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 decision and Justice Ministry guidelines, according to which draft-eligible individuals who have not resolved their status with the IDF will not be able to receive state housing benefits. The Housing Ministry needs to adapt the system so that it can receive data from the IDF and verify who can participate and who cannot. The guidelines do not apply to everyone who did not serve in the IDF, but only to draft-eligible individuals who have not resolved their status.
There is a difference between those who have already won an apartment and those still waiting on the list. Winners who have already received notice are supposed to retain their win and proceed to signing a contract. Draft-eligible individuals on waiting lists, on the other hand, are expected to be removed from them and lose the opportunity to subsequently receive an apartment in that same lottery.
This is already the second time this year that the draft issue has stalled Affordable Housing. In the spring, the lottery was frozen following the ruling until the Housing Ministry could find a way to prevent participation by those who had not resolved their status. Subsequently, a temporary solution was found under which it was decided to hold a lottery for about 4,000 apartments for reservists, half with priority for combat soldiers, and to leave the remaining apartments for the general public for a later stage. That will wait until the site resumes operations. When? According to the telephone help desk, there is still no estimate as to when that will happen.
Housing Ministry: 'Working to complete updates as soon as possible'
The Ministry of Construction and Housing stated: "The Ministry of Construction and Housing is working to complete the required adjustments to the systems as soon as possible. At this stage, it is not possible to issue new eligibility certificates or renew existing ones, except for processing eligible individuals who have already won a lottery and require eligibility in order to proceed with realizing their win, choosing an apartment, and signing a contract.
"It should be emphasized that prior to the opening of the next lotteries, the option to issue and renew eligibility certificates will reopen with sufficient time to allow the public to prepare and register for the lotteries as usual.
"The ministry is working to complete the updates as soon as possible and will publish an official announcement to the public upon the reopening of the service."