Engaged couples can now apply for Israel's discounted apartment raffle

Israel's Land Administration confirmed on Thursday that couples who are not yet married will be allowed to take part in future discounted apartment raffles contrary to past raffles.

According to the decision made, the candidates for these raffles will include engaged couples who applied for marriage or submitted a statement of intent to get married in the next three months. By presenting a certificate of entitlement to take part in the raffle, the Construction and Housing Ministry and Israel's Lands Authority will allow them to run as a "family unit."

The Construction and Housing Ministry said that engaged couples would be allowed to apply on the condition that they have already applied for marriage and can present a marriage certificate by the time they would win in the raffle.

Who could apply until now?

Thus far, those allowed to apply for a discounted apartment were people who do not own property and are married couples, parents, pregnant women, disabled people or single people over the age of 35. 

Couples who were engaged could not join the raffles but had to wait until after their wedding day and therefore miss out on previous raffles. The new decision was aimed at broadening the pool to yount people who are just before marriage.

Israel has held four raffles already and application is open for the fifth. People who win the raffles are given apartments at a discount out of a selection based on their preferences.

To apply for the next raffle visit https://www.dira.moch.gov.il/