052-5927592 17 Tzahal Street, Ness Ziona Sun-Thu 09:00-19:00, Fri 09:00-12:30

Lawyer for Buying and Selling an Apartment in Givatayim

Buying an apartment in Givatayim? A lawyer acting for you checks the rights in the apartment, the building file at the municipality and the contract, builds a payment mechanism that protects your money, and accompanies the transaction until it is registered in your name. This applies both to a second-hand apartment and to a new apartment from a developer. Selling an apartment? The lawyer prepares the contract, makes sure the money reaches you before the rights pass, and handles the betterment tax (mas shevach) and the certificates until the buyers are registered.

Under section 8 of the Land Law, 5729-1969, an undertaking to enter into a real estate transaction requires a written document. For a new apartment, the Sale (Apartments) Law, 5733-1973 also applies, requiring the developer to deliver an apartment that matches the specification, as does the Sale (Apartments) (Assurance of Investments of Apartment Purchasers) Law, 5735-1974, requiring the developer to give you security for the money you pay.

When you need a lawyer to buy an apartment in Givatayim

Second-hand apartment

  • Before signing a memorandum of understanding or paying a deposit to the seller.
  • When the apartment carries a mortgage, an attachment or cautionary notes, or is registered with the Israel Land Authority or a housing company.
  • When the sellers are heirs, owners living abroad, or a person for whom a guardian has been appointed.
  • When the apartment has a building addition, an enclosed balcony or a layout that may not match the permit.

New apartment from a developer

  • Before signing a contract drafted by the developer, including an off-plan apartment.
  • When you need to make sure every payment is backed by a Sale Law guarantee or other security.
  • When you want to amend the delivery date, the compensation for delay and the specification in an amendments annex.
  • When the developer offers a financing deal such as 20/80 or a developer loan.

Selling an apartment in Givatayim

  • Before signing a memorandum of understanding: a current Land Registry extract, and a check of any mortgage, attachment or notes that must be removed by delivery.
  • Betterment tax (mas shevach): we check in advance whether the sale is exempt, for example as the sale of a qualifying residential apartment, and if not, how much tax to expect. A first estimate is available in the betterment tax calculator, and the full explanation is in the betterment tax guide. The transaction is reported to the Real Estate Taxation Office within 30 days.
  • The clearance certificate: the local authority issues it only after your debts to it are paid and, where there is liability, the betterment levy. The procedure in Givatayim is set out in the next section.
  • The contract: a payment mechanism ensuring the rights do not pass before the money is received, a clear delivery date, and an irrevocable power of attorney that allows registration to be completed.

All the stages of a sale are explained on the selling an apartment page.

What is specific to an apartment transaction in Givatayim

The Land Registry clearance certificate

In Givatayim the application for a clearance certificate is submitted at the residents' service centre, on an online form or by a pre-arranged appointment, and email requests are not answered. According to the municipality website, you attach a Land Registry extract up to 3 months old and, for a sale, a full contract signed by both parties with the date of delivery of possession. If the delivery date differs from the contract, an affidavit is attached, and a missing document will lead to rejection of the application. The certificate is valid for up to a year from payment of the fee. The clearance certificate page on the Givatayim municipality website (Hebrew).

The building file and the planning committee

Givatayim has a Local Planning and Building Committee. The municipality website offers online access to building files and to applications that received a permit. Building files on the municipality website (Hebrew).

Urban renewal

Givatayim has an urban renewal department, and the municipality website publishes a list of evacuation and reconstruction complexes, among them the Histadrut complexes and the Herzog, Rabin, Gilboa and Mishmar HaYarden complexes. Anyone buying an old apartment in the city should check whether the building is on the list. The list of complexes on the municipality website (Hebrew).

Land Registry, real estate taxation and the Israel Land Authority

According to the Survey of Israel block layer and Ministry of Justice data, transactions in Givatayim are registered at the Tel Aviv Land Registry Office (125 Menachem Begin Blvd., Tel Aviv-Yafo).

The transaction is reported to the Central Real Estate Taxation Office (125 Menachem Begin Rd., Tel Aviv). A property on Israel Land, owned by the State, the Jewish National Fund or the Development Authority, is handled by the Tel Aviv region of the Israel Land Authority.

The assignment changes from time to time, so before filing it is worth confirming it by the apartment's block number with the search tool by block (data as of 19 October 2026). The municipal clearance certificate, who signs it and how to obtain it, is explained in the article on the municipal certificate for the Land Registry.

The process

  1. Preliminary review

    Land Registry extract or certificate of rights, the building file, and for a new apartment also the building permit, the security and the developer. We check who is authorised to sign, and whether there are municipal debts that may delay registration.

  2. Drafting or amending the contract

    The payment schedule is built so that each payment is released only against security. For a new apartment we amend the contract the developer drafted: delivery, compensation, specification and indexation.

  3. Signing and reporting

    Registration of a cautionary note in your favour, reporting to the Real Estate Taxation Office within 30 days and payment of purchase tax.

  4. Delivery and registration

    A handover protocol, the tax certificates and the municipal clearance certificate, and registration of the rights in your name through to completion.

What to bring to the meeting

  • ID cards of all buyers.
  • The apartment details: address and, if known, block, parcel and sub-parcel.
  • A draft contract or memorandum of understanding, if you have received one.
  • A mortgage approval in principle from the bank, if you have one.
  • For a new apartment: the developer's advertisement or offer, the specification and the apartment plan.

Timetable and cost

The fee is agreed in advance, after a short conversation about the transaction. What affects it, and what to check in a quote, is explained in the article how much a lawyer costs when buying or selling an apartment.

For budgeting: the purchase tax calculator, the additional costs calculator, and for a new apartment the construction input index calculator. For a sale: the betterment tax calculator.

The timetable depends on the transaction. A preliminary review is usually done within a few days, and the support continues until the rights are registered in your name.

The developer's lawyer compared with a lawyer acting for you

IssueThe developer's lawyerA lawyer acting for you
Whom he representsThe developerYou only
The contractDrafts it in the developer's favourReviews it and requests amendments
Security for paymentsIssues it as the developer decidedMakes sure every payment is protected
Registration of rightsHandles the project's general registrationFollows up until your apartment is properly registered

In a second-hand transaction each side has its own lawyer, and there is no "transaction lawyer". The seller's lawyer does not represent you.

Service from the office

The office is at 17 Tzahal Street, Ness Ziona, and handles apartment transactions in Givatayim. Meetings are held at the office, or elsewhere by prior arrangement.

All reviews of the office on Google

Questions and answers

How recent must the extract be for an application in Givatayim?

According to the municipality website, up to 3 months old.

Can the clearance certificate application in Givatayim be sent by email?

No. According to the municipality website, you apply on the online form or by appointment at the residents' service centre, and email requests are not answered.

Which Land Registry office, real estate taxation office and Israel Land Authority region serve an apartment in Givatayim?

Transactions in Givatayim are registered at the Tel Aviv Land Registry Office. The transaction is reported to the Central Real Estate Taxation Office, and a property on Israel Land is handled by the Tel Aviv region of the Israel Land Authority.

Do I need a lawyer from Givatayim to buy an apartment in Givatayim?

No. The transaction is registered at the Land Registry office according to the apartment's block, and most municipal certificates are obtained on the municipality website or by applying to it. What matters is that the lawyer knows the checks and the local authority procedure.

What is the difference between support for a second-hand purchase and a purchase from a developer?

In a second-hand purchase most of the work is checking the property and the seller and building a payment mechanism. With a developer, the work is amending the contract the developer drafted, securing the payments and following up until delivery and registration.

How much betterment tax is paid when selling an apartment in Givatayim?

It depends on the purchase and sale prices, the deductible expenses and eligibility for an exemption, for example on the sale of a qualifying residential apartment. The tax is set by national law, not by the city. A first estimate is available in the betterment tax calculator, and the exact calculation is made before signing.

When should I contact a lawyer?

Before you sign anything, including a memorandum of understanding, and before you transfer money. At that stage the terms can still be changed.

Related: Buying a second-hand apartment | Buying from a developer | Selling an apartment | Betterment tax calculator | 12 checks before signing | All service areas

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