Catégorie : English

Before putting an apartment on the market, a few well-chosen improvements can shorten the search and improve the price. A full renovation, on the other hand, does not always pay for itself.

Improvements that pay off

• Paint: bright, clean walls transform the photos and the first impression.
• Small repairs: dripping taps, handles, shutters, sockets, damp stains. Buyers and tenants notice every detail.
• Lighting: simple, modern fittings and bulbs of the same colour temperature.
• Kitchen and bathroom: new cabinet fronts, taps and sealing are often enough.
• Air conditioning: service or replace an old unit; tenants always ask.

Check before you start

• Permits: any change to the structure, the façade or a balcony must be checked with the municipality.
• The mamad: the walls, door and window of the safe room must not be altered.
• Neighbours and vaad bayit: warn them in advance and respect the city’s permitted working hours.
• Quotes: ask for at least two or three, in writing, with a schedule.

Need a professional? See renovation and trades. When the work is done, take photos in daylight and list your home in minutes, with no agent and no commission.

In Israel, “sablet” (sublet) is everyday vocabulary. People travel for a few weeks or months and rent out their furnished apartment in the meantime. For new immigrants, students, remote workers and long family visits, it is often the easiest way to settle in.

Finding a sublet on Yad le Yad

1. Open the short-term rentals search and enter your check-in and check-out dates.
2. Only places available on those dates are shown, each with its calendar, price and minimum stay.
3. Tap “Ask for these dates”: your request goes to the owner with the dates already written.

What to check

• What is included: electricity, water, arnona (city tax), internet, cleaning.
• The mamad (safe room) or nearest shelter.
• Air conditioning, washing machine and kitchen equipment.
• How the keys are handed over, and who to call if something breaks.

Good habits

• Talk to the owner by phone or video before paying anything.
• Put the dates, price and deposit in writing.
• Use the report button if anything looks wrong.

There is no commission on Yad le Yad, for you or for the owner.

Find a sublet

Whether you come for the holidays, to visit family or for a summer by the sea, renting an apartment gives you more space than a hotel and a kitchen of your own. On Yad le Yad, owners list their own place with their dates and nightly price, and you contact them directly.

Tel Aviv

Neve Tzedek for quiet lanes near the beach, the Old North for families and the Yarkon park, the centre (Rothschild, Dizengoff) to do everything on foot, Florentin for nightlife, and Jaffa for old-town charm and sea views.

Jerusalem

Rehavia and Talbieh for calm and elegance, the German Colony and Baka for families, Nachlaot next to the Mahane Yehuda market, and Mamilla or Yemin Moshe to walk to the Old City. For Shabbat and the holidays, check the walking distance to your synagogue or family.

Netanya

Long beaches below the cliffs, a seaside promenade and the lively Independence Square. Ir Yamim, in the south, offers newer buildings and a quieter beach.

Before you book

• Ask about the mamad (safe room) or the nearest shelter.
• Check the floor, the lift and parking.
• Make sure there is air conditioning in the bedrooms in summer.
• Get the dates, total price and what is included confirmed in writing.

How it works

Each nightly listing shows a calendar. Tap your check-in and check-out days to see the number of nights and an indicative total, then send your request on WhatsApp or by message, with the dates already filled in. There is no commission for you or for the owner.

See nightly rentals

For a few nights in Tel Aviv, a week in Jerusalem over the holidays or a summer by the sea in Netanya, most travellers today go through a property management company or a booking platform. Either way, a middleman sits between you and the owner, and their fees are added to the nightly price.

On Yad le Yad, owners list their own place, pick their dates and set their price per night. You see the availability, choose your check-in and check-out, then contact the owner directly on WhatsApp or by message.

Why go direct?

• No commission: the price shown is the owner’s price. Yad le Yad adds no service fee, for you or for the owner.
• One person to talk to: ask the person who knows the place about beds, access, parking, the mamad (safe room), or how far the synagogue or the beach is.
• Clear dates: every nightly listing shows a calendar. Green days are open, and the minimum stay is stated.

How it works

1. Open the nightly rentals search and enter your check-in and check-out dates.
2. On the listing, tap your arrival day and then your departure day: the number of nights and an indicative total appear.
3. Tap “Ask for these dates”: your message goes out with the dates already filled in. You then agree on payment and key handover directly with the owner.

Good habits

• Ask for recent photos or a short video of the place.
• Get the dates, total price, number of guests and what is included confirmed in writing.
• Never pay the full stay to someone whose identity you have not checked. If anything looks wrong, use the report button on the listing.

See nightly rentals

Israel’s stock of unsold new apartments has reached record levels. According to Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) data reported in the business press, about 85,000 new apartments were still for sale at the end of July 2026, and close to 85,700 at the end of August. At the end of 2025 the Bank of Israel already counted around 83,000.

What does the number measure?

It counts new apartments offered for sale by developers with no sale reported yet, whether under construction or completed. It is often expressed in “months of supply”: at the current sales pace it would take a little over two years to sell them all (about 26 months at the end of June 2026).

Where are they?

The largest stocks are in the big cities: at the end of July 2026, about 10,100 new apartments for sale in Jerusalem, 9,700 in Tel Aviv, 5,100 in Bat Yam and 4,100 in Haifa, according to CBS figures quoted in the press.

Why so many?

• High prices after years of increases.
• Mortgage costs: rates have stayed high since 2023.
• Wait-and-see: the war and uncertainty led many households to postpone buying.
• Abundant supply: many projects started in recent years are reaching the market at once.

What it means for buyers

• Real room to negotiate: discounts, parking, upgrades or covered costs.
• Financing offers: staged payments or developer-subsidised loans. Read them carefully: the price may be higher in return, and the Bank of Israel restricts such schemes.
• Indexation: off-plan prices are usually linked to the construction input index; negotiate a cap or partial indexation.
• Guarantees: the Sale (Apartments) Law requires developers to secure buyers’ payments (bank guarantee or insurance). Ask for one with every payment.
• Checks: building permit, delivery date and late-delivery compensation, technical specification. Have your own lawyer review the contract.

Developers publish their projects directly on Yad le Yad, with no commission. Browse New builds, compare with the price map and check actual sales on nadlan.gov.il.

Sources: Central Bureau of Statistics (cbs.gov.il), construction and new-apartment sales statistics; Bank of Israel; Israeli business press (ynet, summer and autumn 2026). Rounded figures, subject to CBS revision.

In southern Netanya, a few minutes from the beach, the Ir Yamim neighborhood grew around new residential towers but lacked a real neighborhood center. The PIANO complex, on Shoshana Damari Street, filled that gap; its management now presents it as one of the most popular lifestyle destinations in the area.

An open-air place to live

PIANO is not an enclosed mall but an open complex around the Israeli Artists Square (Kikar Omanei Israel). According to its management, it brings together more than 50 businesses over about 7,000 m² of retail: restaurants, cafés, boutiques and national brands, with pedestrian walkways, green areas and terraces.

From neighborhood project to landmark

The project was led by the Briga group, which announced in 2019 an investment of about NIS 165 million and the goal of making it “the living room of Ir Yamim”, with opening planned for spring 2020. The complex is now held by the JTLV real estate fund, which describes it as located in the heart of the neighborhood along Netanya’s southern coastline.

What it changes for residents

• Services within walking distance: cafés, restaurants and everyday shops minutes from home.
• A livelier neighborhood: terraces, events and open spaces bring Ir Yamim to life.
• A more sought-after address: a quality neighborhood center is one of the criteria buyers and tenants look at.

To get a sense of prices, see the price map and the Netanya estimator, then check actual sales on the official registry (nadlan.gov.il).

Sources: official PIANO website (piano-center.co.il), JTLV fund project page, Netanya Net article of 29 July 2019. Photo: Ir Yamim towers, David Shay, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

Renting in Israel works much like elsewhere, with a few local rules worth knowing before you sign.

The lease (חוזה שכירות)

Leases usually run for 12 months with an option to extend. Under the 2017 Fair Rental Law, the contract must be in writing and the home must be handed over in a habitable condition. Repairs due to normal wear are the landlord’s responsibility.

The security deposit

Landlords usually ask for a guarantee: post-dated cheques, a bank guarantee, a cash deposit or guarantors. By law it may not exceed the lower of three months’ rent or one third of the total rent for the lease, and it must be returned at the end once bills are settled.

What the tenant pays

• Arnona, the municipal tax, paid by the occupant: transfer the account to your name on move-in day.
• Vaad bayit, the building’s service charge.
• Water, electricity and gas — note the meter readings on day one.

Before you sign

• Visit in daylight and check the safe room (mamad) or nearest shelter.
• Photograph every room on move-in day.
• Make sure the person renting is the owner or holds a power of attorney.
• Never pay before visiting and signing a written lease.

1. Budget and mortgage

Israeli banks generally lend up to 75% of the price for a first home, 70% for a buyer replacing a home, and 50% for an investment property or a non-resident buyer. Get approval in principle before making an offer.

2. Check the price

Compare with recent sales nearby. The Yad le Yad estimator and price map give a range; the official registry nadlan.gov.il shows actual transactions.

3. Due diligence by your lawyer

Each side has its own lawyer. Yours checks the land registry extract (נסח טאבו) for owner, mortgages and liens, plus building permits and any arnona debt.

4. Contract and caveat

Right after signing, your lawyer registers a caveat (הערת אזהרה) so the seller cannot sell the property to anyone else.

5. Purchase tax

The buyer pays purchase tax (מס רכישה), progressive and reduced for a sole residence, higher for additional properties. New immigrants may benefit from reduced rates. The Israel Tax Authority’s official calculator gives the exact amount.

6. Keys and registration

With the final payment you receive the keys, and your lawyer registers the property in your name.

Warning signs

• A price far below the market for a prime location.
• An owner “abroad” who cannot show the home and offers to send the keys after payment.
• A deposit requested before any viewing, often by international transfer.
• Pressure to decide immediately.
• Photos you can find elsewhere under another address.

Good habits

• Always view the home, in person, through a relative, or at least by live video.
• Ask for ID and, for a sale, the Tabu extract in the seller’s name.
• Pay nothing before a written lease is signed, and prefer a traceable payment to an Israeli account in the owner’s name.

On Yad le Yad

Owners’ phone numbers are only shown after our team validates the listing, the “Verified” badge only appears after a real check, and every listing has a button to report a problem.

Moving to Israel, staying for a few months or investing? The Israeli market works differently: rooms are counted another way, rentals need guarantees, and there is arnona to pay. This guide explains it all simply.

1. Choose the city and neighbourhood

Families from abroad often choose Ra’anana, Netanya, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Ashdod or Beit Shemesh. On Yad le Yad, the “Near…” filter searches around the landmarks everyone uses: Netanya’s square, Ahuza Street in Ra’anana, the sea in Tel Aviv, the Diamond Exchange in Ramat Gan, the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

2. Read Israeli listings

• “Rooms” (hadarim) include the living room: a 4-room flat usually has 3 bedrooms. Yad le Yad always shows real bedrooms separately.
• Mamad: the reinforced safe room, much sought after by families.
• Dirat gan: garden apartment. Penthouse: top floor with a large terrace.

3. Budget: rent, arnona, vaad bayit

Add arnona (municipal tax) and vaad bayit (building costs) to the rent, plus utilities. Every Yad le Yad listing shows its total monthly fees.

4. Renting: contract and guarantees

Leases usually run for 12 months. Owners ask for guarantees: security cheques, a guarantor, a bank guarantee or a deposit. Read the contract, get it translated if needed and photograph the home when you move in. For a few months only, choose a short-term rental.

5. Buying: Tabou, lawyer and taxes

Ask for a Tabou extract (land registry), sign with a lawyer on each side, and budget for mas rechisha (purchase tax). Check recorded prices on nadlan.gov.il and try the free Yad le Yad estimator.

6. Avoid agency fees and scams

Agencies usually charge one month’s rent + VAT, or about 2% + VAT on a purchase. Between private individuals it is zero. Never pay before visiting and checking the owner’s identity, and report any suspicious listing.