How to rent out your apartment yourself in Israel without a broker: an owner's checklist

1. Prepare the apartment and take photos

First impressions come from the condition of the apartment and the photos. Before posting an ad, put the place in order.

• Fix visible defects: leaks, windows and doors that do not close properly, faulty sockets, the water heater (dud). By law the apartment must meet basic standards for living, and any defect you know about that is not minor must be disclosed to the tenant before signing.
• Clean the apartment and put personal belongings and documents out of sight.
• Shoot in daylight: every room, the kitchen, bathroom, balcony, the view, the stairwell and the entrance.
• Show what is actually there. No editing that changes reality.
• Keep the original dated photos: you will need them for the handover report.

2. Write an honest listing

A good listing answers the questions a tenant will ask in the first message. Include:

• the city, neighbourhood and street (the exact number can wait until first contact);
• rooms, floor, lift, and floor area if you know it exactly;
• what comes with the apartment: furniture, air conditioning, water heater, parking, storage room;
• the monthly rent, what it covers and what the tenant pays separately: arnona (municipal tax), building committee fees (va'ad bayit), electricity, water, gas;
• the date the apartment is available and the lease term you want;
• whether pets are allowed and how to reach you.

Write only the truth. If the building has no lift or the windows face a noisy street, say so up front: you must disclose known defects that are not minor, and known disturbances to the use of the apartment, before signing anyway, and an honest listing filters out wasted viewings. Do not add promises that cannot be checked.

3. How to estimate the price without invented numbers

Israel has no statutory cap on rent for residential flats: the owner sets the price according to the market. Do not rely on "average prices" from other articles; they go out of date. It is better to compare your apartment with real listings nearby.

1. Open the catalogue and other platforms and filter by your city and neighbourhood.
2. Pick listings similar to yours: rooms, floor, condition, furniture, parking.
3. Write down asking prices and posting dates. These are asking prices, not the prices at which deals closed.
4. Compare strengths and weaknesses, and set a price within that range.
5. If there are no enquiries, revisit the price or the text; if there are too many, you can reconsider the price in the next lease.

Decide in advance whether the rent will be linked to the consumer price index (hatzmada la'madad; the index is published by the Central Bureau of Statistics). The index can go down as well as up, and the rent follows it. If the lease has no such clause, or another clause allowing the rent to change, the rent cannot be raised during the lease term.

4. Choosing a candidate: sensibly and within the law

You are entitled to meet candidates and choose the one you are willing to sign with, within reasonable and lawful limits.

• Meet in person and show the apartment. Ask how many people will live there and for how long.
• Check identity against an ID card (teudat zehut) at signing: the lease records the parties' names and ID numbers. Keep the copy only as long as you need it and do not pass it on.
• On income and previous housing, owners often ask for proof of income and the contact details of a previous landlord. This is common practice, not a legal requirement. Ask only for what you need, never pass on other people's personal data, and ask a lawyer about the limits.
• Do not refuse on grounds on which the law prohibits discrimination. Ask a lawyer about the exact limits.
• Personal sureties (arevim) are one form of security. How they count toward the cap on security described below, ask a lawyer before signing.

5. The lease, security deposit and handover report

A written lease

A residential lease must be made in writing, signed by both parties, and each party receives a signed copy (section 25ב of the Rental and Borrowing Law). State in the lease: the parties, the apartment, the term and renewal, the rent and how it is paid, the security, who pays arnona, building fees and utilities, who handles which repairs, and early termination. For information on the 2017 amendment and a sample lease, look at the page on gov.il; see also our page about the lease.

Security deposit

The total security you may demand may not exceed the lower of two amounts: three months' rent, or the rent for one third of the lease term. The cap applies where the tenant has to pay something for the security (for example a bank fee for a guarantee, or a cash deposit); ask a lawyer how it applies to other kinds of security. For a 12-month lease that is 3 months; for a 6-month lease it is 2 months. The security must be returned within 60 days of the tenant vacating, or of the tenant's debts being settled, whichever is later. A clause contradicting these rules is void. The rules have conditions of application: according to reference sources they do not apply to certain kinds of lease, for example rent above NIS 20,000 a month, a very short term (under 3 months, with no option to extend) or a very long one (over 10 years), or a rental between relatives. Check the exact conditions, and how different forms of security are counted, on the Kol Zchut portal and with a lawyer.

Repairs and broker fees

The landlord must fix a defect that is not minor within a reasonable time and no later than 30 days after the tenant's request, and an urgent one within 3 days; otherwise the tenant may repair it and claim reasonable costs back, or reduce the rent in proportion while the defect remains. Minor day-to-day repairs and damage caused by the tenant fall on the tenant. If you rent out yourself, there is no broker fee; and if you hire a broker on your own behalf, the tenant cannot be charged your share of the broker's fee (section 25ט).

Handover report

This is a practical recommendation, not a rule of law: prepare a property condition report and attach it to the lease. Record walls, floors, plumbing and appliances room by room, a furniture list, meter readings (electricity, water, gas), the number of keys, dates and photos. Sign it together with the tenant and repeat the process when they leave. Give the tenant a receipt for every payment, including the deposit.

6. Insurance and taxes: the general picture only

Insurance

Consider insuring the apartment itself and your belongings in it, and ask your insurer what the policy covers when a tenant lives there and whether you must notify them about the letting. You can suggest the tenant insure their own belongings and liability, but that is a matter of agreement.

Tax on rental income

Rental income must be accounted for to the Tax Authority. For residential lets the Tax Authority describes three tracks: an exemption (full or partial), a reduced 10% tax, and tax at the regular rates. Exemption ceilings and conditions depend on the year and on your situation, so we do not give them here. Check current values in the Tax Authority guide on gov.il, and discuss your case with an accountant before you sign the lease.

7. What Bait·Direct offers

Bait·Direct is a platform for direct rentals between owners and tenants. Here is what actually exists for an owner:

• Free listing publication: post your listing.
• A personal owner link to a statistics page for your listing; we send it ourselves, for example in a WhatsApp message.
• View counters for the listing page over 7 and 30 days. They are approximate: counted without cookies and without storing IP addresses, and your own visits are counted too. These are page views, not the number of interested people.

We do not promise any number of enquiries, we are not a party to the deal and we do not replace a lawyer. The lease, the security and the payments remain between you and the tenant.

8. Caveats

Legal provisions and thresholds may change; at the time you read this, check current values on gov.il. The rules on security and repairs apply to residential lettings and not to every lease (see the qualifications above). The statements about the rules are based on reference sources, including the Kol Zchut rights portal, and do not replace the text of the law; the key Kol Zchut and gov.il pages were reviewed on 9 October 2026, but the law and thresholds change, so check important provisions against the text of the law.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; for your own case, consult a lawyer and an accountant.

Read next

• How to Rent an Apartment in Israel Without a Broker
• Apartment lease in Israel: key clauses and what both sides should check before signing
• Security for a rental in Israel: how much a landlord may ask for and how it is returned
• Arnona, vaad bayit and utility bills in a rental: who pays what