Arnona, Va'ad Bayit and Utilities: Paying the Bills in Jerusalem
Six bills, five payees, and two of them come every two months. Here is what each one is, how to get it into your name, and where the discounts hide.
An apartment in Jerusalem comes with a fixed set of bills: arnona to the municipality, the va'ad bayit to the building, electricity, water to Hagihon, gas, and internet. Most are bi-monthly, most can be paid by standing order, and all must be moved into your name in the first weeks or the previous tenant's problems become yours. This guide takes them one at a time; the renting guide explains what the lease says about who pays.
Arnona
Arnona is the municipal property tax, paid by the occupant, calculated from the apartment's registered size and the zone it sits in, billed every two months or annually in advance at a small discount. Transfer it into your name at the municipality's website or offices with the lease and your ID; ask for the olim discount at the same time if you are a new immigrant, because it runs for a limited period from a fixed start and is not backdated. Students, pensioners, people on low incomes and some others have their own discounts. Disputes about the registered size are common and worth pursuing if the apartment is clearly smaller than the bill says. The municipality guide covers the office and the 106 hotline.
Va'ad bayit
Every shared building has a house committee (va'ad bayit) that collects a monthly fee for cleaning the stairwell, the lift, the building's electricity, the garden and repairs. The amount is set by the residents, the treasurer is a neighbour, and payment is by transfer, Bit or cash in an envelope. Ask on day one who the treasurer is and what the fee covers; tenants usually pay the routine fee and landlords pay for major works, but the lease decides. Not paying makes you the building's least popular resident faster than anything else.
Electricity
The grid is the Israel Electric Corporation's; the bill comes every two months and is paid online, by standing order or at the post office. Transfer the account at move-in with a meter reading and the lease, through the IEC site or app. Since the market opened, households can buy their supply from a competing provider at a discount while the IEC still runs the wires and the meter; compare the discount offers once you have a couple of bills to measure against. Israeli apartments run on 230 volts; appliances from North America need transformers or replacing.
Water: Hagihon
Jerusalem's water and sewage company is Hagihon, not the municipality. Bills are bi-monthly and tiered: each registered resident gets an allowance at the low rate, and usage above it costs more, so register the number of people in the household (diyuach nefashot) as soon as you move in, with IDs for everyone. A leak shows up as a shocking bill; Hagihon has a procedure for leak-related reductions if the repair is documented.
Gas
Cooking gas comes either from a central bulk tank (gaz merkazi) billed by the supplier by meter, or from exchangeable balloons ordered from the local supplier and delivered to the balcony. Ask which the apartment uses and get the supplier's number from the landlord; a new balloon customer signs a short contract and has the connection safety-checked. Gas heaters for winter run on the same supply.
Heating and hot water
Most Jerusalem apartments heat with the air conditioners in heat mode, some with gas heaters or radiators in newer buildings; central heating is rare and expensive where it exists. Hot water comes from the solar heater on the roof (dud shemesh) with an electric backup switch for cloudy days and winter; find the switch and the timer in the first week, and switch it off when the sun is out or the electricity bill will tell you. Winters are cold in stone buildings: budget for heating from November to March.
Internet, phone and TV
Covered separately: home internet and mobile plans. There is no television licence fee in Israel any more.
Moving in and moving out
- Photograph the electricity, water and gas meters on the day you get the keys and again when you leave.
- Transfer arnona, electricity, water and gas in the first week, each with the lease and your ID; claim the arnona discount at the same time.
- Set up standing orders or card authorisations so nothing lapses while you learn the system.
- On leaving, close each account with the final reading and give the landlord copies; the deposit comes back faster.
Hebrew you will meet
- arnona — municipal tax
- va'ad bayit — house committee (and its fee)
- chashmal — electricity
- mayim — water
- gaz — gas
- dud shemesh — solar water heater
- cheshbon — bill / account
- moneh — meter
More everyday words are in our Hebrew vocabulary guide.
Common questions
Do new olim pay arnona?
Yes, at a discount for a limited period after arrival, claimed from the municipality with the lease and the Teudat Oleh. It is not backdated, so apply in the first weeks.
Who pays the va'ad bayit, tenant or landlord?
Usually the tenant pays the routine monthly fee and the landlord pays for major works such as a new lift or roof, but the lease decides; check the clause.
Why is my water bill so high?
Either the household size is not registered with Hagihon, so you are paying the high tier from the first litre, or there is a leak. Register the residents first, then check the meter with everything off.
Can I choose my electricity supplier in Israel?
Yes: competing suppliers sell discounted supply while the Israel Electric Corporation still runs the network and the meter. Compare once you have a couple of bills to measure the saving against.
A bill or a discount we have wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.
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