Real Estate Law in Israel:
buying, selling and renting
A real estate transaction in Israel often involves the bulk of a family's assets. Our firm represents you throughout the entire process, from verifying the seller's rights to the final registration of your name in the land registry, ensuring that every payment is secured by a tangible asset. All transactions are handled in Hebrew, French, or English, according to your preference.
Buying a new property from a developer
Buying off-plan is nothing like buying an existing apartment. The contract is a standard document, drafted by the developer and designed to protect them: it's not negotiated as a whole, but rather revised clause by clause through an addendum of amendments. This is where the bulk of the legal work takes place. The firm focuses its review on what truly protects the buyer: the guarantees provided by law for apartment sales, which secure every payment; the payment schedule, which must be based on the actual progress of the work and not on the seller's sales calendar; the delivery deadline and the precise consequences of exceeding it; the promised technical specifications and the fate of modifications requested during construction; and finally, the registration schedule for rights, which remains with the construction company for a considerable time before being transferred to the land registry.
Buying a second-hand item from an individual
Here, everything begins with verifying the seller's rights. Depending on the nature of the property, this verification is carried out with the Tabou (land registry), the construction company, the State Property Administration, or the mortgage registry. The aim is to ensure that the seller is indeed the holder of the rights they are transferring, and to know exactly what encumbrances affect the property.
Next comes the negotiation of the legal terms of the contract, followed, upon signing, by the registration of the lien – the hearat azhara. This formality makes the transaction official with the authorities and prevents anyone, starting with the seller, from disposing of the property without your knowledge. This is followed by the declaration of the transaction to the tax authorities, the release of any mortgage encumbering the property, and finally, once the price has been paid in full, the completion of all the necessary steps to register the transfer of rights in your name.
Selling a property
On the seller's side, the firm negotiates the legal terms of the sale, drafts the contract and all the necessary supporting documents to finalize the transaction. When the structure of the transaction requires it, it opens and manages an escrow account, which ensures that funds are only released as the agreed conditions are met.
He files the tax return for the transaction and completes all the formalities on your behalf to allow the buyer to register their right in the land registry once the price is paid in full, including releasing the mortgage in favor of your bank. A poorly prepared sale almost always stalls at the same point: during registration, when a document is missing that no one had requested in time.
Bank financing
If the purchase is financed by a loan, our firm can also represent you with the lending institution: registering the mortgage, obtaining a commitment from the developer to register the mortgage while the property is still under construction, and registering the lien in favor of the bank. This service is subject to a separate agreement, the cost of which will be provided to you in advance.
Rental agreements, for residential and commercial use
A lease should be read before it is signed, and rarely after. The firm drafts and negotiates rental contracts for both the landlord and the tenant: duration and conditions of renewal, amount and indexation of rent, required guarantees and their return, allocation of repairs and charges, reasons and procedures for termination, inventory of fixtures.
Commercial leases require extra vigilance. The duration, renewal options, the fate of any improvements made by the tenant, exclusivity or permitted use clauses, and the conditions for assigning the lease often determine the very future of the business. A business owner who signs a lease that is too short or without a renewal option may find themselves, five years later, having to start all over again elsewhere.
What the firm does not cover
Let's be clear: technical and architectural verifications of the property are not part of legal work and fall outside the firm's remit. The same applies to examining planning regulations – building overruns, unused building rights, the applicable zoning plan, beautification tax, and any other issues related to plans.
These checks are the responsibility of the buyer, and the firm systematically recommends entrusting them to an engineer or architect specializing in urban planning and construction before any signing. Similarly, the economic terms of the transaction—the price, orientation, layout, and equipment—are negotiated directly between the parties or through the real estate agent: the firm provides its opinion on the legal aspects, not on the property's value.
For French-speaking customers and those residing outside of Israel
Before you sign, you will receive a French translation of the essential clauses of the contract. This is a firm rule, not an option: no one should commit to hundreds of thousands of shekels by signing a document they haven't read.
For clients residing abroad, the contract can be signed on their behalf and placed by power of attorney, thus avoiding travel at an inconvenient time. The firm routinely handles acquisitions made from France, including the preparation of notarized powers of attorney and the necessary apostilles.
To estimate the acquisition tax amount yourself before committing, our firm offers a free and instant simulator. For any questions about your project, please contact us: the initial consultation is to understand your situation and clearly explain what it entails.