Engineer Ron Arad, founder of Arad Bedek Bayit
Ron Arad is a registered civil engineer who has worked in construction since 1993. In 2001 he founded Arad Bedek Bayit, a home inspection (bedek bayit) and engineering firm, and he has run it ever since. Every engineering inspection that leaves the office is done under his supervision and review.
Before that, he managed projects on the contractor's side: public buildings in Florida, apartment buildings and a hotel in Israel, and infrastructure in Africa. Someone who has run a building site knows where work tends to get cut short, and so where to look for defects.
For you, that means a report written by someone who knows both sides: the contractor who has to repair, and the court that may have to decide. And if your case goes to court, Ron Arad goes there with you himself.
- Registered civil engineer, license number 89404.
- On the list of court-appointed experts, and on the list of experts and arbitrators of the Association of Engineers.
Watch the lecture on YouTube (Hebrew)What a court-appointed expert does
When an owner sues a contractor, each side brings its own engineering expert opinion, and the two are often far apart. The court then appoints a neutral expert, who inspects the property and advises the judge which opinion to accept. Ron Arad is on the courts' list of experts and fills this role in the cases he is appointed to.
When he works for you, he sits on the other side of the same table: an engineer acting for you, writing an expert opinion by the same rules. Arad reports are written as expert opinions, with a declaration that they are given in place of testimony in court, and every defect comes with the standard, a recommended repair and its cost. In most cases the contractor accepts the report and repairs, without a lawsuit.
Worth knowing: the report you receive is an expert opinion on your behalf, not the opinion of a court-appointed expert. The advantage is that the engineer who writes and oversees it knows from the inside how a court-appointed expert reads an opinion, and what he looks for in it.
Appointed as an expert by
- The Haifa District Court
- The Magistrates' Courts in Tel Aviv, Hadera and Jerusalem
- The Registrar of Condominiums in Haifa and Rehovot
- The Eretz Hemdah court in Jerusalem
- Arbitrator in construction defect cases
Cases you can read for yourself
Three cases from 2022 whose documents have been published, and in each of them Arad is named. You can open every document and read it yourself.
Hagilah 9, Netanya: the court ruled according to Arad's expert opinion
The residents' representatives and the owners of a 10-story apartment building sued the company that built it over black stains caused by rusting anchors in the stone cladding. The Central-Lod District Court (March 16, 2022) wrote that the testimony of engineer Arad "was clearly preferable" and awarded the full repair estimate in his opinion, ₪3,498,300, to replace the stone cladding. Compensation for distress and legal fees came on top of that.
A 5-room apartment in Beit Shemesh: the buyers won against the contractor
Ron Arad inspected the apartment in 2018 and estimated the repairs at ₪148,204, and his expert opinion was attached to the statement of claim. The court appointed its own expert, and the Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court (June 29, 2022) awarded the buyers ₪127,019 plus ₪20,000 in legal fees, and dismissed the contractor's counterclaim.
An office tower in Tel Aviv: a 462-page report
The tenants' representatives of the Recital office tower in Tel Aviv hired Arad. The firm's engineers wrote a 462-page report, about 100 pages of it on water entering the six underground parking levels. The report recommends sealing from the side the water comes from rather than relying on injections from inside, and puts the cost of repairing all the defects at about ₪2.7 million.
How he works with the engineers and the lawyers
- The inspections are carried out by the firm's building engineers, and every engineering inspection is supervised and reviewed by Ron Arad personally.
- If the contractor does not repair, the office refers you to a lawyer who specializes in construction defects. The first consultation and the warning letter to the contractor are free of charge.
- When the court-appointed expert comes to inspect the apartment, Ron Arad attends the visit with you, presents the findings and answers claims that do not hold up against the standard or case law.
- When a case goes to a hearing, Ron Arad testifies on the expert opinion himself and answers the clarification questions.
Career
- 1993B.Sc. in civil engineering, Florida Atlantic University.
- 1993-2001Site engineer and project manager at Carlton, Nitzan Inbar and Banav Engineering, and senior project manager at Solel Boneh International.
- 2001Founds Arad Bedek Bayit, and has worked since as an independent consultant and arbitrator on building quality.
- 2001-2006Structural designer in Israel and abroad at Tahal.
- 2003Project management course, Israel Management Center (IMC).
- 2006MBA at the Technion, and the course for arbitrators and experts of the Israeli Chamber of Engineers and Architects.
- 2006Technion courses: "Dampness in buildings", "Quality control" and "Durability of materials".
- 2008Further training "Fire safety and escape routes in buildings: new requirements of the Planning and Building Regulations", Israeli Chamber of Engineers and Architects.
- 2012-2015Lecturer on construction defects at a college in Ramat Gan.
- 2012Further training "Fire safety: amendment to the Planning and Building Regulations", Israeli Chamber of Engineers and Architects.
- 2016Lectures to lawyers on engineering expert opinions at the Israel Bar Association.
Media and lectures
- 2016Lecture at the Israel Bar AssociationRon Arad explains to lawyers what a home inspection covers and what an engineering expert opinion that holds up in court looks like. In Hebrew.
- 2016From the lecture: how to choose a home inspection companyAn excerpt from the same lecture, on what to check before you choose who inspects your apartment. In Hebrew.
- 2016From the lecture: safety defectsAn excerpt from the same lecture, on safety defects found in apartments and buildings. In Hebrew.
- 2013Engineer Ron Arad on Channel 2A television segment with Ron Arad, as the firm posted it on its YouTube channel in 2013. In Hebrew.
- January 10, 2022Calcalist: "A claim of defects worth millions of shekels in Hagag's tower"An exclusive report on Arad's report for the Recital office tower in Tel Aviv: 462 pages, and defects of about ₪2.7 million according to the report. In Hebrew.
Arad Bedek Bayit prepared an engineering expert opinion to our satisfaction and brought about success in our lawsuit against the contractor… Warmly recommended
Sharon Elkayam · a claim against a contractor
…Contractors regard Arad's reports as reliable, so it is relatively very easy to deal with them when it comes to getting the defects handled. Highly recommended
Shalom Maoz · building committee and private client
The engineer arrived on time, checked the apartment down to the smallest detail and came across as very thorough… much more than just a report.
Arnon Meiri · building inspection
Professional, thorough, and excellent service throughout the process. A must for every apartment buyer. Highly recommended
Ef Ya · buying an apartment
…He found several flaws I had not noticed and, most important, moisture in a kitchen cabinet caused by a poorly sealed water pipe…
Yonatan Y · new apartment
After a thorough survey, and after going through sample reports from several inspection companies, I chose Arad Bedek Bayit…
Orit Horowitz · compared reports
…Thanks to them we made several essential repairs in the apartment we bought, things we had not seen and did not know about…
Reut Azriel-Ifergan · dampness and resale
…The real solution to dampness and mold problems is found only with engineers who examine things in depth, professionally and objectively.
Y. Bril · dampness and mold
Arad carried out a comprehensive inspection of the apartment for us before we bought it. The engineer was very courteous and professional, explained everything…
Michal Torky · before buying