Renting off-campus housing is an attractive option for many students. Monthly rent for an individual sharing an apartment will generally cost US $200-$400, depend­ing upon the size, location, and amenities of the room/apartment, as well as the number of roommates. When renting an apartment, students must take into account additional expenses: electricity, water, gas, municipal taxes (arnona), and the monthly building maintenance fee (va’ad bayit).

Several basic questions to ask before signing a contract: 

  How much is the rent and Va’ad Bayit (monthly building main­ten­ance committee
   fee)?
   Rent is commonly quoted in U.S. Dollars and linked to the current rate of exchange
   (sha’ar hayatzig).
   It is illegal for landlords to request actual payment in dollars.

  How are rental payments to be made?
   Often landlords require seve­ral month’s rent in advance. (The standard request
   is the first and last month’s rent.) 

  How is the apartment heated?
   Apartments with a high Va’ad Bayit fee are often centrally heated. Otherwise, there
   may be private central heating or the tenant will need individual room heaters,
   sometimes provid­ed by the landlord. 
   Using individual electric or gas heaters can be expensive.

  Is the water heated electrically or by solar energy (dud she­mesh)?
   The difference in cost (i.e., the electricity bill) may be significant.

  Is there a telephone?
   Installing a telephone line costs money.

  Is a bus line to the University in walking distance?
   (4a, 19, 23, 23a ,26a, 26, 28, 30 or 46 to Mount Scopus campus; 9, 24
   or 28 to Edmond Safra campus, Givat Ram).

  How much is the lawyer’s fee (if any) for signing the contract?
   If you are a member of the Student Union you are entitled to free legal counseling
   regarding apartment rentals.

  How many months long is the lease?
   Can it be legally terminated by you or the landlord?

  General location: Is the apartment on the ground floor?
   Are there metal bars (soragim) on the windows? Is it located on a noisy
   thoroughfare or on a quiet side street?

Some ways to look for off-campus housing:

1. Check the student bulletin boards on campus located near the libraries and in the lobby outside the cafeteria in the Boyar Building.
   
   
2. Consult the classified ads in the local press Friday editions. (These ads are often linked to realtors, who will charge around one month’s rent as their commission fee.)
   
   
3. Check the Student Housing Board on the Hebrew University website (in Hebrew only): http://sites.huji.ac.il/house_open/
   
   
4. Sign up with an agency that will provide you with access to its extensive listings of apartments for rent and to share, for a reasonable monthly fee. Some agencies:
   

Maagar Meida   www.1.co.il                    Tel. 1-700-501555                                                  

Sheal                  www.sheal.co.il            Tel. 02-6254456