Here are the 9 Key Checks before buying an apartment in Israel:
1st check: the building permit file, Heter Bniya, with the plans and surfaces, and the obtention the conformity of the construction by the City hall, Tofes 4. The apartment in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, wherever is the apartment in Israel, it requires authorizations before building, and any additions.
This must be checked before purchase. If the construction is not legal the City hall may require demolition, or an urban tax. These authorizations have to be checked before purchase.
2nd check: does the apartment match the plans?
The layout of the rooms, as the elements, such as the sanitary in the bathrooms, the kitchen or the Mamad. The width of the corridors, and also the good positioning of the walls and openings in relation to the plans.
3rd check:
is the Construction Structure secure?
Are there cracks in walls of the apartment? in the common areas ? and outside in the facades? at the front and the back, and on the sides of the building, and in the basement. These checks help to identify if there is any structural problem, even if the paint has just been redone in the apartment and tries to hide the problem.
And if there are cracks, it will be necessary to define the cause of the problem, and to know if the problem is without consequence on the building, and what is the solution. Often a dampness problem can cause cracks, and does not mean a structural problem.
4th check: humidity in the apartment In all rooms some signs of humidity such as mold and black spots, swelling and cracking of paintings, especially at the foot of the wall, often at the junction with a terrace or under a window. This can be due either to a problem with the sealing between the terrace and the interior, or to a problem with the sealing of the window, or to infiltration by the support layer of the floor, whether it is tile or parquet.
5th Check: the humidity of ceilings located under a terrace or at a junction with a railing barrier, to check if traces of water infiltration. This can come from a problem of leasing of the facade plasters, or from the absence of "water drop" systems avoiding the fouling of facades, or from edge strips between the facade and copping. Similarly, a roof that is flat, or sloped can be a major source of infiltration. The equipment for checking is very important: such as dampness measurement tool, as MasterSurvey Protimeter and a Theriacal camera, and a knowledge of the way the law ask to check it.
6th Check: drainage of rainwater from tiles. Indeed, poor drainage of rainwater from the terrace cause serious problems of infiltration. The cause of these problems can come from the drain itself, which may be defective, or from the non-compliant drainage slopes of the terrace tiles. It is therefore necessary to check, as indicated by Teken Israeli 1055, the slopes towards the drains and the drain itself.
7th check: personal safety and comfort in the apartment:
-Is the electrical panel properly finished preventing dangerous access to electrical wires
- Are the railing protective barriers at the correct height of 105 cm set by 1099 and 2099, if it cannot be climbed.
- Use of the proper glazing for windows and bay windows, especially in areas of the apartment at risk of falling or altercation.
- Mamad’s room
- the acoustic insulation of the front door
- the accessibility of the lighting and the correct positioning of the electrical sockets.
-etc.
8th check: Quality of finishes.
- Coatings and paints;
- joinery
- kitchen worktop, flatness, water drop, etc.
9th Verification: the measurements of the apartment.
Overlap between measurements on site and those indicated on the permit plans. Using a lazer measure device, with a level integrated, in order to obtain accurate measurements.
Here are some key checks, knowing that not all checks can be summarized in an article, and must applied properly to the specific case. The article therefore has no legal vocation and you are invited to consult us for any question or information.