Checking a rental contract?Don't sign until you understand it.

A residential lease in Israel is governed by the Rental and Lending Law, 5731-1971. A significant 2017 amendment, widely known as the Fair Rental Law, was intended to narrow the power gap between landlord and tenant, set out what a lease must contain, and define what counts as an apartment fit for habitation.

The most important point for a tenant is that some of the amendment's provisions are mandatory, meaning they cannot be contracted out of. Signing a clause that contradicts them does not necessarily make that clause valid. This is exactly why reading the contract alone is not enough: you need to know what the law says regardless of the wording you were handed.

Note that the law does not apply to every kind of tenancy. There are exceptions, including very short or very long rentals and certain property types. Before relying on any protection, confirm that your contract actually falls within the law's scope.

A central provision requires the landlord to hand over an apartment fit for habitation. This is not a general statement but a practical requirement, touching on things like working drainage and sanitation, electricity and lighting, and ventilation and natural light.

A landlord who hands over an apartment that is not fit for habitation is treated as having breached the lease, giving the tenant a cause of action. This provision cannot be contracted out of, so a clause stating that the tenant inspected the apartment and waives all claims in advance will not necessarily protect the landlord.

What to check: whether the contract describes the apartment's condition at handover, whether a handover protocol is attached, and whether there is a blanket waiver clause attempting to sidestep this requirement.

The deposit is the single most common source of dispute at the end of a tenancy. The amendment regulates guarantees, including limiting the total a landlord may demand and specifying when they may be called in.

The question is not only how much, but when and how. A contract that lets the landlord draw on the guarantee at sole discretion, without notice and without a clear definition of breach, hands over power that is very hard to push back on after the fact.

What to check: whether the contract states exactly when the guarantee may be called, whether prior written notice is required, how long after vacating the deposit is returned, and who decides whether damage occurred. Ask for these answers in the contract rather than leaving them to interpretation.

A practical tip that is not legal advice but is worth money: photograph the apartment on move-in day, including existing defects, and attach a handover protocol signed by both sides. Proper documentation beats any verbal argument a year later.

The general division set by the amendment is that the landlord is responsible for repairing defects, except minor ones arising from ordinary use or from unreasonable use by the tenant. In other words, structural or systemic faults are the landlord's, everyday wear is yours.

The law also addresses timing: the landlord must repair within a reasonable period of being notified, and sooner in urgent cases. A contract silent on this leaves you without a practical enforcement mechanism.

A clear red flag is a clause placing all repairs on the tenant without distinction, including structural work and building systems. Such a clause runs against the division of responsibility the law set.

What to check: whether the contract distinguishes between types of repair, whether a response timeframe is set, and what remedy you have if the landlord does not act, such as a right to carry out the repair and offset it against rent.

Most tenants do not see out the full term they signed for. Circumstances change, which makes the exit mechanism one of the most expensive clauses in the contract, even though it looks minor at signing.

The practical questions are whether the contract permits early exit at all, how much notice is required, and whether there is a replacement-tenant mechanism. If there is one, check whether the landlord may refuse a tenant you propose, and whether that refusal must be reasoned or reasonable. A clause granting an absolute right of refusal empties the mechanism of meaning.

A contract obliging you to pay through the end of the term with no exit mechanism at all is among the clauses most likely to cost you real money. This is exactly the kind of clause worth renegotiating before signing, while you still have leverage.

Beyond rent there is municipal tax, building committee fees, water, electricity, gas and sometimes insurance. The split should be explicit, and the amendment regulates part of it, including by distinguishing payments tied to using the property from those tied to owning it.

A common red flag is a clause passing ownership costs to the tenant, such as building insurance, levies, or main infrastructure repairs. These generally should not fall on you.

What to check: prefer an explicit list of payments over sweeping wording such as "all charges applicable to the property". General wording tends to be read against the party who did not draft it, and in a lease that is almost always the tenant.

Read the whole contract, including appendices and the guarantee document. An appendix is part of the contract, and it is a common place for terms to be tucked away.

Compare what is written against what was agreed verbally. A promise that never made it into writing is very hard to enforce.

Mark every clause you did not understand and ask for clarification or a change in writing. A change agreed over WhatsApp that never reached the final text is not part of the contract.

Make sure every page is signed or numbered, and take a signed copy. A tenant without a signed copy starts any future dispute at a structural disadvantage.