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Welcome to Tel Aviv-Yafo – Israel’s liveliest city and home to more young adults than any other in the country.Did you know that one third of the city’s residents are between the ages of 18 and 35? All of them are likely to go apartment hunting at least once, and perhaps even more frequently.
That’s precisely why we, at Mazeh 9 – the young adults center of Tel Aviv Yafo Municipality – have come up with the idea of this booklet – which will help you take your first steps in finding your own dream apartment in the White City.
SO GOOD LUCK!And don’t forget to invite us over for coffee (or a beer) after you move into your new place.
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Mazeh 9 was established by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality as a hub for the various activities aimed at the city’s huge young adult population of 140,000.
Located in a beautifully preserved, four-story building in the heart of Tel Aviv, Mazeh 9 encourages young people to meet, talk, create and influence the city they live in.
At our center you may find a a social entrepreneurship hub, a space to display art, a culture salon, and study rooms. You can also receive assistance in matters related to career development, housing, legal problems, municipal services and more.
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Check out the following websites:
Yad2 www.yad2.co.il/Nadlan/rent.php (Hebrew)
Homeless www.homeless.co.il/rent (Hebrew)
CityWall www.citywall.co.il (Hebrew)
Craigslist telaviv.craigslist.org (English)
Real estate agents: realtors have access to a pool of apartments whose owners prefer not to deal directly with potential tenants. Realtors usually specialize in a particular area in the city. You should contact a number of them to obtain as many options as possible. Note that the realtors commission is usually a month’s rent. Negotiating the fee is recommended.
Start by asking friends: Ask your friends about available apartments. You never know who may have information about the perfect place for you.
FB: Post that you’re looking on Facebook. The more people who know you’re hunting for an apartment, the more options you’ll become aware of.
Studying in Tel Aviv? You may be eligible for an annual stipend of NIS 9,600! Check out the project’s website for more info: www.hometlv.org.il
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If you’ve found an ad for an apartment that seems to meet your needs, now’s the time to call the landlord.Be sure to ask him/her these basic questions:
How many roommates can live there?
What does the price include? How much is the Arnona (municipal property tax paid every two months)? for more about rental costs, see the next page.
What furniture and appliances are in the apartment for my use?
If it's a ground or first floor apartment, are there bars on the windows?
How long is the lease for?
How many bedrooms are in the apartment? Landlords may describe it as a 3-room apartment if it has one bedroom, a living room and a small office.
Are pets allowed according to the lease?
So you’ve decided to go and see the apartment? Here are some things to check when you get there:
Roommates - Meet who you’ll be living with for the next 12 months and make sure you can get along.
The condition of the apartment - It’s worth inspecting how the apartment is maintained before you move in: natural light during the day, the noise, the water pressure, mold on the walls, and the condition of the windows and the doors.
The condition of the building - Check the cleanliness of the stairwell and/or the elevator as well as the yard. Try to find out a bit about the people who live in the building, and if there are any future plans to renovate the building while you plan on living there.
The neighborhood - How close is the nearest rent-a-bike? (Tel-o-Fun). Is there good public transportation in the area, and does it take you where you need to go?
And most important – make sure you feel at home.
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Electricity The bimonthly bills issued by the Israel Electric Corp. are paid by the tenants, calculated according to consumption. Check whether you will be sharing a meter with another apartment in the building. Seeing as there is no English language website for paying the electric bills, it’s advisable to pay by phone or at the post office. When signing a lease, you need to change the tenant name that appears at the Israel Electric Corp.
Remember! Some apartments in Tel Aviv have solar water heating systems (dood shemesh), which cut electricity costs. Ask the landlord what kind of water heating system is installed in the apartment.
Gas Is gas supplied through a central system for the entire building or does each apartment have its own tank? An individual gas tank is cheaper and you only pay when it runs out. Make sure the landlord shows you where the gas tank is and tells you when it was last filled.
Telecommunications Find out what kind of telecom infrastructure already exists in the apartment (cable TV, satellite TV, telephone and Internet connection). Existing infrastructure may save you the cost of installation
Please note! It’s important to verify that all outstanding bills have been paid in full by the previous tenants and that you’re moving into a debt-free apartment. When your lease is up, make sure that all the utilities are transferred to the landlord’s or the new tenant’s name and that they no longer appear under yours.
Here are all the costs associated with renting an apartment that you need to take into account:
Rent Rents are particularly high in downtown Tel Aviv. If you want to pay less, expand your search beyond the center, especially in the southern and eastern neighborhoods of the city.
Arnona Municipal property tax - is paid by the tenants to the city every two months. In Tel Aviv-Yafo, the rates are among the lowest in the country. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, ask the landlord to show you previous arnona bills. After signing the lease, you’ll need to change the tenant name that appears on the arnona bills, which you can do at the Municipal Service Center at City Hall (69 Ibn Gvirol St.).
Olim are entitled to an arnona discount. Information about your entitlement can be obtained at the Municipal Service Center. Arnona bills can also be paid there, at the post office, or on the municipal website (in Hebrew).
Vaad Bayit House maintenance fees, or va’ad bayit, are paid to the house committee (typically comprised of one or more residents who live in the building). These fees usually range between NIS 30 and NIS 100 per month.
Water Each tenant must declare how many people permanently live in the apartment. This declaration is necessary for determining whether or not you’re entitled to water at a lower rate. You can arrange this when changing the tenant name at the Municipal Service Center.
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Right before you sign the lease, read it carefully. It’s also worth asking a friend who is fluent in Hebrew to have a look at it because of possible “snares.”
Here are some things to bear in mind:
1. The lease should contain the landlord’s full name, identity card number and address.
2. It should also specify the duration of the lease. It’s important that you have the right to leave the apartment before the lease is up. In most cases, having that right is contingent on your finding someone to take over the lease at the same terms of the original one.
3. Leases are usually for one year. If you’ve reached an agreement with your landlord that the lease can be extended (known as an “option”), it should stipulate the rent that must be paid during the option period as well as the tenant’s exclusive right to exercise the option if proper notice is given.
4. The tenant is obligated to return the apartment in good condition. The lease should therefore include a description of the apartment, its current condition, and the appliances and furniture it contains. The lease should also stipulate that
the tenant is only liable for damage caused by the tenant, but not for repairs resulting from reasonable wear and tear.
5. The landlord is likely to ask for guarantees which he can cash in should the tenant fail to pay the bills or rent, cause damage, or be in breach of contract. Different kinds of guarantees exist:
Bank guarantee: The least desirable option from the tenant’s perspective. A bank guarantee can be cashed in immediately and without prior notice. It also entails payment of a fee to the bank. If renting the apartment is conditional on providing a bank guarantee, try to limit the amount and the circumstances under which it can be cashed in.
Promissory note: Can be purchased at the Postal Bank. The amount can, for example, be equivalent to one month’s rent, and it’s advisable to negotiate with the landlord if he asks for too high an amount.
Security deposit: A regular check bearing no date, on which two diagonal lines are drawn. The words “security check” should be written on the upper part of the check. The amount is negotiable between the parties and is often equivalent to one month’s rent.
Guarantors: The landlord may ask that other people who are related to the tenant sign the lease as well. The significance of their signatures is that they are undertaking to fulfill the terms of the lease should the tenant fail to do so.
Cashier’s check: A check issued by a bank which guarantees payment of its value to the payee. A cashier’s check can be purchased from a bank, against debit of the purchaser’s account.
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רה כ ירה להש Dira LehaskaraApartment for rentד
מי שכירות Dmey SchirutRentד
Choze SchirutLeaseחוזה שכירות
ניסה אריך כ Ta’arich KnisaOccupancy dateת
דית ניסה מי Knisa MiyaditImmediate occupancyכ
בון CheshbonBillחש
תובת KtovetAddressכ
KomaFloorקומה
ChederRoomחדר
ינה Chadar SheynaBedroomחדר ש
SalonLiving roomסלון
MiklachatBathroomמקלחת
ח MitbachKitchenמטב
סת MirpesetBalconyמרפ
פים ShutafimRoommatesשות
Godel (Meter Ravu’a)Size (square meters)גודל )מ"ר(
MizugAir conditioningמיזוג
ChanayaParkingחניה
צת MeshupetzetRenovatedמשופ
Ma’alitElevatorמעלית
RihutFurnitureריהוט
If you have any additional questions or would like to know more about Tel Aviv-Yafo, don’t hesitate to contact us here at Mazeh 9. We’ll be glad to help every step of the way.
The following are some more Facebook pages you should become familiar with!
מזא”ה 9
Tel Aviv Global City
עיריית תל-אביב-יפו ConnecTLV: A project by the Jewish Agency connecting Jewish young adults from all over the world to Tel Aviv (https://www.facebook.com/groups/connectlv)
TLV Internationals: a diverse group of young professionals living in and around the White City (http://www.facebook.com/TLVInternationals)
