Tenant Evicted From Chandelier Shop After 70 Years for Zero Electricity Use
Translated & summarized from Bizportal by baba
A Tel Aviv court ordered Avraham Tsikbashvili, a protected tenant of a chandelier shop, to be evicted after nearly four years of zero electricity consumption. The property owner, Arie Dov Kastenbaum, must pay Tsikbashvili NIS 125,000 in compensation before the tenant vacates within 30 days. The judge ruled that while Tsikbashvili initially held protected status, he lost it due to abandoning the commercial property, despite his claims of manual artistic work and health issues. The court also awarded Kastenbaum NIS 15,000 in legal costs.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Avraham Tsikbashvili must vacate a chandelier shop after nearly four years of zero electricity usage.
- Property owner Arie Dov Kastenbaum must deposit NIS 125,000 for Tsikbashvili's eviction.
- The court ruled Tsikbashvili abandoned the commercial property despite his claims of manual artistic work.
- Tsikbashvili initially held protected tenant status derived from his father.
- The tenant will have 30 days to leave after the compensation is deposited.
- Tsikbashvili must also pay NIS 15,000 in court costs to the property owner.
A Tel Aviv court has ordered the eviction of a protected tenant from a chandelier shop after electricity bills showed virtually zero kilowatt-hour consumption since 2020. Judge Mirav Kenzi-Naman ruled that Avraham Tsikbashvili, who had held the shop since his father's death in 1999 and paid NIS 250 monthly, had abandoned the premises. The property owner, Arie Dov Kastenbaum, must deposit NIS 125,000 in trust before Tsikbashvili has 30 days to vacate.
Tsikbashvili's father, Reuven Tsikbashvili, held the shop as a protected tenant from 1978, operating a workshop and store for chandeliers and lighting fixtures. After his death, the son continued to pay rent. He also worked as a food engineer and deputy director of business licensing for the Holon Municipality until retiring in 2012.
Kastenbaum filed the eviction lawsuit in September 2024, alleging Tsikbashvili never truly took over as tenant or had abandoned the shop. He presented photos of the shop closed and dark, and a long-standing "inventory liquidation sale" sign. He testified that the inventory had been static for a decade, with only cobwebs accumulating.
Tsikbashvili, represented by lawyer Alisa Ella Meril Oron, claimed he continued the family business, visited the shop several times a week, and that his reduced presence was due to the war and health issues. He explained the minimal electricity use by the nature of his "ancient artistic workshop," where chandeliers are disassembled and crystal cleaned manually, quietly, and in daylight, without needing strong lighting.
The judge rejected this explanation, noting the defense's description of the shop as a "workshop and store" without mentioning ancient artistry. She highlighted electricity bills showing 2 kWh in spring 2020, 0.45 kWh in late 2021, and zeros thereafter. The judge found the tenant's explanations for the zero consumption and the dubious nature of approximately 60 invoices, many with identical details but different prices, unconvincing.
While the judge dismissed Kastenbaum's claim that Tsikbashvili never became a protected tenant, ruling he gained "derived tenant" status after his father's death, she found he lost this status by ceasing to actively work in the shop. Citing precedent, she stated a mere abstract desire to return is insufficient; a genuine intention accompanied by overt actions is required.
Using a "reverse justice remedy," the judge ordered the eviction but conditioned it on compensation. Factors favoring Tsikbashvili included 48 years of family holding, consistent rent payments, and the owner's long delay in suing. Against him were his other income source, the commercial nature of the property, and the abandonment. Kastenbaum must deposit NIS 125,000 by November 4, after which Tsikbashvili has 30 days to vacate. Tsikbashvili will also pay NIS 15,000 in court costs.