New Real Estate Data Site Blocked From Key Tax Authority Database

A new independent initiative, the "Verses Le'am" website, aiming to consolidate all Israeli real estate transaction data, has encountered a significant obstacle. The site, created by attorney Guy Zomer, relies on scraping data from various sources, including the central "Real Estate Information Database" managed by the Tax Authority. Recently, the Tax Authority implemented an identification requirement for accessing this database, preventing automated data extraction, or scraping, which is crucial for the website's functionality.

The Tax Authority stated that the block is intended to prevent interference with the site's operations caused by AI tools. This database is the primary official source for reported real estate transactions in Israel. While the website had previously been able to access and store data from this source, the new restriction means it can no longer pull real-time transaction information.

Despite the Tax Authority's database being inaccessible for scraping, another government site, the "Government Real Estate Website," remains accessible. However, "Verses Le'am" notes that the two government databases do not present identical information, often showing discrepancies in transaction numbers, amounts, and even place names. A comparison by the website's team found that seven out of ten random sample transactions were missing from the government site but present in the Tax Authority's database, with further inconsistencies in reported amounts.

"Verses Le'am" was launched to address the long-standing challenge in the Israeli real estate sector of fragmented data scattered across numerous government and organizational websites. The site aggregates this information, making it searchable and allowing for cross-referencing. Zomer emphasized that this public data belongs to the public and should be accessible for use. The website itself cautions users to treat the data with skepticism, viewing it as a starting point rather than definitive information, and advises manual verification against original sources.