Ministry of Justice Approves Standard 9.1 to Uniformly Measure Apartments
Israel's Ministry of Justice has approved Standard 9.1 to establish a uniform definition for apartment sizes, reducing market discrepancies and increasing transparency for real estate buyers.
The Land Appraisers Council at the Ministry of Justice has approved Standard 9.1, replacing the outdated Standard 9.0 to establish a uniform definition for apartment areas. The new standard aims to reduce measurement and interpretation gaps in the real estate market while increasing transparency for buyers and developers.
Standardizing Apartment Measurements
The standard, approved on Wednesday, follows the draft published in April 2026 as part of the Appraisal Standardization Committee's staff work. Previous measurement methods created discrepancies between developer claims, Tabu land registry records, and municipal assessments. Standard 9.0, introduced in 2006, attempted to resolve this by standardizing interior spaces, exterior walls, and shared partitions.
However, ambiguities persisted regarding shared walls with lobbies, stairwells, attic spaces, and sloped-terrain properties. The new Standard 9.1 establishes that apartment areas will be measured within the polygon formed by the exterior faces of the outer walls and the center of shared walls, providing clarity for all structural components.
"The new standard will eliminate market discrepancies and provide absolute certainty for apartment buyers and developers across the housing sector."
Impact on Storage and Attics
The updated regulations also clarify specific structural additions:
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Attics: Included only if accessed via a permanent built-in staircase; attics with temporary or no access are excluded.
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Storage Units: Included only if physically attached with direct access solely from the apartment; storage units in shared spaces like building lobbies are excluded.
