Broshim, the contracts and the lack of turnover

 People come and go in Broshim, the dorms close to TAU and affiliated with the university (but not its property, they are owned by a private company, Shikun and Binui). Typically, the International researchers have a one-to-one contract with the dorms, mediated by TAU International office (today called the Lowy International School).

This means that the tenant (meaning us scholars) in this case is bound to the rules of the contract, which are clearly stated in there.

        --> attempts to change the rules have been made, but quite unsuccessful.

The major issue is that the contract lasts one year, and therefore by the signature the tenant commits to pay the whole period. 

This thing was not a big issue before, because of the turnover of the tenants. Typically, in a few weeks, the Housing coordinator (back then Shlomi, now Vicktoria) would find a replacement, so any tenant would be able to leave at any time and shift their contract to someone else.

This year, amid the war, things became challenging, and therefore we are facing a sudden issue: the lack of new tenants!

Given the situation, many researchers are leaving, a few are coming, and among them, a small number decided to stay in the dorms. This situation lead to unexpected consequences:

• The waiting list to enter the dorm is cut short (it is not clear if it still exists or not)
• The housing office does not have new names for this period, and it allows the tenant to find a replacement autonomously 
• There are a series of people waiting for someone to take over their apartment

This means that someone who is leaving now the dorms has the problem of finding a replacement, which is virtually non-existent, with the big constraint to look ONLY for International students enrolled in TAU.

Why is that? It's because the Lowy International School is client of Shikun and Binui and it has purchased a fixed number of apartments to be given to the International Students, among which there are spots for researchers like us. 

Bachelors and Master students actually have another type of contract, so their conditions are different from ours.

This means that the number of apartment that the Lowy International School has can't vary, therefore they can't either purchase more spots nor give up the existent ones. I mean, in Israel bureaucracy matters.

Controversially, this situation puts the status quo upside down, where the responsibilities are poured on the researcher's shoulders. As a tenant, they have to pay the rent (till the end of the contract) and they have to find a substitute if they leave early.

Thus, a number of tenants (researchers) are in a bothersome situation where, although they are leaving in these days, they are still stuck with the contract, therefore they have to pay the rent till September the 30th.

Yes, you heard well. But, at least, you can leave Broshim whenever you want. It is still possible to make an early Check out, while still paying the bill.

What can we do?

First of all, it is important to consider the following things:

• If you gave up the contract for the next year, you are supposed to pay the rent till the end of September
• If you were planning to stay another year and then you changed your mind, other than paying the rent till the end of this year, you have a fine of 200 shekels for withdrawing from your next commitment
• Since there is no an official list of apartments on sale, I would personally recommend to proceed with the checkout, so that your apartment becomes available and both the Broshim dorms and the International office are aware of the immediate availability. Not that this would solve the situation, but miracles can happen. In the hypothetical case a big bunch of folks come in these days, you will be absolved from your commitments. 
• By an early checkout, any problem regarding the conditions of the apartment will be solved, or you are in time to fix it before you leave.

Another option is to write a complaint letter to the dorms and the Lowy International school, highlighting the challenging situation and the unfairness of the "this is your business" approach. Although nowhere is stated that the International office must take actions in such case, it would be appreciable, fair and compromising having (at least) a partial covering of the expenses of these 2-3 months where there was no turnover, just like they did when the war broke out.

In this case, the list of compensation is even shorter, because most of us are going ahead with their lives in TAU and they are not suffering from this situation. And given the cuts in the events and other initiatives done because of the war, if any budget is left, it would be very helpful to invest in our financial protection. 

PS The Housing office reported that by October (the new academic year) they should have new tenants as the new school year starts. Therefore, in the future, things should go back to normality. We ask you to confirm with Vicktoria about the status of the situation, month by month: as soon as you know you are leaving, ask immediately whether replacements are likely or available.

Anyone interested in this initiative is welcome to reach out to us. Together we can make the difference!