Hebrew renovation words, explained
Thirteen words you will hear from contractors, developers and the municipality, with what each one means for your home.
These are the Hebrew words that come up most when you buy, build or renovate a home in Israel. Each one links to the page where it matters most.
- Kablan קבלן
- A contractor. It means both the developer who builds a new project and the contractor who renovates your apartment. See changes to a new-build apartment.
- Ktav kamuyot כתב כמויות
- A bill of quantities: the document that lists every work item in a renovation, with its price. Ask every contractor to price the same one.
- Heter bniya היתר בנייה
- A building permit, issued by the local planning and building committee. See building permits in Israel.
- Va'ada mekomit ועדה מקומית
- The local planning and building committee, where permit applications go.
- TABA תב"ע
- The town plan for an area. It sets the building rights on each plot: how much you may build and where. Changing it is a zoning change.
- Mifrat מפרט
- The specification attached to a new apartment's sale contract. The Sale (Apartments) Law requires it, and changes to it need both sides' signatures.
- Shinuyei dayarim שינויי דיירים
- Tenant changes: the changes a buyer asks the developer to make to a new apartment before it is finished. See changes to a new-build apartment.
- Mamad ממ"ד
- A residential protected space: a reinforced room inside the home, built to the Home Front Command's standard. See adding a mamad.
- Miklat מקלט
- A shared shelter for a building or a neighborhood, as opposed to a mamad inside your own home.
- Shiputz שיפוץ
- A renovation. A "complete" renovation includes breaking walls; a cosmetic one does not.
- Pikuach פיקוח
- Supervision of the works, by someone who checks the build against the plans for the owner.
- Tabu טאבו
- The Land Registry, which records who owns a property.
- Arnona ארנונה
- Municipal property tax, charged to the occupant and worked out from the property's area.
Words you will see on a new-build contract
- Bank guarantee: one of the safeguards a developer must give before taking more than 7% of the price, under Israel's investment protection rules for new apartments.
- Off plan, or "on paper": buying an apartment before it is built.
- Handover: the day you receive the keys, when you check the apartment against the specification and your signed changes.
To get a home designed in plain English, start with a design consultation.