Avoiding rental scams in Israel: the warning signs

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.