You can rent out an Israeli apartment from abroad, and most of the work sits with one decision: who is your person on the ground. A property manager can take the whole job, or you can keep control yourself with a local representative, a lawyer and a narrow power of attorney. This guide is for an owner who lives outside Israel and lets an apartment to a long-term tenant. For the tenant’s side of the same lease, see how to rent in Israel.
What does a property manager do, and can you manage without one?
A manager handles the day-to-day tasks of a lease for you, and you can split those tasks between a manager, a lawyer and a trusted local contact. The sources on this site do not define or price a manager’s service, so this guide describes the tasks. They are the ones in the tenant’s guide: viewings, signing the lease, taking security, repair requests and the handover (registering the bills is covered in arnona for renters). The tenant’s guide says agents “offer professional help but charge fees” (how to rent in Israel).
If you do it yourself, the person on the ground matters more than any app. The remote-buying guide advises a trusted representative who can confirm a unit is real and be present when a signing needs a body in the room, and a written agreement so the role and fee are clear (buying Israeli property remotely). The same habit applies to a manager.
What should the lease and the security look like for a landlord abroad?
The lease, the heskem haschirut, is legally binding and sets rent, duration, payment terms and special clauses (how to rent in Israel). Have an Israeli lawyer read it before you sign, because Hebrew is the binding language (renting remotely).
Which securities can you ask for?
A cash deposit, a bank guarantee, post-dated security checks or personal guarantors (deposits and guarantees). The law caps cash, bank guarantee and any credit or insurance guarantee combined at the lower of three months’ rent or one third of the total rent, so on a lease of nine months or longer the cap is three months’ rent (the rental bank guarantee). A security check and a guarantor’s signature sit outside it (deposits and guarantees), and so does rent paid in advance (renting with no Israeli bank or guarantor). Details: post-dated checks, guarantors.
What can you keep it for?
Only unpaid rent, repairs of damage the tenant caused, unpaid bills such as arnona or vaad bayit, and the agreed daily charge for a late handover. For repairs or shortcomings you give reasonable advance notice first. The amount is capped at the actual debt, and anything left returns within 60 days of the tenant leaving and settling debts (deposits and guarantees). A bank guarantee can be called only for a real debt, after a warning and time to fix it (the rental bank guarantee).
How do you screen a tenant, and what will the tenant check about you?
A tenant is told to order the nesach tabu, the Land Registry extract, for 17 NIS and match the owner’s name and ID to the person signing. Every registered owner must sign, and anyone else who signs or collects rent needs written authority (verify the landlord).
For the tenant, the usual proof is a document file: passport, foreign bank statements, pay slips or an employer letter, and a previous-landlord reference. A foreign tenant often offers a third-party rental-guarantee service, a promissory note held by your lawyer or a larger deposit up to the cap, because checks and bank guarantees need an Israeli account (foreign renter guarantees).
Who pays arnona and vaad bayit when the owner lives abroad?
On a lease of 12 months or longer the tenant is the holder and pays arnona for the months they live there. On a shorter lease the landlord usually stays liable, though many short leases build it into the rent. Liability passes only when the municipality receives written notice of the change, so ask the tenant for the municipality’s balance confirmation (arnona for renters).
The vaad bayit is the building committee’s monthly fee, and a lease usually passes the ordinary fee to the tenant. A special assessment, such as a roof or a new elevator, is the owner’s cost, and the committee can pursue only the owner for unpaid vaad (vaad bayit fees). So the lease must say who pays what, confirmed in writing before signing. Each building sets its own fee.
How is rental income taxed for an owner abroad?
Rental income is taxable in Israel, and the Tax Authority offers tracks you can choose between. The rental income page describes three: a tax-exempt track when monthly rent is below a ceiling of about 5,654 shekels in 2025, frozen through 2027; a 10% flat rate on gross rent with no expense deductions; and the standard track, which adds rent to your other income but allows expenses such as repairs, insurance and arnona. It says to use an Israeli accountant, because figures and rules change. Your position as a non-resident, and any duty in your home country, is a question for accountants in both places (Israel real estate tax).
Who handles repairs and emergencies?
Settle it in the lease. The tenant’s guide says to clarify who is responsible for repairs, record the apartment’s condition on move-in, and keep clear communication about repairs. The landlord may enter for inspections with reasonable notice (how to rent in Israel). Add a dated condition record and one named person who can open the door. Agree response times and call-out costs in writing.
How do you receive rent abroad and handle the exchange rate?
Rent is usually paid monthly, often by bank transfer, post-dated checks or standing orders (how to rent in Israel). The simplest set-up is an Israeli account that receives the rent, then a conversion to your currency. The registry rate is 3.0890 ILS/USD shekels per US dollar, as of 2026-10-16. The money guide explains that the Bank of Israel publishes a daily representative rate, that the gap between your offer and that benchmark is your real fee even when the receipt says “zero commission”, and that fixed fees come on top (foreign exchange guide). Ask for the exact rate before each transfer. For larger sums, ask your bank for a written list of documents it needs (buying remotely). See also the FX break-even calculator.
Do you need a power of attorney to hire a manager?
Only for the acts the manager must do in your name. A power of attorney is a signed document letting someone act for you on named steps. The remote-buying guide advises keeping it to named acts for one named property, giving it to someone bound by professional duty to you, such as your own lawyer, and having the lawyer and the receiving bank approve the wording before you sign abroad (buying Israeli property remotely). That guide covers a purchase, so treat it as a model only. Ask your lawyer whether the manager needs authority to sign leases, receive rent or deal with the municipality, and delegate only that.
What about insurance and the mamad?
Landlords may ask tenants for renter’s insurance (how to rent in Israel). The committee fee pays for insurance of the shared structure, and the tenant’s contents are a separate policy (vaad bayit fees, renter insurance). The sources give no terms for a landlord’s policy on the apartment itself, so ask an Israeli insurance adviser. Remote tenants are told to ask to be shown the protected room (mamad) or the nearest shelter on a live video tour (renting remotely). See the mamad safe room guide.
What happens when you sell later?
You can sell during a lease, but the new owner must honour its terms (how to rent in Israel). For the process and tax as a non-resident, see selling property in Israel as a non-resident.
When is a manager worth it?
A manager makes sense when you have no reliable local contact, when tenants change often, or when you do not want to handle a deposit dispute yourself. A contact plus a lawyer can be enough for a long lease and a steady tenant. Fees are set by agreement, and this page gives no figure. Ask for the fee, services and exit terms in writing. Keep the lease, the nesach tabu, the deposit record and the rent account in your own hands.
Frequently asked questions
What does Israel property management include?
What a company includes, and its fee, is set by agreement, so get the service list in writing.
How does long term rental management work from abroad?
You keep the lease and registry papers, and If you give a manager or contact authority, keep any power of attorney to named acts for one named property.
What changes on a lease under 12 months?
On a lease under 12 months the landlord usually stays liable for arnona (arnona for renters), and the lease should state duration, utilities and cleaning fees (how to rent in Israel). Holiday-let licensing is not covered here.
What are the typical management fees in Israel?
This page gives no figure, because the sources state none. Request the fee and what it covers in writing from each manager.
Can a landlord ask for six months of deposit?
No. The combined cap is the lower of three months’ rent or one third of the total rent (deposits and guarantees).
Sources
- Site pages read 13 August 2026: how to rent in Israel, deposits and guarantees, bank guarantee, foreign renter guarantees, renting remotely, arnona, vaad bayit, rental income and the foreign exchange guide.
- Verify the landlord, read 15 June 2026; buying Israeli property remotely, read 16 October 2026.
- Semerenko Group registry facts fx.ils_per_foreign.usd and fx.source_date, 16 October 2026.
Related pages
- Rules for rental income
- How to collect rent in Israel, a landlord’s guide
- Deposits and guarantees in Israel
- How to rent in Israel
- Selling property in Israel as a non-resident
Your next step: decide who your person on the ground is, then ask for the lease, the fee and the authority in writing. Tell the Semerenko Group team what you are looking for.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice; confirm with a licensed professional.
