The Lands Enforcement and Supervision Authority conducted a broad survey of balconies in buildings in Bnei Brak, due to concerns of danger to human life.
As part of the survey, approximately 6,500 balconies in the city were examined. In the first stage, about 2,500 balconies in 1,250 buildings were mapped as having dangerous potential.
The survey’s findings were transferred to the Bnei Brak Local Committee for examination of whether building permits and safety approvals exist for the balconies that were identified.
The Enforcement Authority will decide on its next steps in accordance with the results of the examination. Among the options are enforcement measures and the demolition of balconies found to be dangerous and lacking permits.
The survey was conducted due to a widespread phenomenon of illegal construction in dense cities, particularly Bnei Brak: Multiple incidents of balcony collapses in various cities in recent years prompted the Authority to launch a systematic survey.
Many balconies were built over the years by residents without engineering supervision and without undergoing any safety inspection. Experts warn that this poses a real danger, especially given the deterioration of older buildings and loads that were not planned in advance.