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How to Read a Tabu Extract Before You Sign

Q: Can I pull a Tabu extract from abroad?

Yes. The Ministry of Justice land registration service issues extracts online against a fee and the gush and chelka numbers. Your lawyer will normally do it, but you can obtain one yourself as a first check.

Q: What if the apartment is not in Tabu at all?

Then the rights are held with the Israel Land Authority or a housing company, and your lawyer obtains their confirmation of rights instead. Our guide on registration types explains the difference.

Q: Does the extract show the apartment's planning status or permits?

No. Building permits, violations and planning rights are checked at the local planning committee and the municipality under the Planning and Building Law 5725-1965.

Printed land registry extract with a pen beside it

A Tabu extract (nesach Tabu) is the official printout from the Israel Land Registry showing who holds the rights in a parcel or apartment and what is registered against it. It is available online for a fee and should be in your lawyer's hands before you negotiate price, not after. Reading it is not difficult once you know what each block of text is for.

The identifying details at the top

Gush (block) and chelka (parcel): the map coordinates of the land. Every parcel in Israel has a unique gush and chelka number.
Tat-chelka (sub-parcel): the apartment number within a registered condominium. If there is no sub-parcel number, the building is probably not registered as a condominium and you are buying a share of the whole parcel.
Registered area: for a condominium, the area of the apartment as recorded at registration, which can differ from the marketing or municipal area.
Date and time of issue: the extract is a snapshot. Pull a fresh one on the day of signing.

Ownership and leasehold

The section headed ownership (ba'alut) names the registered owner or owners and the share each holds. If the owner is the State of Israel, the Development Authority or the Jewish National Fund, look for a lease (chakhira) section underneath, which names the lessee: that is the person you are buying from, and the Israel Land Authority is the lessor. A private owner means freehold.

The seller's name and identification number must match the passport or identity card they show you.
Joint owners must all sign, including a spouse who is registered.
If the owner is a company, your lawyer checks the company register and that the signatories are authorised.
If the owner is deceased, there must be a probate or succession order under the Succession Law 5725-1965 before anyone can sell.

Mortgages, caveats and attachments

This is the section that decides whether the apartment can be transferred cleanly.

Mortgage (mashkanta): a registered charge in favour of a bank or another lender. It must be released before you are registered, usually by paying part of the price directly to the lender against a release letter.
Caveat (he'arat azhara): a warning note that someone has a contractual claim, for example an earlier buyer, a lender, or the ILA. A caveat in favour of someone other than the seller's bank is a reason to stop and ask.
Attachment (ikul): a court or enforcement order freezing the property. The sale cannot be completed until it is lifted.
Easements and rights of way: they bind you after purchase.
Notes of expropriation or planning restrictions registered under the Planning and Building Law 5725-1965.

The condominium section

For an apartment in a registered condominium (bayit meshutaf), the extract or the condominium file shows the attachments (hatzmadot) to the apartment, such as a parking space, storage room, roof or garden, and the share of the common property. It also refers to the condominium by-laws (takanon). If the seller is marketing a parking space or roof that is not attached in the registry, you are not buying it.

Ask for the concentrated extract (nesach merukaz) of the whole building when the building is old, when it is slated for urban renewal, or when common areas matter to you. It shows every apartment and every registered burden on the parcel in one document.

What should stop you signing

A seller who is not the registered owner or lessee and cannot show how they will become one.
A caveat in favour of an unknown third party.
An attachment of any kind.
A mortgage whose balance appears to exceed the price.
A registered area or attachments that do not match what you were shown.
An extract more than a few days old.

Common mistakes

Reading a translated summary instead of the extract itself.
Accepting the seller's extract rather than pulling a fresh one.
Ignoring entries that look administrative, like a note of a pending parcellation.
Confusing registered area with usable area.
Not checking the condominium file for the parking and storage attachments.

FAQ

Can I pull a Tabu extract from abroad?