Switching on the apartment

Three photos and a name transfer stop you paying the previous tenant’s bill.

1. 1
   Photograph the meters — Electricity, water, gas if there is a meter. Date, reading, number. Send them to the landlord the same day.
2. 2
   Put electricity in your name — IEC (Hevrat Hashmal) still owns the grid. Even if you later switch to a private supplier, start with a contract in your name: ID, lease, meter reading.
3. 3
   Water and Arnona at the city — The city’s water company + transfer of the “machzik” (occupant) for Arnona. Not the same bill. The Oleh Arnona discount does not apply to water.
4. 4
   Gas, fibre, SIM — Depending on the building: balloon or central gas. Fibre only if the duct reaches the flat. Oleh mobile plans: in-store, with the Teudat Oleh — offers change, do not copy a 2023 WhatsApp group.

From 2026 any residential meter can leave IEC for a private supplier (Pazgaz, Amisragas, Electra Power, Bezeq, HOT, Cellcom, Partner, and others). The current is still IEC’s. An outage is still IEC.

• Your name at IEC firstWithout it, the bill stays with the previous tenant, or the meter is cut. Usual papers: ID, lease, reading, sometimes a contract number from an old bill.
• DepositA newcomer with no Israeli credit history is often asked for a deposit. The amount depends on the file. Get a receipt, and its return when you leave.
• Switch supplier laterOnline, no technician, no cut. Billing is often monthly (IEC was historically every two months). Compare on a comparison site; discounts depend on hours and a smart meter. You can switch back.
• A/C in summerThe first month with the mazgan running around the clock often doubles the bill. That is not a misread meter.

Each city has its company (Mei Avivim, Hagihon in Jerusalem, and so on). The bill mixes personal use, shared building use, and sewage. Every two or three months, not every month.

• TransferID + lease, sometimes a note from the Vaad Bayit. Do it in the first days, not “when the first bill comes”: it will come in the other person’s name.
• Not ArnonaWater is not inside the Oleh Arnona discount. Two desks, two files.

• Balloon (balon)Older buildings. Pazgaz, Amisragas, Supergas / Electra. You pick the supplier. A tank often lasts one to three months depending on cooking.
• Central gasNewer buildings. The building already has a supplier. You open an account with that one; you do not switch it yourself.
• Dud shemeshThe solar tank heats water in summer. In winter the electric (or gas) booster lands on the electricity bill. Ask the landlord how to switch it on before December.

• FibreBezeq owns much of the infrastructure. Partner, Cellcom and HOT also sell. Check that fibre reaches the apartment, not just the street. Install: often one to four weeks. Read the commitment length and exit fees before you sign a TV bundle.
• Oleh mobileOperators offer welcome plans, and they change. Take the Teudat Oleh to the shop. An Israeli number is what banks, Bituah Leumi and SMS codes use. Do not keep a foreign SIM on roaming as your main line forever.

• Bill in the other nameKeep proof of the transfer request (screenshot, ticket number). Otherwise you pay twice, or they still get your dunning letters.
• Double depositsElectricity, sometimes water, sometimes fibre. Log each deposit to get it back when you leave.
• No-show technicianConfirm the day before. A missed fibre slot delays the whole month.
• EstimatesThe first bill may be estimated, not read. Photograph the index: that is your appeal.

• ArnonaMunicipal tax and the Oleh discount: Arnona guide.
• The leaseGuarantor, Vaad Bayit, check-in video: housing guide.
• Parcels$75 threshold: lifestyle guide, not an apartment bill.