State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said in a report published Wednesday that the Government Housing Administration in the Finance Ministry is managing thousands of state buildings and properties without a complete, up-to-date inventory, without sufficient information on critical issues such as protection and earthquake resistance, and while holding vacant assets worth more than 100 million shekels.
The administration is responsible for 6,607 buildings totaling about 3.5 million square meters, including 1,225 office buildings covering about 1.7 million square meters. About 65% of office space is state-owned, 30% is rented, and 5% is in joint ventures with the private sector. The report says its property mapping is based largely on a 2001 survey, the records are kept in a physical archive rather than a computerized database, and the inventory in the state balance sheet is incomplete. A required valuation of the portfolio, which should be done at least once every 10 years, has not been carried out since 2013.
On building safety, the administration has earthquake-resistance data for only about 235 of its 1,225 office buildings, roughly 20% of the total, and it does not know how many of its buildings are properly protected. Englman said that despite the importance of standard protection in government buildings, especially during the War of Iron Swords, Operation With the Lion, and Operation Lion's Roar, the agency lacks the data needed to assess the government's ability to maintain continuity in emergencies.
The report also found delays in installing photovoltaic systems on state building roofs. Although hundreds of buildings could generate solar power, only about 150 properties were surveyed and panels were installed on just 16 roofs. The auditor estimated that at least four years of delay cost the state 248 million to 288 million shekels in missed revenue, or 62 million to 72 million a year.
Englman further said the administration has 57 properties worth more than 100 million shekels that have not been rented for long periods, including nine empty for more than three years. It has no long-term policy for managing or selling unused assets and often decides on sales mainly to cover its own budget deficit. The report also described a long-running dispute with the Israel Land Authority over hundreds of state-owned properties, affecting roughly 20% of the assets under the administration's control. The auditor urged both bodies to reach agreement, or else seek a binding resolution from the attorney general, and called on the ministry to create a comprehensive computerized map and a long-term strategy for state property management. The Finance Ministry had not responded by publication time.
