Rental Apartment Maintenance: Landlord and Tenant Responsibilities

The Rental and Lending Law, as amended in 2017, requires landlords to provide an apartment that is fit for habitation and keep it that way throughout the tenancy. In practical terms, defects resulting from reasonable wear and tear, aging systems, or the apartment's structure are the landlord's responsibility. Damage caused by the tenant's unreasonable use is the tenant's responsibility.

Under the law, a landlord who receives a request to repair a defect for which they are responsible must do so within a reasonable time, and no later than 30 days. An urgent defect—one that prevents reasonable living conditions in the apartment—must be repaired within 3 days. If the landlord fails to make the repair, the law allows the tenant, under certain conditions, to arrange it themselves and claim reimbursement for reasonable expenses.

In practice, prompt repairs also serve the landlord's interests: a small problem dealt with today will not become major damage a month from now, and a tenant who feels looked after is more likely to stay.

• *Leaks from pipes or aging plumbing: Usually responsible: Landlord; Note*: Wear and tear on the apartment's systems


• *Blockages caused by improper use: Usually responsible: Tenant; Note*: For example, objects flushed down the toilet


• *Broken water heater or heating element: Usually responsible: Landlord; Note*: Unless the damage was caused by negligence


• *AC breakdown due to wear and tear: Usually responsible: Landlord; Note*: If the AC is part of the apartment; routine cleaning is usually the tenant's responsibility


• *Light bulbs, batteries, and minor maintenance: Usually responsible: Tenant; Note*: Ordinary day-to-day upkeep


• *Door or window broken by force: Usually responsible: Tenant; Note*: Damage caused by unreasonable use


• *Damp and mold caused by the building's structure: Usually responsible: Landlord; Note*: May also require coordination with the building committee (va'ad bayit)


• *Electrical appliance belonging to the tenant: Usually responsible: Tenant; Note*: The tenant's property

Reasonable wear and tear is the natural deterioration of an apartment that is lived in: faded paint, a worn faucet, or a loose hinge. Damage results from unreasonable use, neglect, or an accident: holes in walls, floor tiles cracked by an impact, or a broken door. The tenant is not responsible for reasonable wear and tear, including at the end of the tenancy. They are responsible for damage, and the landlord may draw on the security provided up to the cost of repairs, subject to the rules set out in law.

• Report problems immediately so they do not get worse.


• Allow access for tradespeople by prior arrangement.


• Take care of the apartment and carry out ordinary day-to-day maintenance.


• Do not make alterations to the apartment without the landlord's consent.

• Repair defects on time when they fall under the landlord's responsibility.


• Arrange access to the apartment with reasonable advance notice and as little disruption as possible.


• Maintain a network of reliable tradespeople so repairs do not have to wait for days.


• Carry out preventive maintenance: check the water heater, waterproof before winter, and clean AC units.

• An apartment condition report with photos, attached to the lease, at move-in and move-out.


• A clear maintenance clause in the lease, setting out each party's responsibilities in accordance with the law.


• One channel for reporting problems, with a record of every request.


• An agreed amount for minor repairs the tenant may arrange and deduct from the rent, if flexibility is desired.


• Periodic inspections by arrangement, to identify problems before they grow.

• *Before winter: What to check*: Roof and balcony waterproofing, gutters, windows, and signs of damp


• *Before summer: What to check*: AC cleaning and servicing, solar water heater inspection


• *Once a year: What to check*: Exposed pipes, faucets, electrical panel, and residual-current device (RCD)


• *At every tenant changeover: What to check*: Paintwork, minor repairs, deep cleaning, and full documentation of the apartment's condition

At the end of the tenancy, compare the apartment's condition with the condition report signed at move-in. Reasonable wear and tear remains the landlord's responsibility. The tenant must repair or pay for damage caused by unreasonable use. If necessary, the landlord may draw on the security provided up to the cost of repairs, with advance notice. A joint inspection on handover day, with photos and a signed report, resolves most disputes before they begin.

At Flamingo, maintenance issues do not sit unattended. A tenant reports a problem through our WhatsApp bot, a service request is opened, and a tradesperson from our network gets in touch. We oversee the work, keep you updated, and carry out periodic inspections and preventive maintenance, keeping the apartment in good condition and tenants happy to stay.

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