Caution, Landmine: The Checks You Must Do Before Buying an Apartment in Tel Aviv
Purchasing an apartment is probably the biggest deal you will make in your life. In Tel Aviv, and especially in older areas in the south of the city, the complexity increases. At NADLANSKY, we often encounter buyers who fall in love with an apartment that is “renovated and beautiful,” only to discover serious licensing problems at the last minute. To ensure you arrive prepared, here are the critical points that must be checked.
1. Is the apartment legally subdivided? The phenomenon of subdivided apartments is very common in Tel Aviv. You see an apartment divided into 3 housing units yielding an insane return? Stop. It is mandatory to check the building file at the municipality to see if the subdivision was done with a permit. If the subdivision is illegal, you expose yourself to heavy fines, demolition orders, and a real difficulty in selling the property in the future.
2. The Tabu (Land Registry) vs. Reality
There is often a gap between what you see with your eyes and what is registered in the Tabu extract.
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Is the roof that belongs to the garden apartment really attached to it in the Tabu?
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Is the storage room registered?
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Does the apartment area in the Tabu correspond (more or less) to the actual area? These gaps can dramatically affect the property’s value and your ability to get a mortgage from the bank.
3. Building File and Betterment Levies
A check with the municipal engineering department will reveal whether the property has debts, expected betterment levies, or, God forbid, a dangerous structure order. In South Tel Aviv, an area undergoing redesign, it is important to understand what the TAMA (City Building Plan) designates for the area. Will a tower be built in front of your window in two years?
Our Role as Brokers We do not replace lawyers or any professional you will need to employ along the way. But we are your first line of defense. At NADLANSKY, we perform preliminary checks and help you ask the hard questions.
Legal Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general knowledge only and does not replace a legal, planning, or engineering inspection. Do not rely on the content for executing a transaction. It is mandatory to perform all checks through a real estate specialized lawyer and a property appraiser before signing a binding contract. E. & O.E. (Errors and Omissions Excepted).
