Short answer: before you accept the keys to a rental in Israel, walk through every room with your phone camera, write the defects and the meter readings into a signed handover protocol, get every verbal promise in writing, confirm in the contract who pays arnona, the building fee and repairs, and understand each piece of security you are giving the landlord. After the keys, register arnona and the utilities in your name within the first days. This guide is general information for tenants, not legal advice. For a contract that matters, have a lawyer read it.
Before you sign
- Find out which text counts. Many leases in Israel are written in Hebrew, and the Hebrew text is often the one that counts, even if you are handed a translation. Ask which text is binding and have someone you trust read it.
- Check the landlord. Ask for ID and for the land registry extract (nesach tabu), or for a power of attorney if someone else signs for the owner.
- Know the term and the options. How long is the lease, is there an option to extend, and what is the rent in the option period?
- Understand rent updates. Some leases keep the rent flat, others raise it by a fixed amount, and others link it to the consumer price index.
- Read the exit clause. What notice is needed, and what happens if you leave early? Some leases let you propose a replacement tenant.
- List what comes with the apartment. Appliances, air-conditioning units, furniture, the storage room and the parking space belong in a numbered appendix to the contract.
Security and guarantees, explained
Landlords in Israel commonly ask for a combination of the following. Not every landlord asks for all of them.
- Post-dated rent checks for the months of the lease, handed over at signing.
- A security check or deposit that is returned at the end if the apartment is handed back in the agreed condition.
- A bank guarantee, arranged through your bank.
- Personal guarantors (arevim), people who sign to pay if you do not.
Israeli rental law limits the total security a landlord may require. The ceiling is tied to the monthly rent and the length of the lease, and it applies to the combination of items, not to each one on its own. Check the current text of the law or ask a lawyer before you sign, because rules change.
Whatever you hand over, write it down. The contract should list each item, its amount, what it covers, and when and how it is returned. Photograph each check, including its number, amount and date, and get a signed list of everything you gave. If you cannot provide Israeli guarantors, ask what the landlord will accept instead, and get that in writing too.
Handover day: how to walk the apartment
Bring a phone with a full battery, a charger to test the sockets, a tape measure if you own large furniture, and a notes app. Bring a second person if you can, because two pairs of eyes find more, and it helps when the landlord's agent is in a hurry. Work room by room, and photograph or film each one before your things arrive. Say the date and the room out loud at the start of each video.
Walls, windows and shutters
- Look for damp patches and mold in corners, behind wardrobes and around windows, especially on ground floors and on north-facing walls. If you can visit after rain, you will see more.
- Raise and lower every roller shutter (tris) and open every window. Shutter straps and window seals are among the most common things to wear out.
- Check the mosquito screens and the balcony railings.
Water and the water heater
- Run every tap, flush every toilet and fill and empty every basin. Note weak pressure and slow drains, and look under the sinks for moisture.
- Find out how the water is heated. Many apartments have a solar water heater (dud shemesh) with an electric backup switch. Ask where the switch is, how long the water takes to heat, and who maintains the system.
Electricity and air conditioning
- Test the sockets with your charger and switch on every light.
- Find the main electrical panel and ask what each breaker does. Ask whether it has a safety trip switch (pachat) and how to test it.
- Run each air-conditioning unit in both cooling and heating mode, and check that every remote works. Ask when the units were last serviced and who pays for servicing.
Kitchen and appliances
- List each appliance that comes with the apartment, take a photo of its brand label, and note its condition. Switch on the oven, the hob and the extractor fan.
- Open every cabinet door and drawer. Hinges and runners wear out.
Doors, keys and the building
- Count the keys, fobs and remotes, and test each key in each lock. Ask whether the lock was changed since the last tenant.
- Check the intercom and the mailbox, and ask how to put your name on it.
- Ask how the elevator works. Some buildings set it to a Shabbat mode that stops at every floor.
Safe room, shelter, storage and parking
- If the apartment has a safe room (mamad), check that the door and the window close and lock properly.
- Older buildings often have no safe room in the apartment and rely on a shared shelter. Find out where it is and who holds the key.
- Check that the storage room and the parking space named in the contract are the ones you are given, and that the gate remote or key works.
The handover protocol
A handover protocol (protocol mesira) is a written record, signed by both sides, of the state of the apartment on the day you take it. It protects both of you, and it settles arguments when the lease ends. A useful one contains:
- the date and time, the address, and the names of everyone present
- the condition of each room, with every existing defect described
- the list of fixtures and appliances that come with the apartment
- the electricity, water and gas readings, and the number of keys, fobs and remotes
- every repair the landlord has promised, each with a date
Both sides keep a signed copy, and your photos and video are attached or sent the same day. If the landlord is not present, or refuses to sign, send your list and photos in a message and ask for confirmation in writing. The reply, or the lack of one, is part of your record. Anything the landlord promised out loud, such as a fresh coat of paint or a repaired shutter, belongs in the protocol with a date.
Who pays what
Practice varies and the contract decides, so treat this table as a list of questions and not as the answer.
| Item | Often paid by | Check in the contract |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | Tenant | Due date, payment method, how the rent is updated |
| Arnona | Tenant, as the occupant | That the previous occupant's balance is settled |
| Water, electricity and gas | Tenant, by meter reading | The opening readings in the protocol |
| Regular building fee (vaad bayit) | Often the tenant | The monthly amount, and who pays for major works |
| Small upkeep, such as light bulbs and cleaning | Tenant | What counts as small |
| Faults you did not cause, such as an appliance or the water heater failing | Depends on the contract and the law | A written answer on who repairs, and how fast |
| Internet and TV | Tenant | Whether the building already has wiring |
The building fee and the neighbors
The vaad bayit collects a monthly fee from the apartments for shared costs such as cleaning the stairwell, lighting, the elevator and the garden. Ask the landlord for the amount, and for any extra charges the residents have already approved. Introduce yourself to the committee member or the neighbor who manages the building, and ask about the trash and recycling routine, quiet hours and the rules for the service elevator. If you are renting in a new building, our guide to moving into a new building covers the committee, the elevator and the occupancy certificate.
Time the move around the keys
The most common problem with a rental move is not a damaged sofa. It is a truck that arrives before the apartment is ready. Previous tenants leave late, cleaners overrun, and the walk-through takes longer than planned. Do not book the movers for the same hour as the keys. Either do the walk-through the day before, or leave a few hours between the walk-through and the movers, and make sure the protocol is signed before the first box comes in.
The end and the start of the month are the busiest, so book early and tell the movers the handover time. Reserve the elevator, and check what your municipality requires for the truck to stop (see our moving day parking guide).
The first week in the new apartment
- Register arnona, water and electricity in your name. The steps are in our guide to arnona and utilities when moving.
- Book the internet if you have not already.
- Put your name on the mailbox and the door.
- Find the main water valve and the electrical panel, and show everyone in the household where they are.
- Learn the building's routine: trash and recycling, quiet hours, the service elevator and the shelter.
- Send the landlord a short message listing anything you missed on handover day, with photos, in the first days.
When you move out later
Start from your own photos and the protocol. Return the apartment as described, allowing for normal wear, repair what you caused, and take final readings with the landlord. Ask for a signed handover on the way out and for written confirmation that arnona and the building fee are paid. Also ask when and how the security will be returned, and keep that confirmation.
Moving into a rental with MovingIL
MovingIL coordinates the move, not the lease. Tell us the handover time in your first message and we plan around it. For a studio or a small apartment, see small moves. For a family apartment, a full-service move can include packing and unpacking. If this is your first rental after arriving in Israel, see our aliyah moving checklist.
The physical move is carried out by independent moving companies we work with, and you receive one closed price in writing before anything is booked. Send the details through the quote form on the home page or the WhatsApp button on this page, in English.