I have mentioned before the difficulties in trying to negotiate renewal terms on our old apartment. Back in April he was willing to offer a formula that would have set the rate in NIS for the year, based on the rate the US dollar closed at today. At the time the exchange rate approaching $1US = 4.2 NIS with no end in sight of how high it would go. We made a counter offer stright up in NIS of what we thought was a generous rent increase. Every counteroffer was met with a new condition making staying more and more unpalatable. We made the smart decision and walked away. He insisted he would have not problem renting the apartment.
The markets are now closed and the verdict is in. His formula worked out to 18 NIS/month ($4.71 US/ $5.20 Cdn) more than our last counter offer. The landlord has been out of town so we are returning the keys tomorrow. To the best of my knowledge the apartment has not been rented. The macshan that was supposed to be included for a new tenant (we got slapped with an additional condition when we requested it) is still full of the landlord's stuff.
Given the extraordinary cost in moving, we would have never made the decision to leave without our hand being forced. We are really happy in the new apartment. In the long run we are better off. When we decided to move, we felt that we were being put in a difficult situation to allow for better things down the road. It is still really weird to be living in a place where this type of logic actually works. Israel has been a good fit for us. Everyday I am greatful that we decided to move here.
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