When Comparing The Size of Apartments
When looking at apartments to buy in Israel the first thing people say they are looking for, is the size of the apartment. They state the size they are looking for, and then the number of bedrooms, bathroom, balconies, etc.
The biggest question here is how do we measure the size of the apartment? What is included? Balconies? Covered? Not covered? There are 4 different sizes of each apartment. There is the size that is written in the Tabo (title registration), the size that is written on the arnona (city tax), the actual size, and the size according to Chok Hamecher (laws regarding the sale or real estate property in Israel).
When comparing different apartments, it is important that you compare the same sizes. For example, the Chok Hamecher is used when selling a brand new apartment when bought from the developer, and cannot be compared to a second hand apartment.
What it comes down to when checking the different aspects of the size, is taking into consideration the resell value when you will sell an apartment you bought first-hand. Potential clients will be looking at the size registered in the Tabo and not the size according to Chok Hamecher. Additionally, the size written on the arnona is an indication of how much the arnona bill will be, but doesn’t reflect the legal size, which is what is written in the Tabo.
Apartment space is divided to residential areas and service areas. Service areas are: service balconies, balconies, storage rooms, parking, etc. These spaces are registered separately in the Tabo then the residential area. When converting (without a permit) one of the mentioned service areas to part of the residential area, the measurements in the arnona will include those additions (even though they are without permit), but in the Tabo the measurements will be written according to the legal status of the apartment.
Of course, there are exceptions to all, so before purchasing an apartment in Israel, it is important that your lawyer does an extensive background check of the registration status.
All in all, when looking for your forever home in Jerusalem, don’t hesitate to contact us at Alon Central!!