Action against high rental for RH in Jrslm

Ruchi ↓

Wed, Sep 11 2024, 5:31 pm

It was about time this was initiated. Hopefully more kehillas will join the bandwagon

https://matzav.com/real-estate.....anah/

lovelylife ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 2:24 am

so now they should do something about the baalei dirah who are charging astranomical amounts to their long term tenants who are charging this much just to pay the rent for the month. (Referring to Tishrei in general.)

shabbatiscoming ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 4:30 am

Im sorry but why is it ok for someone else to decide how much an aartment owner can charge for their apartment to be rented?
Im sorry but if you want to be in a specific location at a specific time, its very fare to have to pay fir the privelege. And that IS what is is.

abrainbow ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 4:47 am

Or how about all the Americans that "just want to spend Yom Tov in Yerushalayim" rent an Israeli style apartment. Simple. They want luxury or at least something rennovated. I don't blame them it took me a long time to get used to my Israeli style apartment, but don't claim that all you want to do is spend Yom Tov in Yerushalayim. If so you would take my Israeli style 4 bedroom for less than my rent is.

banana123

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 5:26 am

"Bloodbath"?!?!?! Bloodbath???

They've got a lot of gross chutzpa and gassus nefesh to use that term when there are literally people being murdered every day here.

That is just disgusting.

Success10 ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 5:39 am

Could someone please copy and paste the article?

Elfrida ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 5:59 am

Tens of thousands of Chassidim go to Yerushalayim each year for Rosh Hashanah. This Rosh Hashanah – which is a three-day Yom Tov – many families are once again looking to rent apartments to stay for the Yom Tov and be as close as possible to their Rebbe.

In the Belzer Chassidus, a national committee has been established for renting apartments to those wishing to stay near the Rebbe. The committee is headed by Rav Shamai Kehas Gross, a member of the Badatz of Machzikei Hadas, along with other rabbonim. This committee, together with the Housing Committee led by the Belzer Rebbe, has set reasonable prices for apartments this year, alongside a series of other decisions for Rosh Hashanah.

In the Belzer Chassidus, it has been noted that in recent years, the industry of renting apartments for Rosh Hashanah in the Belzer complex in Yerushalayim and the surrounding area has become a bloodbath of sorts. Chassidim and others coming from all corners of the country and the world arrive and want to stay in the area, but are required to pay an exorbitant sum that is far from within their means.

According to the rental managers, most of whom are not Belzer Chassidim, they exploit the situation to make a fortune at the expense of the Chassidim. This phenomenon has no parallel worldwide. Even in the most prestigious hotels during peak demand times, such high sums are not charged for basic services.

In the explanatory pages for combating the high prices, it is stated that “a hotel provides full catering services including serving and clearing… A hotel provides spacious and courteous room services including maintenance and cleaning… A hotel offers comfortable beds and proper conditions, not thin mattresses in the corridor and kitchen. A hotel is left as is at the end of the stay, whereas a rented apartment needs to be cleaned thoroughly after the chag. …Despite all this, the prices are higher than hotels.”

The reports emerging this year from the field are horrifying. Apartment owners who charged exorbitant prices for their apartments last year are now demanding double that amount. They already know that if they found someone who paid their demanded price last year, they will also find someone this year willing to pay the inflated current price.

In the Biala Chassidus, they reached the conclusion that many Chassidim are facing a untenable situation, and therefore this year they instructed that no apartments should be rented at all, and only the yungeleit will come to stay with the Rebbe, while their families will remain in their homes.

As a result of the dramatic step taken by Biala, minyanim will be held in the shuls for the women who remain at home.

It has been reported that in the Biala Chassidus, Chassidim have already canceled their apartments in complete adherence to the instructions received.

The Belzer Chassidus Housing Committee, led by Rav Aharon Mordechai Rokeach, has announced that they are working with brokers and landlords and are already seeing a positive response from them. The committee has created a large database of apartments that meet their price standards.

The committee is also working to flood the market with additional accommodation options for families by renting entire buildings suitable for this purpose, with the aim of balancing the prices.

Belz is also calling on Chassidim and stating that if you have an apartment you have been renting for many years, and it exceeds the committee’s prices, report it immediately to the committee’s office. They will negotiate with the landlord and simultaneously offer you a selection of apartments that meet your requirements and are within the committee’s prices. The public is asked to report immediately to the committee’s office any apartment that exceeds the new regulations.

Below are the prices published by the Belz Housing Committee, and according to the managers, they hope that other Chassidic courts will join the fight.

Then underneath it, there's a list of approved prices. The roads closer to Belz are more expensive, and get cheaper further out. If you are willing to walk about fifteen minutes, there is no price control.

A five room apartment with a minimum of twelve beds in Kiryat Belz cost 6,500 shekel, with an option of extra mattresses for 100 shekel per mattress, per night. No upper limit stated, so I could ve twenty people or more in the apartment.

The same size apartment on Rechov Zichron Yaakov would cost 4,500₪ with extra mattresses at 70₪ per person per night.

I'm guessing that the landlord would have a lot of work to do in that apartment, both before and after, so he needs to get a price that would justify his time and the work involved.

It sounds a bit like the way a two room shack in Uman costs a fortune to rent for Rosh HaShana, because of the astronomical demand and limited supply.

DrMom ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 6:27 am

banana123 wrote:

"Bloodbath"?!?!?! Bloodbath???

They've got a lot of gross chutzpa and gassus nefesh to use that term when there are literally people being murdered every day here.

That is just disgusting.

This. The entire article -- about vacation apartment pricing -- is written in such a hyper-dramatic style. How does this news outlet cover stories of actual importance?

Owners can charge what they think they can get on the open market. If it is too high, they won't get customers. If some enterprising person sees an opportunity to offer a lower cost solution, good for him.

Why impose price limits -- and institute a system of snitching on neighbors?! How is that a healthy way to govern a community?

lotus2525 ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 6:30 am

I live right across belz, and this can not get more hypocritical. Majority of our landlords are belze chassidim and the market price for long term apartments are through the roof. They charge almost $4000 a month for a basic 3 bedroom apartment and the prices are only going up.
Suddenly when it comes to the belze paying and others earning, that’s when they create rules and guidelines. How about creating rules that belze landlords cannot raise their tenants’ rent by hundreds if not thousands of dollars?? No, the rules are only there to protect their pockets . Most of us count on the money we earn tishrei to be able to afford these astronomical prices year round. Maybe If the belze landlords wouldn’t be charging so much money year round, the prices for tishrei wouldn’t be so high

↑ shabbatiscoming ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 6:46 am

lotus2525 wrote:

Unfortunately thise seem to be the going rates in jerusalem. A little bit high but not much.
Its not only belz landords. Its all landlords in major cities.

causemommysaid ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 6:53 am

Belz is a chassidus that follows their rebbi. The rebbi makes all kinds of rules his chassidim choose to follow in order to be part of his kehillah. Now rent control is one of those rules.

I don't see the issue. If you aren't Belz you don't have to follow this. If you are subletting from a Belzer and have to follow this, then sublet from someone else. If the belz community is doing things to combat high rent, they have every right to do that just like you habe the right to charge exorbitant prices for your apartment.

↑ Elfrida ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 7:01 am

causemommysaid wrote:

It's those who aren't Belz and who live in the area and are hoping to rent out their apartments to Belzers for Rosh Hashanah who are caught in the middle. They don't follow Belz, but if the chassidim will only oay the prices dictated by that letter, it's putting a cap on what they can charge.

Having upwards of twelve bochrim in your apartment is going to cause a fair amount of wear and tear, and the apartment is going to need serious cleaning afterwards, if not more. The landlord also needs enough money to cover accommodation for his family elsewhere, and to make some profit on the deal.

ora_43 ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 7:26 am

This is normal for a hareidi community. A lot of the closer-knit communities function as unions of a type. They keep prices affordable both by helping each other within the community, and also by buying/ not buying as a group. Sort of like the cottage cheese protests.

There's also the spiritual aspect. The rebbe is in charge of leading the community, including when it comes to questions like how much to spend on this particular tradition.

And then there's the part where the rebbe is personally involved. "How much should I sacrifice to spend RH with the rebbe" is a question that inherently involves the rebbe.

Long story short - I think the article itself is ridiculously over the top, but the communal action part of it makes sense.

notshanarishona ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 7:43 am

Imagine I bought an apartment in this area for an extra 300,000 nis because I knew I could rent it out 5-6 x a year and pay my high mortgage and still live so centrally. All the sudden I am stuck losing out .

Molly Weasley ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 7:44 am

banana123 wrote:

"Bloodbath"?!?!?! Bloodbath???

They've got a lot of gross chutzpa and gassus nefesh to use that term when there are literally people being murdered every day here.

That is just disgusting.

I have no horse in this race.

But regards to the hyperbole in the article, that often happens when the original article is in Hebrew and someone translates it.

↑ Elfrida ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 7:46 am

Molly Weasley wrote:

I have no horse in this race.

But regards to the hyperbole in the article, that often happens when the original article is in Hebrew and someone translates it.

No translation. Follwing Success10's request, I copied and pasted what was written, without changing anything.

I put it in italics to distinguish between the copied article and my own comments beneath.

lavendar310

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 8:11 am

What about Sukkos? All the little American kollel couples live there all year, go home for "elul zman and sukkos" and I got priced over 11k for a 4 bedroom apartment. That's normal? I'm sure that's 4 or 5 months of their rent!

↑ Success10

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 8:20 am

lavendar310 wrote:

If it's nicely renovated in a prime location (including Ramat Eshkol area) then sadly, 11k is not 4 or 5 months of their rent. Closer to like 3.

↑ DrMom ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 8:25 am

Elfrida wrote:

Well, Belzers who own apartments in the area may just decide that it's not worth the hassle to rent out their apartments for such low rates, so there will still be a market for others to rent out.

Brit in Israel ↓

Thu, Sep 12 2024, 8:26 am

notshanarishona wrote:

So many people now have borrowed a large amount for a new project on Torah Metzion/sarai yisrael street (plot of the old TV tower)
Most of the project was sold for discounted price for merchira l'mishkanta and every who won bought it as it's a huge investment for tishrei time.
I hope no one is affected badly.