Apartment handover and getting your deposit back: protocol, fair wear, and what to photograph

The deposit (or guarantee) exists to cover damage and debts — not to serve as an "exit fee." But when there’s no documentation, the damage estimate is the landlord’s, and the dispute becomes word against word.

Hence the guide’s one big rule: the best documentation happens at move-IN, not move-out. If you’re reading this before entering a new apartment — photograph every existing defect now (parquet scratches, a wall stain, a loose handle) and send it to the landlord in writing. The cheapest insurance there is.

Open the lease and look for three things: what’s required on exit (painting? professional cleaning?), when and how the deposit is returned (usually within 30–60 days or "after settlement"), and which guarantees you gave (cash, bank guarantee, promissory note, cheques).

Coordinate a joint handover walkthrough with the landlord — in daylight, after the apartment is empty and clean. A "leave the key in the mailbox" handover is an invitation to a dispute with no second side.

Fair wear-and-tear is what living in an apartment does over time — paint fading, light wall scuffs, aging fixtures wearing out. Tenants aren’t supposed to pay for these; Israel’s Fair Rental Law anchors the principle.

Damage is what goes beyond: a large hole in a wall, a broken door, a stain that won’t lift, water-damaged flooring. Those do get fixed or deducted — which is why it pays to fix them yourself before handover, at your price rather than the landlord’s estimate.

A handover protocol is a short document you both sign at the walkthrough: the apartment’s state room by room, meter readings (electricity, water, gas) with photos, the number of keys returned, and a statement on the deposit and open debts.

There’s no magic form — a summarizing WhatsApp message with the photos, acknowledged by both sides, does the job. The principle: nothing important stays verbal.

On handover day, report the closing readings: holder swaps for Arnona and the water corporation, closing the electricity account at the meter reading you photographed. Every day of delay is another charge in your name — and another excuse to "hold" the deposit pending settlement.

We have a separate, complete guide for all the after-move updates — the full checklist.

It’s customary for the deposit to come back after the final bills arrive and settle — usually within 30–60 days of handover, per the contract. A landlord may deduct a documented debt or damage, but a deduction needs detail: amount, reason, and evidence.

If you gave a bank guarantee — make sure the landlord releases it with the bank (and that you stop paying its fee). A promissory note — ask for it back physically, or for written confirmation of its destruction.

Step one — an orderly written demand: amount, evidence (the protocol and photos), and a deadline. Many delays resolve the moment the other side realizes documentation exists.

Not resolved? Small-claims court is the natural route for deposit-sized amounts — a relatively simple procedure, no lawyer needed, and the documentation you collected is exactly the evidence. Even stating the intention in an orderly letter works wonders.