[img]96|left|||no_popup[/img]Dateline Jerusalem — I've had a busy week. Lots of visitors. The plumber, the electrician, the air conditioner man.
Does this sound familiar? In the past I have written about the rundown condition of my apartment. As soon as one thing is fixed, another needs fixing. Just recently I had all three repairmen come to my home. All lights on one side of my apartment weren't working, the toilet had a leak and the air conditioner expelled warm air instead of cold.
Then this week I had to have them return. Two lights blew in my living room, my kitchen flooded while washing my dishes, and there was a large puddle of water sitting under the air conditioner because it was draining inside my apartment instead of outside.
My lease states that I must repair everything, and I must paint the apartment when I move out.
The apartment is about 40 years old, and it is obvious to me that it never has been painted. The paint in the bathroom and kitchen is so badly chipped that you can see the old wood underneath. There are no ceiling fixtures. The overhead lights are bulbs dangling from above.
I hired a professional floor cleaner to wash the tile floors and he said that he didn't think they had been washed in years. Things were so bad that he refused to guarantee his work because although I observed him steam-clean the floors, they still looked as though they were dirty because he could not get out the discoloration, especially in corners.
Conditions No Impediment to Rent Increase
Yet despite all the problems, my landlord raised my rent again. Not only do I pay rent, but I also pay for the apartment building's monthly maintenance fee, the landlord's taxes and all utilities.
Landlords have it made in Israel. No responsibilities. The landlords require two people to guarantee that the tenant will pay the rent and do no damage, not that the landlord would repair any damage if it occurred. The landlord also requires the tenant to do something that is illegal in the U.S. but perfectly legal in Israel, to post date a year's worth of rent checks.
You probably wonder why tenants would put up with such nonsense. We have no choice. Apartments for sale are abundant, but affordable apartments for rent are difficult to find. If I lived in a metropolitan area such as Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, I would be paying twice as much rent as I do now.
Yet, no matter what I pay for my apartment, it is less expensive than what I would be paying in the U.S. On the other hand, tenants have rights in the U.S. and salaries are double.
L'hitraot. Shachar
Shachar is the Hebrew name of a California-based attorney and former Los Angeles County deputy sheriff who moved to Israel two years ago.
