Rent in the City
82% of the young adults who reside in Tel Aviv-Yafo live in rented apartments. Because this is one of the most challenging issues that we deal with, Mazeh 9 is a hub of information and advice and works to advance fair rental agreements between tenants and landlords in the city.
About to sign a new lease? Having issues with your landlord? Come and see us and get answers to the rent-related questions that are troubling you. The counseling sessions with a lawyer that we offer are subsidized!
The cost of a consultation: NIS 70 for the general public / NIS 49 for Tel Aviv-Yafo residents who are DigiTel cardholders
The service is provided in cooperation with the Tel Aviv District Bar Association.
The fine print: the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality and/or the Education, Culture and Neighborhood Renewal Company in Tel Aviv are not liable for the legal advice and for the use made of it. The lawyer bears the sole responsibility for the advice he/she provides.
The service is intended solely for people who rent apartments in Tel Aviv-Yafo and/or for those who want to rent an apartment in Tel Aviv-Yafo.
Does the lease sound like Greek to you?
Every year, apartments in Tel Aviv-Yafo change hands about 50,000 times. Moving into an apartment often involves a complicated lease containing clauses that tenants are unable to understand. This usually results in high costs and aggravation.
To put an end to these draconian leases, the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality introduced a recommended lease for free use by tenants and landlords alike. The purpose of the recommended lease is to create a balanced and fair standard for rental agreements that protects the tenants and can also be compared with other leases existing in the market.
Most of us rent apartments in the city and quite often have questions about various aspects of renting an apartment:
What is worth knowing before signing the lease? What types of guarantees exist and which is the most recommended one? What is important to know about the apartment’s maintenance? Etc.
We’ve consolidated all the necessary information about renting an apartment in the city.
This information is solely of a general nature and is not a substitute for legal advice. The Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality and/or the Education, Culture and Neighborhood Renewal Company in Tel Aviv are not liable for the content and for any use made of it. The binding version is that which is prescribed in the relevant provisions of the law as will be in effect from time to time.
The stipends are intended for students who attend Tel Aviv University, the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo or Kibbutzim College of Education and rent an apartment in one of the following neighborhoods: Neve Sha’anan, Shapira, Hatikva or Yafo. Students who meet that criterion can receive a housing stipend of up to NIS 9,600 a year!
For more information either contact the academic institution you attend or use the following link
The Fair Rental Law went into effect in the State of Israel on September 17, 2017. The final version of the law contains a clause that defines a ‘livable’ apartment and arranges the tenant-landlord relationship. The rent control clause was not included in the bill that was passed.
The main clauses of the amended law:
The advance notice obligation – stipulates the minimum amount of time within which a tenant must declare his/her intent to exercise the extension option, if one exists (not more than 60 days prior to the end of the lease), as well as the willingness or lack of willingness of the landlord to extend the lease for another year – if there was no option or if the option has expired (within a reasonable amount of time prior to the end of the lease). This obligation is designed to increase the degree of certainty for both parties when the end date of the lease approaches.
The obligation to make repairs – the obligation to make repairs lies with the landlord – who is required to make regular repairs within 30 days and fix any defect whose repair is urgent within 3 days (namely, one that interferes with the reasonable use of the apartment). Excluded from this obligation are defects of a ‘minor’ nature or those that were caused as a result of negligent or unreasonable use by the tenant.
Payments for taxes, utilities and maintenance –
The tenant is required to pay: city taxes, water, electricity, gas, heating and the monthly payments to the condo committee or building management company.
The landlord is required to pay: other expenses, including: repairs or upgrades to the permanent infrastructures in the building, structural insurance and the fee charged by the real estate broker commissioned by the landlord.
Guarantees: whose cost is borne by the tenant, including a bank guarantee or cash.
Guarantee/security deposit amount: should not exceed one-third of the rent for the entire lease term or three times the monthly rent, whichever is lower.
Execution of the guarantee/security deposit by the landlord: is permitted only if advance notice is given and only in one of the following cases – failure to pay the rent, failure to pay the other payments that the tenant is responsible for, failure to repair defects that the tenant is liable for, or failure to vacate the apartment at the end of the lease.
Return of the guarantee/security deposit at the end of the lease: not later than 60 days following the vacation of the apartment and/or payment in full of the tenant’s debts, whichever is later.
see the Municipality’s web site
Arnona discount
New eligible olim are entitled to a 90% discount on arnona (up to 100 meters) up to one year during the first two years of residence in Tel Aviv. To claim this benefit visit the Tel Aviv Yafo Municipality on 69 Ibn Gvirol St with your Teudat Oleh, your rental contract one-year (minimum), and the Arnona bill. You would go, change your arnona bill to your name, and apply for the discount on the spot. (While you are there, across the Hall is the DigiTel desk to sign up for your Tel Aviv Resident’s card (see below))>
Insider’s Tips:
– Your name must be on the arnona bill to receive the discount.
– Your rental contract must be for at least one year, and not be a sublet…
How to Pay Arnona:
There are several ways to pay for arnona.
– You can pay with one payment in advance: you can pay in advance for an entire year’s worth of municipal property but must then send payments no later than January 31 of that year
– or in periodical payments: six payments (two months’ worth of payment at a time). Each of these bimonthly payments is due by the end of every odd month.
– Your payments can be made through credit card via the municipal website, by phone (03-5218666), by the postal bank, or the Municipal service center located at 69 Ibn Gvirol St; through standing order at the bank in six bi-monthly payments, deducted on the third of every other month, or with a credit card in six bi-monthly payments; or through cash/check via postal bank or the Municipal Service Center.
For specific links and additional information/help, it is recommended to visit our website page on Arnona taxes
Some infrastructure items you would need to address in a new apartment: (the list is not comprehensive. It is provided as a service to be of help):
- Phone Line – Choose Company
- Internet Company – Choose Company
- Cable Television – Choose Company
- Electricity Bill – Consult with landlord on whose name
- Gas – Consult with landlord
Vaad Bayit – Please note that in Israel, most apartments have a Housing Committee – the Vaad Bayit. The Vaad Bayit is usually some of the homeowners in the building that manage the building’s infrastructure and cleanliness. It is important to inquire about the fee and its expected payment timeframe.