Law 46-2389 of October 28, 1946 put forth the principle of full compensation for direct material damage caused by acts of war to personal property, real property and business assets. All victims of events occurring during World War II were eligible for this compensation. These measures therefore benefited both victims of anti-Semitic laws and other war victims. Claims under this act were administered by the Ministry of Reconstruction and Housing (M.R.L.).
The conditions for compensation of common or family-use personal property depended on supporting documents provided by the claimant. This compensation:
was equal to the value of the property when the claimant provided proof of this value,
was calculated based on the fixed price of each of the looted items when the claimant was able to show evidence of the contents of the spoliation (for example, through personal accounts) yet was unable to provide proof of their value,
was calculated based on a fixed payment scale when the victim was unable to show proof of the contents of the property and their value.
This third valuation method, by far the most common, resulted in a decree of 1953, amended several times, which classified real property into four categories. The compensation amount was later based on the number of rooms in the residence and the number of people living there.
