Single family houses vs. Apartments

This might make me a bit unpopular, (or at least a bit more unpopular), but I guess it goes with the territory.

There has been a long going trend that people (not everyone thank God), building single family homes, turn parts of the house into rentable apartments. This is usually done totally illegally, by taking "store-room" or garages (or even excavating outside the building permit), shoving in a kitchenette and a bathroom and then taking in young couples or other boarders.

Reasons that I've heard for doing this range from

1. "We are doing this for our children/elderly parents" - Yeah right, its children and elderly parents who are inhabiting these hovels
to
2. A more honest "We need the money to help pay off the house mortgage" - Then why build what you couldnt afford? Go live in an apartment! That's what you've got anyway.

What these people dont really give a damn about, is that increasing the population density of a street that was designed for a limited population, a limited number of cars, and a limited load on electricity, sewage and other utilities, simply lowers the standard that the City intended for the street and turns (eventually) the street into a slum. HaMeitzadim street in Maale Adumim, started out as a reasonably nice street, but no longer!
HaGilgal in Mitzpe Nevo, is going to go the same way.

Not to mention that for the most part, these people do not pay the full rates levied by the city.

And why does it really piss me off personally? - Because some people, myself included, who have no intentions of having strangers living in my garage, get grief from the City Planning department, because since they havent been able to deal with people who did turn their houses into apartments, suspect everyone who is building a house of wanting to do the same thing.

I honestly believe that the City should come down hard on this practise. Close up illegal structures and store-rooms used for residences and back charge rates.

Does that sound harsh? Maybe, but a little tour around HaMeitzadim will prove my point
Its not as if I don't have any beefs with the City Engineer and the planning department. But there is a way of dealing with them (another post), albeit painfully long and beurocratic. But no different to most places in the world.

Quite frankly, the City opposition, instead of sucking up to anyone who doesn't like our Mayor and his team (their behaviour and track record is the perfect reason why the Mayor keeps getting reelected). Should get on board and start doing some good for this beautiful city - and that's for another post as well.

Shabbat Shalom

Ches