you can find in the tel aviv real estate rental market, then you will want to check out this new website called RentControl.co.il
Before i wrote this post i wanted to check if this was a real initiative powered by real people and i got confirmation of that. The objective of this site is to gather enough people to influence the way the rental real estate market is regulated.
Right now it is very common to see rents jumping one year to another from between 30 to 50% or even more on landlord's discretion. In countries like France rental raise is regulated and limited by law to a a single digit % from year to year. In Israel (not only in Tel Aviv) a landlord does not have the obligation to extend the contract with the existing renter. It is an option you have to negotiate each year (usually this option is not "free").
As far as i am concerned i believe this is totally unacceptable and creating extreme abuse in the market. I know people that come to visit apartments with a bag full of cash for one year advance payment. I know landlords that wait that the existing renter is on vacation to rent the flat to someone who will pay 50 dollars more. I think this will get worse over time with dollar getting lower, demand higher, offer lower, employment rate stronger. And i believe this will extend beyond Tel aviv within the next 12 months.
That is why i decided to give a hand to website which promise to deliver much more very soon. You Can already sign their petition on their website.
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