Fourth lottery of the "discounted apartment" program is underway: 7,000 units will be sold

The fourth lottery of the "discounted apartment" program is underway: the Ministry of Construction and Housing and the Israel Lands Authority (RMI) announced that another lottery, which includes about 7,000 discounted housing units throughout the country, will open at the end of the year (Wednesday, 12.28.22) and will be closed About a week and a half later, with the beginning of the new civil year (Sunday, January 8, 23). So far this year, about 21 thousand households have won the lotteries held as part of the program, which was promoted by the outgoing Minister of Construction and Housing Ze'ev Elkin at the beginning of his term.
Among the cities that will participate in the next lottery are Jerusalem, Sderot, Ashdod, Kadima-Zoran, Yehud-Monson, Karmiel, Ramla, Haifa, the ultra-Orthodox settlement Emanuel and more. The Ministry of Housing states that the list of cities is not final and can change. Recall that the number of housing units that will be drawn can also change. In the announcement published by the ministry last month, it was reported that during the month of December, the registration for the lottery will be opened, which is expected to include about 9,000 housing units, and now, as mentioned, the report refers to 7,000 apartments.
The reason, apparently, lies in the fact that some of the contractors who won the tenders will not have enough to pay the state the initial sums for the lands. In the previous lottery, there were supposed to be about 3,500 discounted housing units, as the Ministry of Housing reported before the holidays, but in real time the number was reduced to 3,300 apartments. In any case, the number of apartments in the next lottery should slightly increase the chance of winning compared to the previous lottery.
Those eligible to register for the lottery are homeless people with a valid eligibility certificate. The winners do not receive a ready-made apartment, but win the right to purchase an apartment in a new project that has not yet been built. Contractors who win state tenders, including discounted apartments, advance the planning and licensing procedures with the local authority - and when the project is close to receiving a building permit, those eligible are invited to register and choose the relevant apartments. The winners are prohibited from selling the apartment they won for 5 years from the day they received the key or 7 years from the day they won the lottery, but it can be rented out.
The Ministry of Housing emphasizes that the possibility of issuing a certificate of eligibility will be open until three days after the opening of the lottery (Sunday 1.1.23), after which it will not be possible to issue certificates until registration for the lottery closes. According to data from the Ministry of Housing, a total of 30,000 households should win the lotteries in 2022.
Minister Elkin said: "Along with the steps to dramatically expand the number of land marketings to 100,000 housing units per year in 2021-2022, it was clear to us that we must return discounted housing programs to young couples, which will allow them to purchase an apartment right now at a discount of hundreds of thousands of shekels at the expense of the state After a two-year hiatus, we brought back the Housing Ministry's lotteries, and during this year almost 30,000 families will be able to buy an apartment at a significant discount. Next year, following the plans launched in recent months, the Housing Ministry will succeed in producing another 45,000 such apartments, assuming that the new Minister of Housing will not stop it. In fact, in the years 2022-2023, about 75 thousand young couples out of 120 thousand young couples who participate in the lotteries will be able to buy an apartment at a discount."
The Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing, Aviad Friedman, added: "Ahead of the new civil year, over 7,000 additional households will be able to purchase an apartment at a significant discount and start 2023 on the right foot. The lottery is a direct continuation of all the steps and moves promoted by the ministry in recent times, on the way to breaking records in construction starts and the number of marketings for the second year in a row. We work around the clock in order to respond to the demands, and I ask all citizens who meet the eligibility rules - please do not wait for the last minute, go ahead and issue the eligibility certificates so that you can register in time for the lottery."
The Director General of the Israel Land Authority, Yankee Quint, stated: "RMI works day and night to expand the supply of land for housing. Most of the housing units are routed in favor of an apartment at a discount to enable as many young people and families who do not own an apartment in Israel to succeed in realizing their dream of owning an apartment. We will continue to produce Quality housing solutions for the benefit of the entire Israeli public."