Your landlord has asked you to bring guarantors, and you are about to ask two people you care about to sign for your lease. Before you do, you need to know exactly what their signature commits them to, because it is almost certainly more than you think. The deposit you pay is capped by law at three months. The promise your guarantors make is not. That gap is the whole reason this page exists: to show your guarantors what they are really agreeing to, and to give you the few clauses that keep their exposure sane.
This page is one instrument out of several a landlord can stack. If you are still deciding between guarantors, a cash deposit, a bank guarantee, and security checks, start at the parent page on rental deposits and guarantees, which lays the four side by side. Here we go deep on the human one.
Who counts as a guarantor
A guarantor (arev) is any adult, other than you, who agrees to cover your debts under the lease if you do not. No statute defines who qualifies, so the bar is set entirely by the landlord, and in practice it is the bar a lender would use. Landlords want a guarantor who is reachable and collectible inside Israel, which is why the typical ask is for an adult who lives in Israel with a steady income.
When a landlord or their lawyer vets a guarantor, they look at the same things a bank looks at on a borrower:
- Identity and residence: a teudat zehut (Israeli ID) and a current address.
- Income: recent pay slips (tlushei sachar), usually the last two or three months, to show the person could actually pay.
- Employment and assets: where they work and what they own, so a debt could be recovered.
- A clean record at the bank: some landlords check that the guarantor is not flagged as a restricted account holder at the Bank of Israel.
The plain takeaway: a guarantor is judged on whether the landlord could realistically collect from them. That is also why a guarantor abroad is weak, which we come back to below.
How many a landlord may demand
No law sets a floor or a ceiling on the number of guarantors. It is purely a matter of agreement between you and the landlord. In the market, the standard ask is two guarantors co-signing one promissory note.
Because the count is uncapped, a cautious landlord may also stack instruments rather than just adding guarantors: a bank guarantee plus a promissory note with two guarantors plus a security check is a combination you will see, especially for higher rents. You do not have to accept every layer. The number of guarantors, like the rest of the security package, is negotiable, and a strong cash deposit or bank guarantee can let you reduce or drop the guarantor demand entirely. The trade-offs between those instruments live on the deposits and guarantees page.
Why the fair rent cap does not protect a guarantor
This is the single most important fact on the page. The Fair Rent Law caps tenant security at the lower of three months’ rent or one-third of the total lease rent. But that cap applies only to instruments that cost you money up front: a cash deposit, a bank guarantee, and credit or insurance guarantees. It explicitly does not apply to a security check or to a personal guarantor’s signature. The reasoning is that a guarantor’s signature does not, by itself, tie up the tenant’s cash, so the law lets it sit outside the ceiling.
The note your guarantors sign carries that lack of a ceiling all the way through. A promissory note’s amount is set by negotiation, with no statutory cap, and it is commonly written for the full rent of the whole lease term plus damage and legal costs. A landlord can even require more than one note. So while your deposit is fixed at three months, your guarantors’ written promise can reach the entire lease.
Two more features make it sharper. Guarantors usually sign jointly and severally (ביחד ולחוד), which means the landlord can collect the whole debt from any single guarantor, not a neat half each. And the guaranty often runs as an aval, liable until the lease ends and the apartment is vacated. A note like this can be sent straight to the Execution Office (Hotzaa la-Poal) for collection without first proving the breach in court, though a guarantor can file an objection (hitnagdut) that moves the matter to a judge.
Figure 1: what your guarantors actually risk, capped versus uncapped
Take a 12-month lease at the national-average rent of NIS 5,027 per month (CBS, Q1 2026). Compare the two kinds of security on the exact same lease.
| Security | Covered by the fair rent cap? | Maximum exposure | Who carries it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash deposit or bank guarantee | Yes | NIS 15,081 (three months: the lower of 3 x 5,027 = 15,081 and one-third of 60,324 = 20,108) | You |
| Guarantor’s signature on the note | No | NIS 60,324 full lease rent, plus damage and legal costs the note may add | Each guarantor, jointly and severally |
The uncapped exposure of NIS 60,324 is 4.0 times the capped deposit of NIS 15,081 on the identical lease. Put the worst realistic case next to it: if you stopped paying and walked out after six months, the unpaid rent alone is 6 x 5,027 = NIS 30,162, already double the capped deposit, before the note adds damage or costs. Basis: cap = min(R x N / 3, R x 3) with R = 5,027 and N = 12; full lease rent = 5,027 x 12. The cap exclusion for a guarantor’s signature is the Kol Zchut security-limitation rule. This is illustrative arithmetic, not an official figure.
What your guarantors hand over
The guarantor’s paperwork is short but specific. Each guarantor typically provides:
- Their signature on the promissory note (shtar chov), which is the binding promise itself.
- A copy of their teudat zehut (ID), often with the attached appendix page listing family members.
- Recent pay slips (tlushei sachar) to prove income, usually two to three months.
- Sometimes their address and employment details for the note, and consent to a bank restricted-account check.
Notice that the guarantor’s pack overlaps the tenant’s own application, where you supply ID, pay slips, and references. If you want the full tenant-side list so you and your guarantors are not scrambling at signing, see the rental documents you need.
Figure 2: scoring a guarantor’s document pack against what landlords ask
Here is a quick way to see if your guarantors are ready. Score one point for each item below that a guarantor can produce on the day. The points are weighted by how often a careful landlord actually demands the item.
| Item the guarantor brings | How often demanded | Points if ready |
|---|---|---|
| Signature on the promissory note | Always | 3 |
| Teudat zehut copy | Almost always | 3 |
| Recent pay slips (2 to 3 months) | Common | 2 |
| Address and employment details on the note | Sometimes | 1 |
| Consent to a bank restricted-account check | Occasional | 1 |
The maximum is 10 points. A guarantor scoring 8 or more covers every item a typical landlord demands and is move-in ready. A score of 6 to 7 covers the essentials (note, ID, pay slips) and passes most landlords. Below 6, the guarantor is missing a core item, usually the pay slips, and a careful landlord may reject them. Basis: the item list and demand frequency are from the guarantor-practice fact bank and the cited practitioner guides; the weighting is the author’s own scoring, not an official standard. Use it as a readiness check, not a legal test.
Foreign and roommate guarantors
If you are new to Israel, the guarantor demand is often the hardest part of renting, because you arrive without the network of Israeli adults a landlord wants. A guarantor who lives abroad is also weak from the landlord’s side: collection on the note runs through the Israeli Execution Office, which can realistically reach an Israeli resident with Israeli pay slips and assets but struggles against someone overseas. That is exactly why landlords insist on local arevim.
You are not stuck. The common workarounds, none of which need a local guarantor, are:
- Offer a larger cash deposit up to the lawful three-month cap, or a few months of rent paid in advance.
- Provide a bank guarantee once you have an Israeli account to back it.
- Use a paid guarantor service or rental-guarantee insurer, which issues a guarantee in place of a person for a fee (commonly a percentage of monthly rent or a one-time charge).
The full timing playbook, including the bank-account and checkbook lead times, is on the page for foreign renter guarantees, and if you are arranging the lease before you land, see renting remotely from abroad.
Roommates raise a different trap. In a shared tenancy each tenant usually signs jointly and severally, and each may be told to bring their own guarantor or guarantors. The danger is shared: if one roommate stops paying, the others’ guarantors can be pulled in for the gap, because the promise covers the whole rent, not just one person’s share. Sort out who guarantees what before you sign, and if a roommate leaves mid-lease, do not assume their guarantor is released. The mechanics of a departing flatmate are on a co-tenant leaving mid-lease, and the rules on bringing in a new occupant are on subletting and replacement rules.
Releasing a guarantor when the lease ends
A guarantor is not free the moment the calendar turns. Their liability runs until the lease has ended and the apartment is vacated, and it is released only when two things are true: the lease is genuinely over, and every debt (rent, bills, damage) is settled. At that point you collect the signed promissory note back. The handover of the security generally tracks the same 60-day settlement window that applies to a deposit, counted from the later of returning possession or clearing debts.
The rule that catches people out is renewal. A lease renewal does not automatically renew the guaranty. If the original guaranty was written for a fixed term, your guarantors must re-sign for the new period, and a landlord who wants continued cover has to ask for it. The flip side is the danger: a guaranty drafted to cover “extensions and amendments” without the guarantor’s consent can quietly trap them across renewals they never signed for. That is precisely why you fix an end date in the note. If your lease is heading into renewal, read rent increase and renewal for the wider notice rules, and if you are leaving early, the guarantor implications connect to the early exit clause.
The three clauses that cap an uncapped promise
Since the law will not cap your guarantors, the lease has to. These are the protections to negotiate into the guaranty before anyone signs. They turn an open-ended promise into a bounded one.
| Protection to add | What it does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| A fixed maximum sum (schum katzuv) | Caps the note at a stated number instead of “the whole lease plus everything” | Without it the note can reach the full lease rent plus damage and costs |
| A fixed end date | Ends the guaranty on a set day and excludes extensions made without consent | Stops a renewal or amendment from silently re-binding the guarantor |
| Landlord pursues the tenant first (secondary guarantor) | Makes the guarantor collectible only after the landlord exhausts remedies against you | Without it the landlord can go straight to the guarantor under joint and several liability |
A fourth, smaller win: exclude any lease amendment made without the guarantor’s written agreement, so a mid-lease rent rise does not enlarge their promise.
A few terms, defined once
- Arev / arevim: a guarantor, or guarantors, who promise to cover the tenant’s debts.
- Shtar chov: the promissory note, the written promise the guarantor signs.
- Jointly and severally (ביחד ולחוד): the landlord may collect the whole debt from any one guarantor.
- Aval: a form of guaranty on a note that binds the guarantor until the lease ends and the property is vacated.
- Hotzaa la-Poal: the Execution Office, where a note can be enforced for collection.
The cash-equivalent security cap, the deduction rules, and the 60-day return are owned by the deposits and guarantees page, and the wider statutory rights sit on the Fair Rent Law protections.
Before your guarantors sign, run this check
- Does the note state a fixed maximum sum, or is it open-ended?
- Is there an end date, and are extensions and amendments excluded unless the guarantor re-signs?
- Is the guarantor secondary (landlord must pursue you first), or fully jointly and severally liable?
- Have your guarantors actually read what “the full lease plus damage and costs” can mean for them?
- Does each guarantor have ID and recent pay slips ready (score them against Figure 2)?
- Is there a written plan to return the signed note once the lease ends and debts are cleared?
- For roommates: is it clear which guarantor backs which tenant, and what happens if one roommate leaves?
Before any of this, confirm the person collecting the signatures actually owns the apartment, on verify the landlord, and fold the guaranty terms into your wider lease contract checklist.
Questions renters with guarantors ask
Is there a legal limit on how much my guarantor can owe?
No. The fair rent cap covers a cash deposit, a bank guarantee, and credit or insurance guarantees, not a guarantor’s signature. The promissory note your guarantor signs has no statutory ceiling and is usually written for the full lease rent plus damage and costs. The only limit is the one you negotiate into the note.
How many guarantors can a landlord require?
There is no legal minimum or maximum. It is a matter of agreement, and the common market ask is two guarantors on one promissory note. A strong cash deposit or bank guarantee can reduce or remove the demand.
Does “jointly and severally” mean each guarantor owes half?
No. It means the landlord can collect the entire debt from any single guarantor, who then has to sort out reimbursement with the others. To soften it, negotiate a clause that the landlord must pursue the tenant first.
Can my guarantor be from abroad?
A landlord usually will not accept one. Collection runs through the Israeli Execution Office, which can reach an Israeli resident with local income and assets but struggles against someone overseas. If you cannot find a local guarantor, use a larger deposit, a bank guarantee, or a paid guarantor service.
When the lease renews, does my guarantor stay on the hook automatically?
Not automatically. A renewal does not renew the guaranty, so for a fixed-term guaranty the guarantor must re-sign for the new period. But watch for a note worded to cover extensions without consent, which can trap a guarantor across renewals. Fix an end date to prevent it.
When does my guarantor get released?
Once the lease is genuinely over, the apartment is vacated, and all debts are settled. At that point the signed promissory note should be returned to you, on a timeline that tracks the 60-day deposit-return window from the later of handover or debt settlement.
What documents do my guarantors need to bring?
Their signature on the note, an ID copy, and recent pay slips, sometimes with address and employment details and consent to a bank restricted-account check. Score them with Figure 2 above before signing day.
Sources
- Kol Zchut, limit on the security amount a landlord may demand (cap covers cash deposit, bank guarantee, credit or insurance guarantee; not a security check or a guarantor’s signature)
- Adv. Yitzhak Goldstein, promissory note in a rental (amount negotiable and uncapped, jointly and severally, aval until lease end and vacating, Execution Office and objection, renewal does not renew the guaranty)
- Aharoni Law Firm, guide to renting an apartment in Israel (two guarantors with pay slips, combination of instruments)
- WeCheck, the Fair Rent Law and the promissory note (no statutory cap on the note amount)
- David L. Cohen, more tips for tenants on security deposits and guaranties (fixed sum, fixed end date, exclude extensions, make the guarantor secondary)
- Easy Aliyah, renting without guarantors in Israel (foreigner obstacle, deposit and bank-guarantee and paid-service workarounds)
- Israel Central Bureau of Statistics rent data, via market reporting (national-average rent anchor)
Your next step
Before you ask anyone to sign, get the three caps into the note: a fixed maximum sum, a fixed end date, and a “landlord pursues the tenant first” clause. Hand your guarantors this page so they sign with eyes open, then compare the guarantor route against the other security options on the deposits and guarantees page, or step back to the renting in Israel hub to line up the rest of your move.
