Airbnb setup checklist for Tel Aviv hosts (including the mamad)

Most Airbnb setup checklists are written for a house in another country. A Tel Aviv apartment has its own questions. Where is the safe room? How does the hot water work? Why won't the shutter go up? Guests who can't find the answers message you at midnight, or leave a review about it.

This checklist goes room by room through an Israeli apartment, from the mamad to the mirpeset. It covers setup and organization. Short-term rentals can also involve municipal rules, building bylaws, your lease, insurance and tax, so check those for your own property with the right professionals.

Start with three zones

Before you buy a single towel, divide the apartment into three zones:

• The guest zone: everything a guest can see, open and use.
• The owner's closet: one lockable closet or cupboard for your personal things and spare stock. Keep it out of the mamad (more on that below).
• The cleaner's zone: one labeled shelf or cupboard with linens, toiletries and cleaning supplies, set up so anyone can restock without calling you.

When every item belongs to one of the three, turnovers get faster and guests stop finding your winter coats.

The mamad (or the nearest shelter)

This is the part generic checklists leave out, and the one guests in Israel most need to know.

• Tell guests where their protected space is, in the listing and in the house manual, in plain English. If the apartment has a mamad, say which room it is. If it doesn't, explain where the building's mamak or miklat is and how to get in (a key, a code, which floor).
• Keep the mamad usable. Don't make it the locked owner's storeroom. If it's a bedroom, keep the heavy door's swing path and the window clear, so both can close fully and quickly.
• Explain the door and window. A short note or a photo showing how to close the steel door and the blast window and shutter helps guests who have never seen one.
• Set up an emergency shelf based on current Home Front Command (Pikud HaOref) recommendations, such as water, a flashlight and a charged power bank. Check it at every turnover.
• Point guests to official guidance. Suggest they install the official Home Front Command app and follow its instructions. Your house manual shouldn't try to replace them.

Our guide to organizing a mamad covers layout and the emergency shelf in more detail.

Entry

• A clear check-in method (code, lockbox or key handover) with photos of the building entrance and the right door
• Hooks for bags and keys, and a spot for shoes
• A one-page house manual by the door, with the Wi-Fi details on top
• Where the building's trash and recycling bins are, and on which days the bins are collected, if that applies

Bedrooms

• Trisim. Show guests how the shutters work, whether that's a strap, a crank or a switch. Many guests don't know them, and they're the best blackout you'll ever have.
• Two full sets of bedding per bed, plus mattress and pillow protectors
• Empty drawers and matching hangers, so guests actually unpack
• A luggage spot that isn't the floor in front of the closet
• A lamp and a charging point by every bed

Bathroom and hot water

• The dud shemesh. Label the water heater switch and explain any timer, in one sentence: what to switch on, and how long before a shower. Many guests from abroad have never used one, and it's the coldest thing to get wrong.
• Towels per guest, plus a spare set in the cleaner's zone
• Toiletries in one tray or caddy, so it's obvious what's for guests
• A hair dryer and a non-slip bath mat for the tiled floor

A guest-friendly rental kitchen

Israeli rental kitchens tend to be compact, so give guests less, not more:

• Cookware for the number of guests the listing sleeps, and no extra
• Kettle, coffee setup and a few basics (salt, oil, tea, sugar)
• Gas. If there's a gas stove, label the tap and add a line to the manual on how to use it safely.
• Kosher or not. If the kitchen is kosher, label meat and dairy clearly and say so in the listing. If it isn't, say that too. Guests should know before they book.
• Cleaning basics under the sink: dish soap, sponges, dish towels, trash bags

Salon, AC and mirpeset

• Label each air-conditioner remote by room, and leave a short note on how to use them
• A few well-chosen styled corners that photograph well (one sofa, one lamp, one rug, one shelf) rather than a lot of decor
• Tiled floors: non-slip pads under rugs and felt pads under chair legs. Keep stored items off the floor, so cleaning can be quick.
• The mirpeset: two folding chairs and a small table beat a balcony full of storage. If there's a laundry line or drying rack, show guests where it is.

Power, plugs and Wi-Fi

Israel uses 230V power with type C and H plugs. Leave a couple of universal adapters and a power strip in a labeled spot. Guests from abroad don't always bring the right one.

Arrivals around Shabbat and chagim

• Many shops close early on Friday and stay closed until Saturday evening, and public transport is limited on Shabbat and chagim. Mention this in your check-in message for Friday and holiday-eve arrivals.
• Leave a small welcome kit (water, coffee, milk or a long-life alternative) for late or Shabbat arrivals.
• Note the main holiday dates in your calendar and your house manual. Some days, Yom Kippur in particular, change how people get around.

The restocking checklist

Tape a restocking checklist inside the cleaner's zone, so every turnover ends the same way:

• Bedding and towels: full sets ready for the next guests
• Toiletries, toilet paper and kitchen basics topped up
• Emergency shelf checked: water there, power bank charged
• Remotes, adapters and the house manual back in their spots
• Trisim working, mamad door and window clear

FAQ

What should be on an Airbnb setup checklist? A clear check-in, bedding and towels for every guest, a compact guest kitchen, a house manual, a locked owner's closet, a labeled supply zone for the cleaner and a restocking list. In Israel, add the mamad or shelter information and a note on the dud shemesh.
Do I need to tell Airbnb guests about the mamad? It's good practice to tell guests where their protected space is and to point them to official Home Front Command guidance. Follow the current official instructions for your area.
Can the owner's closet be in the mamad? It's better not to. Guests may need to use the mamad, so keep your locked storage elsewhere.
How long does an Airbnb setup take? It depends on the apartment and how much you're starting with. Our Host Edit is a single session of about 3 hours.

Want it set up for you?

The Host Edit is about 3 hours and ₪890 (including VAT): a guest-ready layout, a locked owner's closet set up and organized, labeled linen, toiletry and supply zones your cleaner can follow, styled photo corners, a guest-friendly kitchen setup and a restocking checklist. We don't promise booking rates. We do promise an apartment that's easy to stay in and easy to turn over.

We work in Tel Aviv (including Ramat Aviv), Ramat Gan and Givatayim with no travel fee, and in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas for a flat ₪80 travel fee. Send us a few photos on WhatsApp at 058-737-9097, or book online.

Airbnb styling: Listings & Rentals · How to organize your mamad · Free Mamad Checklist · Organizer in Tel Aviv