Who pays for painting in an Israeli rental?
Your rental contract decides it, not the law. Israel’s Fair Rental Law does not mention painting at all; it makes the tenant responsible for damage from unreasonable use and the landlord for other real defects. So whether you have to repaint when you leave depends on what your contract says, and that is worth agreeing before you sign.
You'll be chatting with Daniel at Tel Aviv Renovations, who handles our English-speaking clients.
What the Fair Rental Law says
The Fair Rental Law is the 2017 amendment to Israel’s Rental and Borrowing Law. It added a chapter on residential leases (official text). The parts that matter here:
- Repairs (section 25H). The tenant is responsible for any defect caused by unreasonable use, and repairs it at their own expense unless agreed otherwise. The landlord repairs other defects that are not trivial, within a reasonable time and no later than 30 days after the tenant asks, or within three days if the defect makes the apartment unliveable.
- The contract (sections 25B and 25C). A residential lease must be in writing and signed, and it must include, among other details, any non-trivial defect the landlord knows about when the contract is signed.
- The deposit (section 25I). The total security cannot be more than three months’ rent or a third of the rent for the whole lease, whichever is lower. The landlord can use it if the tenant did not repair defects that are the tenant’s responsibility, up to the cost of the repair, after giving reasonable notice and a chance to fix them. The rest has to be returned within 60 days of the apartment being handed back, or of the tenant’s debts being settled, whichever is later.
The 2017 amendment does not use the Hebrew words for painting or whitewashing anywhere in its text. The law took effect 60 days after it was published on 19 July 2017 and applies to leases signed from then on.
So what decides it: your contract
Many rental contracts in Israel include a clause asking the tenant to return the apartment freshly painted, often in white. In Hebrew the clause usually says סיוד (siyud), whitewashing, which in practice means repainting.
A lawyer’s guide published by Nefesh B’Nefesh warns that repainting at the end of a lease “is NOT automatically expected – certainly not if it was not freshly painted for you at the beginning of the lease”. It also advises that a clause about returning the apartment in its original condition should say “other than reasonable wear and tear”, and calls painting “often an issue in lease negotiations” (Nefesh B’Nefesh).
Before you sign
- Check whether the apartment was freshly painted when you moved in, and write it in the contract.
- If there is a painting clause, agree what it means: the whole apartment or only marked walls, and which colour.
- Make sure a “same condition” clause excludes reasonable wear and tear.
- Walk through the apartment with the landlord and record the walls on video, when you move in and when you leave.
At the end of the lease
If your contract asks you to repaint, the easiest time is after your furniture is out and before you hand over the keys. We repaint empty apartments in white or the neutral shade your landlord asks for, usually in 1–2 days:
| Apartment | Price (incl. VAT) |
|---|---|
| 2-room | ₪1,800 – ₪2,500 |
| 3-room | ₪2,500 – ₪3,500 |
| 4-room | ₪3,500 – ₪4,800 |
More detail in our end-of-lease painting guide and the full price guide. Landlords repainting between tenants can see painting for landlords.
This page is general information, not legal advice. For a question about your own contract, ask a lawyer.
Common questions
Does Israeli law require tenants to repaint when they move out?
No. The Fair Rental Law does not mention painting. Whether you have to repaint depends on what your rental contract says.
What does “siyud” mean in my rental contract?
Siyud (סיוד) literally means whitewashing. In rental contracts it usually means repainting the apartment, typically in white. Ask your landlord exactly what they expect before you book a painter.
Can my landlord take painting costs from my deposit?
Under the Fair Rental Law the landlord can use the deposit for defects the tenant was responsible for and did not repair, up to the cost of the repair, after giving reasonable notice and a chance to fix them. What counts depends on your contract. This is general information, not legal advice.
When must the landlord return my deposit?
Within 60 days of the apartment being handed back, or of the tenant’s debts being settled, whichever is later, under the Fair Rental Law.
How much does an end-of-lease repaint cost?
With Tel Aviv Painters an empty-apartment repaint costs ₪1,800–₪2,500 for a 2-room apartment, ₪2,500–₪3,500 for a 3-room and ₪3,500–₪4,800 for a 4-room, including VAT.
Sources
- Rental and Borrowing (Amendment) Law, 5777-2017 (the “Fair Rental Law”), Sefer HaChukim 2649, 19 July 2017, official text on gov.il (Hebrew, PDF)
- Nefesh B’Nefesh, Renting an Apartment in Israel (Russell D. Mayer, Adv.)
Moving out and need it painted?
Send us your move-out date and the size of the apartment and we will come back to you within a few hours, in English. Tel Aviv Painters is the English-language service of Lavanor.
You'll be chatting with Daniel at Tel Aviv Renovations, who handles our English-speaking clients.