In this short article, I will try to shed some light on a subject that might be easy for Israelis to understand. For new immigrants, however — who come from a different legal system — this topic is a nightmare.

Va’ad Bayit can be described as the internal council of any building (in this article, we will not be dealing with commercial buildings, only private homes). The Va’ad Bayit is actually “regulated” by law — Real Estate Law — which has a special chapter (Chapter 6) on Batim Meshutafim, i.e., condominiums. Any apartment building with 2 apartments or more (in other words, most apartment buildings) is called a Bayit Meshutaf.

At the end of this article, you will find (in Hebrew only) the entire chapter covering every legal aspect of a Bayit Meshutaf. The topics include, amongst others, the definition of a Bayit Meshutaf; how to elect a Va’ad; and the obligations of the Va’ad.

A special tribunal was created to deal with the rights and obligations of the Va’ad, and the violations of this law.

In Israel, the organization in charge of managing these Batim Meshutafim is known as Ha’aguda L’Tarbut Hadiyur (http://www.tarbut-hadiur.gov.il/Default.aspx?set=0:1). For a small annual fee, the organization will help you manage the Va’ad; will provide free legal aid; will supply you with a special computer program to manage the Va’ad; and much more (http://www.tarbut-hadiur.gov.il/Default.aspx?set=3:1). As far as I know, these services are only provided in Hebrew and the agency’s site is in Hebrew only.