Renting and buying in Zichron Yaakov: arnona, discounts and the paperwork

I could not find a reliable public source for Zichron rents or prices, so this guide sticks to what the council publishes: what you will pay the council, and the paperwork. For listings, NBN points to Madlan and Yad2 and has English guides to both (NBN (opens in a new tab)). My cost-of-living worksheet has the arnona range built in.

Arnona in 2026

Arnona rose 1.626% in 2026. The full annual amount was due on 1 January, and discount applications could be filed until 30 June 2026 (tax order (opens in a new tab)). Residential rates per m2 of building a year:

• Zone A, NIS 63.71: most of the town, including Halomot Zichron and the Rinot and Neot Galim projects.
• Zone B, NIS 52.39: part of Neve Shalev (HaShezif, HaShikma, HaTapuach, HaTe'ena), parts of old Zichron, Ramat Tzvi plan Sh/105a (HaAliya St, buildings before 2002) and parts of Neve Remez (Trumpeldor, HaAmal, HaAvoda 1-36, Remez 1-36).
• Zone C, NIS 50.46: Neve Sharet.

Auxiliary buildings are NIS 15.02 per m2. As a rough guide, 100 m2 in zone A comes to about NIS 530 a month, and in zone C about NIS 420.

Discounts

• Standing order: 2% off (capped at NIS 500 per two-monthly payment), or 2% for paying the whole year by 31 January (tax order (opens in a new tab)).
• Statutory discounts (olim, seniors and others) apply to the first 110 m2. Only one discount applies, the highest, on one property, per tax year, and you must be registered as the occupier and live in Zichron (council (opens in a new tab)).
• Seniors: the council's English seniors page mentions a significant discount on the first 100 m2 (the 2026 tax order says 110) (council (opens in a new tab)).
• Active reservists can get the maximum 5% discount (council (opens in a new tab)).
• Empty or new buildings get no discount. The council's olim team helps new olim apply.

Paying and contacting the arnona office

The arnona call centre is 04-6297111, Sun-Thu 08:00-20:00, and you can pay through the council's website or app (council (opens in a new tab)). Public reception is Sun, Mon, Wed and Thu 08:00-13:00 and Tuesday 16:00-18:00 in the council building (council (opens in a new tab)).

Moving in: change the occupier

The occupier pays arnona. When you move in, give the council a purchase contract or a lease of at least one year, plus confirmation from the water corporation that there are no debts. For lets shorter than a year, the landlord stays liable (council (opens in a new tab)).

The contract matters for gan

To register children for gan, new residents need their rental or purchase contract if their ID card shows a different address (English registration guide, PDF (opens in a new tab)). Check which school zone your street is in before you sign: see the schools guide.

Building and renovating

Building permits go through the regional planning committee (Va'ada Merhavit Shomron), which the council links to (council (opens in a new tab)).