The Israel Land Authority (RMI, known in Hebrew as רמ״י) is the government agency that manages 93% of Israel's land and markets state land for housing through tenders. Its 2025 figures showed land marketing for 50,317 housing units and successful transactions covering 25,605 units — a snapshot of how raw land moves through tenders into completed homes, and where investors can enter the pipeline.
For property investors, these numbers are more than statistics. They map the supply funnel: land marketed, land sold, permits issued, construction started, and apartments completed. Each stage carries its own timing, risk and opportunity. MARSHANSKI LEGACY, a third-generation family building company in Tel Aviv specializing in Israel Land Authority tenders, reads this data daily to find land worth developing.
What Is the Israel Land Authority and Why Does It Matter to Investors?
The Israel Land Authority is the state body that allocates, leases and develops publicly owned land. According to the OECD, the Israel Land Authority manages 93% of the nation's land. That means most land available for new housing passes through its tender system rather than private sale.
For an investor, this concentration of control is the whole game. You rarely buy freehold land outright in Israel. Instead, you acquire long-term lease rights — typically a 49-year lease with a built-in renewal for another 49 years — that function almost like ownership. Understanding how the Authority markets land is the first step to acquiring it.
MARSHANSKI LEGACY built a searchable tender database that checks, scans and analyzes Israel Land Authority tenders, updated every day. That tool turns a scattered government process into a single, reviewable feed of opportunities.
How Did Land Marketing and Sales Perform in 2025?
The supply picture in 2025 was active across every stage. Here is how the key figures lined up, drawn from primary Israeli government and financial sources:
- Housing approvals: Israel's national planning bodies approved 223,164 housing units in 2025, reaching 180% of the government's annual target of 125,000 units, according to Ynet.
- Building permits: Permits were issued for approximately 81,560 new apartments in the 12 months from October 2024 to September 2025 — a 10.9% rise over the previous period, per Israel.com.
- Construction starts: Construction began on roughly 81,020 apartments in that same 12-month window — an all-time record and a 31.5% jump, according to Global Property Guide.
These figures confirm the funnel is wide. More land is being approved and permitted than the government even targeted, and construction starts hit a historic high. For developers, that signals both opportunity and competition.
What Does the Supply Pipeline Mean for Land Development?
The Israel Land Authority's data is best read as a sequence, not a single headline number. Each stage filters the one before it:
- Land marketing: The Authority publishes tenders for parcels — 50,317 units were marketed in its 2025 figures.
- Land sales / transactions: Not every marketed parcel sells. Successful transactions in those figures covered 25,605 units, meaning roughly half of marketed supply closed.
- Building permits: Once land changes hands, planning approval and permits follow.
- Construction starts: Permitted projects break ground.
- Completed buildings: Finished homes enter the market for sale or lease.
The gap between marketed land and sold land is where sharp investors work. A parcel that fails to attract bids one cycle may re-enter marketing later on different terms. Investors who focus on these gaps typically review each parcel's terms, zoning and development potential before committing.
Urban renewal is now a major channel. According to Ynet, half of all housing approvals in 2025 came through urban renewal projects — rebuilding and densifying existing neighborhoods rather than developing open land. The Bank of Israel reported that in 2024 roughly 50,000 housing units were successfully marketed by the ILA, with construction beginning on about 17,000 units under urban renewal.
What About Unsold Apartments and Market Timing?
Supply does not equal demand. At the end of September 2025, there were 83,920 unsold new dwellings nationwide — an increase of 20.3% from the same month a year earlier, according to BuyItInIsrael. Meanwhile, the Bank of Israel data cited by Sandstone noted land sales for approximately 60,000 housing units in 2025.
A rising inventory of unsold apartments tells a disciplined investor to slow down on finished stock and look earlier in the pipeline — at land tenders, where entry prices and development control are stronger. This is precisely where Israel Land Authority tenders give an edge: you shape the product rather than compete for already-built units.
Does All of This Apply to Foreign Buyers?
Yes. Overseas investors can participate in Israel Land Authority tenders and acquire long-term lease rights, which are typically transferable and inheritable. The main hurdles are navigating Hebrew-language tender documents, understanding lease capitalization fees, and meeting bid conditions and deadlines.
MARSHANSKI LEGACY supports both Israeli and overseas investors through the full process — from assessing a tender to purchasing property and guiding development. For international clients especially, working with a knowledgeable local partner who reviews tender terms carefully can help reduce some of the practical risks of entering the market, though it does not remove them entirely.
How Do You Use Supply Data to Find the Right Land Tender?
Reading the Authority's data well is a repeatable process:
- Track marketing volume by region: High marketing with low sales can signal under-bid parcels worth a closer look.
- Weigh urban renewal share: With half of 2025 approvals from renewal, projects in established areas carry different timelines than greenfield land.
- Watch unsold inventory: An 83,920-unit overhang favors early-stage land positions over finished apartments.
- Verify lease terms early: Capitalization status and renewal clauses affect your true cost of entry.
- Move on tender deadlines: Marketed parcels close on fixed dates; preparation beats speed.
This is the discipline MARSHANSKI LEGACY has applied to building Israel's future since 1980 — pairing a daily-updated tender database with hands-on appraisal and development support.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of Israel's land does the Israel Land Authority control?
The Authority manages 93% of the country's land, according to the OECD. That makes its tender system the primary route to acquiring land for new housing, since most land is leased from the state rather than sold freehold.
How many housing units were approved in Israel in 2025?
National planning bodies approved 223,164 housing units in 2025, which Ynet reports was 180% of the government's 125,000-unit target. Half of those approvals came through urban renewal rather than open-land development.
Can foreign investors buy land through Israel Land Authority tenders?
They can. Overseas buyers may bid on tenders and hold long-term lease rights that are transferable and inheritable. The practical challenges are Hebrew tender documents, capitalization fees and strict bid deadlines, which a local partner typically handles.
What is the difference between land marketed and land sold?
Marketed land is land the Authority has published for tender; sold land is the portion that actually closed with a buyer. In the 2025 figures, 50,317 units were marketed while 25,605 units transacted, so roughly half of marketed supply converted to sales.
Why does a high number of unsold apartments matter to investors?
At the end of September 2025 there were 83,920 unsold new dwellings nationwide, up 20.3% year on year per BuyItInIsrael. A growing overhang of finished stock often makes earlier-stage land tenders a more attractive entry point than competing for completed apartments.
Understanding the Land Data
The supply numbers illustrate how land-stage opportunities compare with completed inventory in the pipeline. To review live Israel Land Authority tenders and get expert guidance on acquisition and development, explore the services at MARSHANSKI LEGACY and start your search with a team that reads the tender market every day.