The Ministries of Finance and Housing are expected to publish next week the seventh lottery of the “Mehir Lamishtaken.” The lottery, which will likely be published on Monday, the last day of 2018, is expected to be smaller than its predecessors and will only include 2,000 to 3,000 apartments. The final number of apartments available for rent largely depends on the success of the ILA land auctions, which are currently closing.
The publication of the tender is imminent despite recommendations made by senior officials from the Ministry of Housing to Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon. In their view, it would have been better to delay the publication of the lottery a bit, to allow more land, and in more attractive locations, to be included in the tender. But after the announcement of the elections, it seems that even the senior officials who recommended postponing the lottery now support its publication.
At this stage, a list of cities that are expected to participate in the upcoming lottery has not yet been published, as it will be based on the bids that can be closed near its existence. Cities that are sure to be involved in this lottery include, among others, Be’er Sheva, Dimona, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Netanya, and Raanana.
Also potentially included in the lottery are: a new neighborhood in Ashkelon City; 2,526 apartments, about 30% of the free market; Be’er Sheva has two bids including 637 and 1,473 housing units.
Kahlon noted this week in the Knesset: “Many people want to cancel this program, we are on guard to ensure continuity.”
