Protected space (illustration)
Photo: Michael Kramer
Following war: Israelis want protected space
Contractors' Association survey reveals half of public won't buy apartment without sealed and reinforced area; 95% of southern residents, 86% of northern residents view protected space as necessary condition when purchasing new flat
Half of the Israeli public won't purchase an apartment which does not include a protected space, a survey ordered by the Association of Contractors and Builders in Israel reveals.
The study, conducted by the Shvakim Panorama company, was held among a representative sample of Israel's adult population. Its goal was to inquire whether the preferences of Israel's residents have changed in regards to the purchase of a flat with or without a protected space following Operation Cast Lead.
According to the poll's results, most residents of southern and northern Israel say that if they were to buy an apartment today, they would not purchase one without a sealed and reinforced area.
According to the survey, 95% of the south's residents and 86% of the north's residents view a protected space as a necessary condition when buying a new apartment.
Among residents of central Israel, the necessity of a protected space drops. Only one-third of them said they would not buy an apartment without a sealed and reinforced area. In Jerusalem, 31.5% of residents have yet to decide whether they prefer a flat with or without a protected space.
Women more concerned
The survey also revealed that women want a protected space more than men do. Some 18% of Israeli women would purchase an apartment without a protected space today, compared to about 33% of Israeli men.
The Association of Contractors and Builders is working these days to increase the protected space so that it would also include a bathroom and a kitchenette, to a minimal space of 9 square meters (96.87 square feet).
Purchasing an apartment without a protected space is not irreversible, as a sealed and reinforced area can be added to an existing flat. The Association's website includes a list of contractors across the country who specialize in adding protected spaces to existing apartments.
The demand for apartment protected spaces increased following the Second Lebanon War. According to Attorneys Aviad Shuv and Yishai Landau, who specialize in real estate law, several amendments have been made to the law since the war in a bid to ease conditions and bureaucracy and provide incentives to residents to build protected spaces in their apartments.
