Short answer: nothing follows you to a new address automatically in Israel. Arnona (the municipal property tax), water, electricity, gas, the building fee and the internet are each opened in the name of the person who lives in the home, and each one is handled by a different body. On handover day, photograph every meter and write the readings down. In the first days, tell the municipality, the water provider and the electricity supplier, then sort out gas, the building committee and the internet. At the home you are leaving, close or transfer each account and keep the confirmation.
This guide covers a move between two homes inside Israel, whether you rent or own. It is general information, not legal or financial advice. Forms, discounts, deadlines and even the company that bills you differ from one municipality to the next and change over time, so the current pages of your municipality and your providers have the final word.
Who to tell: a quick map
| Account | Who handles it | What they usually ask for | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arnona | The arnona department of your municipality | ID, lease or ownership document, the date you took possession, payment details | First days after handover |
| Water | The water and sewage corporation of your city, or the municipality where there is none | Opening meter reading, ID, lease | First days after handover |
| Electricity | The supplier named on the bill. Historically this was the Israel Electric Corporation, and some households now buy from private suppliers | Contract or meter number, opening reading, ID, payment method | Handover day or the day after |
| Gas | The company that runs the building's central system, or your cylinder supplier | Opening reading, apartment details | Before you first use a gas appliance |
| Building fee (vaad bayit) | The building committee, or the person who collects for it | Name, apartment number, who pays under the lease | Before or at move-in |
| Internet and TV | The provider you choose | Address, ID, payment method | Book before moving day |
Why the date matters more than the form
Each of these bodies bills whoever is registered at the address for a given period. When the dates and the readings are not pinned down, any argument about the first or last weeks is one nobody can win. The simplest protection is a dated record: photos of every meter taken on handover day, plus a handover protocol (protocol mesira) signed by both sides. Our guide to renting an apartment in Israel walks through the protocol itself.
Before moving day
- Gather your documents. Your ID (teudat zehut, or passport and visa if you do not have one yet), the signed lease or purchase contract, and bank or credit card details. Most billing bodies set up payment by standing order (hora'at keva) or card.
- Collect the old account numbers. A recent bill from each utility at your current home carries the contract numbers you need to close or transfer them.
- Fix the start date. The accounts at the new home should start on the day you actually receive the keys, which can differ from the start date printed on the lease.
- Ask the landlord or seller four questions. Which gas system does the home use? Where are the meters? Is water metered per apartment or shared through the building? Are the previous occupant's bills settled?
- Leave a gap on the day. If the keys arrive the same day as the movers, schedule the walk-through and the meter photos before the first box comes in. Readings get skipped when a truck is double-parked outside.
On handover day: read every meter
Electricity meters in apartment blocks are usually grouped in a cabinet or room on the ground floor or in the stairwell, so ask where yours is. Match the number printed on the meter to the number on the latest bill. In a large building, a simple check is to switch off your apartment's main breaker and see whether that meter stops counting.
The water meter may sit in a cabinet by the building entrance, on a landing, or inside the apartment. If one meter serves the entire building, the building committee divides the bill, and you register with the committee instead of the water provider. Ask how the split is worked out. For gas, find the meter of the central system, or note the state of the cylinders and who owns them.
Photograph each meter so that both the meter number and the reading are in one frame. Send the photos to the landlord or the previous occupant the same day and ask for a reply by message. Write the readings and the time into the protocol. A dated message thread counts as a record too.
Arnona
Arnona is set and collected by the municipality. The person who occupies the property, the machzik, is responsible for paying it. In a rental that is normally the tenant, and when a home stands empty it is the owner. The standard step is a notice of change of occupant, called hachlafat machzik, filed with the arnona department. Many municipalities accept it online, others by email or in person, so look for the current form on your municipality's website.
Expect to be asked for your ID, the lease or ownership document, the date you took possession, and payment details. Some municipalities also want a signed statement from the owner or the previous occupant confirming that the previous occupant has left. Whether the change counts from the day you took possession or from the day the municipality received your notice depends on the municipality, so file promptly and keep your protocol and your dates.
Two more things to check. Arnona is billed on the area and the use classification that the municipality holds on file for the property, so read those figures on your first bill and raise any mismatch early, because objections have deadlines. And some groups of residents are entitled to a reduction. The rules and forms come from national regulations and from municipal procedure, so do not assume that you do or do not qualify. Ask the arnona department when you file, and bring the documents that apply to you.
Water
In most cities, water and sewage are billed by a local water corporation, a company set up for the purpose, and not by the municipality's arnona department. In some towns the municipality still bills directly. Your city's website or the landlord's last bill tells you which. The opening request usually needs the meter reading, your ID and the lease. At the home you are leaving, ask for a final reading and written confirmation that the account is closed or transferred.
Electricity
The top of the latest bill shows the supplier and your contract number. A call or online request to that supplier, with the contract or meter number, the opening reading, your ID and a payment method, is normally enough to move the account into your name and close the previous one. The Israel Electric Corporation has traditionally supplied households, and the market has been opening to private suppliers, so check whose name is on the bill before you decide whether to stay with that supplier.
In a brand-new building you may be opening the first account at that address instead of taking over an old one. The contractor or the building committee can tell you how. Our guide to moving into a new building covers the rest of that process: the occupancy certificate (Tofes 4), elevator booking and the committee.
Gas
Three setups are common. Some homes have no gas and cook on electricity. Some use cylinders that a supplier refills, so ask who owns them and which supplier to call. Others are connected to a central system, where a tank serves the building and each apartment has its own meter. In that case the gas company that runs the system bills by reading, so give it the opening reading and your details.
Before you use a gas appliance in a home you have just entered, ask the landlord when the installation was last inspected and by whom. If you are unsure about the condition of the pipes or the cooker, do not use them until a qualified gas technician has checked.
Building committee and building services
The vaad bayit is not a utility, but it follows the same logic. The monthly fee is decided by the residents and usually pays for cleaning, stairwell lighting, elevator maintenance and the garden. In a rental, the lease should say who pays the regular fee. Tenants commonly do, while large one-off works are commonly the owner's. Ask for the current monthly amount, any extra charges the residents have already approved, and who collects. If the building has a service elevator, parking gates or entry fobs, find out what must be booked or collected before moving day.
Internet, TV and phone
Many households buy the physical line from an infrastructure company and the internet service from a provider, sometimes in one bundle. Ask which lines actually reach your apartment, not only your street, and book the installation before moving day, because technicians work by appointment and someone has to be home. At the old address, give notice, ask whether your contract has a commitment period, and find out which equipment you must return.
Leaving the old home
Take final readings on your last day and photograph them. Ask each body for written confirmation that the account is closed or moved, and pay the final bills. For arnona, the debt stays with you until the municipality has recorded the change, so do not simply stop paying, and do not assume that the new occupant has filed. Then update your address with the bank, the health fund, the Tax Authority and the official population record, because bills and letters keep going to the old address until you do.
Words you will see on the forms
| English | Transliteration | Hebrew |
|---|---|---|
| Municipal property tax | arnona | ארנונה |
| Change of occupant | hachlafat machzik | החלפת מחזיק |
| Meter | moneh | מונה |
| Contract number | mispar hozeh | מספר חוזה |
| Building committee | vaad bayit | ועד בית |
| Handover protocol | protocol mesira | פרוטוקול מסירה |
| Standing order | hora'at keva | הוראת קבע |
A timeline you can copy
- Three to four weeks before: gather your documents, collect the old account numbers, ask the landlord the four questions, and book the internet installation.
- One week before: tell your current providers the date you are leaving, and confirm the handover time and the elevator and parking arrangements for moving day.
- Handover day: walk through the home, photograph all meters, sign the protocol, and send the photos to the landlord.
- First days: file the change of occupant with the municipality, register water and electricity, and sort out gas and the building fee.
- First month: check that the first bills start from your reading and your date, and keep the confirmations for the old home.
Questions people ask
What if the previous occupant never closed their accounts?
Ask the body to open yours from your handover date and give it your protocol, photos and readings. If a bill for an earlier period reaches you, reply with the same documents.
Can I move in before the accounts are in my name?
Nothing physically stops you, but responsibility is tied to who occupies the home, so register in the first days instead of waiting for the first bill.
Do I need Hebrew to do all this?
Most forms and call centers work in Hebrew. Some offer English support and many do not. Keep the words above on hand, run forms through a translation tool, and ask a Hebrew-speaking friend or your landlord to join the first call.
Where MovingIL fits in
MovingIL does not open accounts on your behalf, because each body needs your ID and your payment details. We coordinate the move itself, so that the dates line up. If your keys arrive on a fixed day, say so in your first message and the plan is built backwards from the walk-through. A full-service move can include packing before the day and unpacking afterwards. If this is your first move after arriving in Israel, see moving after aliyah and the aliyah moving checklist.
The physical move is carried out by independent moving companies we work with. Send us the details through the quote form on the home page or the WhatsApp button on this page, in English, and you receive one closed price in writing before anything is booked.