Last updated July 9th 2022

As we all know, finding apartments in Tel Aviv is insane, especially with a lack of Hebrew.

There are two ways to go about doing it:

  1. Via an agent – usually have to pay the first month’s rent as a finders fee
  2. The Israeli way – through websites, Facebook groups, and friends

1. Via an Agent

Demand for apartments in Tel Aviv is crazy. Agents are expensive, however there are times when it is necessary to use an agent – you are short of time, you are looking for some special secret apartments, you don’t know the areas, and you don’t care about costs. Additional advantages of using an agent are that they will find suitable apartments matching your needs, they may help you with lawyers and contracts, and have partners for other services such as moving.

Some of our Favorite Olim Real Estate Agents:

Hey, I’m Hillel, and I love helping fellow Olim with housing! I made aliya from Cleveland, Ohio in 2012, and quickly realized that there are a lot of issues in the real estate field in Israel, especially for Olim. Rather than focusing on specific properties, I’m here to focus on your housing journey. Together we’ll deeply understand all your needs and preferences and make sure that you’re prepared for all the steps you’ll go through to have the best housing experience. I’ll then guide you through all the processes until we’ve found the perfect home for you to buy, rent or renovate. Feel free to check out my website or complete this quick form.


2. The Israeli Way

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The majority of Israelis do not use an agent to find an apartment, instead regularly checking apartment listing websites, facebook groups etc. While this can be a lot of work, it can save you several thousand shekels.

While most of the listings are in Hebrew, simply using Google Translate on Chrome should help you get by. Word of caution – agents do still lurk behind many of the postings in websites and facebook groups – be sure to ask early in the conversation whether there is an agents’ fee.

Typically the outgoing tenants will help the landlord find new tenants. The Israeli way is to organize a large open house for a few hours and people can come round and see the apartment. We recommend turning up to the open house as early as possible as the outgoing tenant will add people to a list for the landlord and it is better to be at the top of that list.

Websites:

  • Yad2 – huge online marketplace for many things, including apartments. Click here for apartments to rent and click here for apartments looking for room-mates.
  • Homeless – another huge listings website. Click here for apartments to rent and click here for apartments looking for room-mates.

Facebook Groups:

If you have any other suggestions for this post, please add to the comments below.

Happy Hunting!!!


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