A diurit (דיורית) is a smaller living area inside a host apartment that may serve a separate household, but is not a separately registrable apartment. Under the Planning Administration’s procedure for new plans, its area is between 25 sqm and 50 sqm, counted within the host dwelling. It can have a separate entrance while relying on the host’s infrastructure, including a clearly accessible protected space. Calling a converted room a diurit does not, by itself, make the conversion lawful.
The distinction matters when renting a small unit, buying a home advertised with an income-producing annex, or reading a new development’s plans. Separate occupation, lawful planning permission and a separate title are three different questions.
Diurit, separate apartment or unverified conversion?
| Description | Planning and occupation question | Registration question |
|---|---|---|
| Diurit under the applicable approved arrangement | Check that the actual plan and permit allow the proposed host/diurit layout and use. | The procedure does not allow separate Land Registry registration from the host dwelling. |
| A separate apartment | Check the permitted dwelling and use, not just a separate door or kitchen. | Verify the actual rights and registration status; a marketing description is not a title document. |
| Converted space marketed as a studio or annex | Its legality remains unverified until the approved documents are checked. | A second rental agreement, meter or municipal bill does not create a separate title. |
Our legal-apartment checks for renters cover the broader document review. For how the statutory plan, building rights and permit fit together, see zoning laws in Israel.
What the revised procedure actually requires
The source is Planning Administration procedure 2023/4, amendment 1 dated 9 July 2024. It expressly replaces the procedure published on 14 March 2023 and addresses diuriot in new plans. Its definition and plan instructions should not be presented as a blanket permit exemption for every existing apartment.
- Part of the host dwelling: the diurit’s area is included in the host unit’s area, rather than being an additional independent registered apartment.
- Area: the procedure specifies the 25 sqm to 50 sqm range.
- Infrastructure: it relies on the host dwelling’s infrastructure, such as the protected room with clear access and parking arrangements.
- Registration: it cannot be registered separately from the host. A note under regulation 27 of the Land Regulations records the registration restriction and that the emergency protected-space solution is based on the host dwelling.
The document allows a separate household, including a separate entrance. That alone disproves the idea that every separate entrance automatically establishes an illegal split. It does not prove that a particular property meets the procedure or its approved plan.
Source: Planning Administration, revised procedure; the same original document is published by Omer’s local planning authority.
The plan must say where diuriot are permitted
A plan using this framework specifies the eligible host-dwelling size and the proportion of dwellings that may contain a diurit. The planning institution may identify particular plots in advance or leave the allocation to the permit stage. The plan provisions also state the registration restriction and the required note.
The maximum permitted number belongs in an instruction to table 5. That maximum is different from the estimated number likely to be used, recorded in table 2.3. Read the plan’s actual provisions and notes; do not assume the same host size or the same percentage applies across all developments.
Why the planning table uses an expected take-up rate
The procedure’s default estimated take-up is 30% of the dwellings eligible to contain a diurit, not of every dwelling in the plan. The planner and planning officer record their expected utilisation and the rate used. The total number of dwellings stays on the residential-unit line; estimated diuriot are recorded separately and are not added to that dwelling total.
A useful arithmetic check is therefore: eligible host dwellings multiplied by the assumed utilisation rate. Do not confuse that estimate with the maximum permission, a promise that all diuriot will be built, or evidence that additional independently saleable apartments exist.
Can an owner create one without another permit?
Do not infer that from the name. The revised procedure reviewed here does not establish a universal right to divide and rejoin any existing home without further licensing. Identify the applicable plan, approved drawings, permit conditions and intended use with a qualified architect or planning professional.
Ownership or land-management consent may also be a separate issue. The Israel Land Authority’s additional-construction service, for example, explains when its consent is relevant alongside the licensing authority’s permit process. That is not permission to ignore either the actual planning requirements or the rights of other parties.
What to request before buying or renting
| Claim in the listing | Evidence to request | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Approved diurit | The applicable plan provisions, permit and approved layout | Does this specific property and configuration qualify? |
| Separate entrance | The access arrangement in the approved drawings | Does the actual access match what was approved? |
| Access to a mamad | The protected-space arrangement and a practical route from the diurit | Is access clear and usable, rather than merely assumed? |
| Separate utilities or a shared bill | Connection details, meters and the proposed allocation agreement | How is consumption charged, and what do the approved documents allow? |
| Can be sold separately | Current rights record and the proposed transaction documents | How does that claim fit the prohibition on separate registration? |
Start the planning search in MAVAT and the relevant local authority’s building file. Obtain the appropriate current Land Registry extract or other rights confirmation. A plan, a permit, a registration record and a lease answer different questions; none should silently stand in for the others.
Does a diurit guarantee rental income or mortgage value?
No income or lending outcome follows merely from this planning term. For an investment comparison, separate what is approved from assumptions about rent, vacancy, works, privacy, shared infrastructure and management. Ask the lender and appraiser how they treat the actual property; do not assume that a separate household automatically creates a second independently mortgageable title.
Before treating an annex as part of your buying budget, bring the approved layout and rights information into your property search and the building-permit review.
Source and review scope
Checked on 31 October 2026 against the complete revised Planning Administration procedure, including its replacement clause and planning-table instructions. The 2023 source material was not carried forward where the revised document did not establish the same blanket claim. This is general information, not legal or tax advice; confirm with a licensed professional for the specific property.
