Sublets in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv

Ramat Aviv Aleph, also called green or old Ramat Aviv, is bounded by Einstein Street to the north, Haim Levanon Street to the east and south, and Namir Road to the west. Ramat Aviv Mall sits on its northern edge and the Brodetsky shopping centre in the middle. The name, incidentally, comes from Hotel Ramat Aviv, which opened in 1951, before the neighbourhood was built.

North of Einstein, Neve Avivim runs up to KKL Boulevard, between Haim Levanon and Namir. Its southern part, up to Tagore and Anderson streets, used to be called Ramat Aviv Bet. Four streets, Yehuda HaNasi, Rav Ashi, Tagore and Oppenheimer, wrap around a big public green with Politi Park and a sports centre.

Ramat Aviv Gimel, known locally as Ramag, is further north, beyond KKL Boulevard up to the open land around Glilot, with the Shuster and Alram shopping centres. West of Namir, between Einstein and Props Street, is Ramat Aviv HaHadasha (New Ramat Aviv), the youngest of the four. The names trip up even long-time locals, so check the address on a map before you fall for a flat.

Closest to campus are Ramat Aviv Aleph and the southern end of Neve Avivim: only Haim Levanon Street stands between them and the campus. From Gimel and HaHadasha it's a longer haul, and a bus or a bike makes more sense. The campus itself is long, about 1.2 km from north to south. Check how long the walk is to your own faculty's gate.

About 30,000 students study at TAU each year, and the academic year usually opens in October, after the Jewish autumn holidays. For Semester A, start looking in August or September. Take the Semester B dates, which shift from year to year, from the university calendar rather than an old forum post.

TAU has dorms in its Einstein and Broshim complexes, but places go by eligibility. Didn't get a place, or here for a single semester? Look in Ramat Aviv first. On Home Sublet, each host sets a minimum and maximum stay, anywhere from a month to a year, so one semester fits. And a request only becomes a booking once the host approves it.

Ramat Aviv Aleph went up in the 1950s as public housing, and about 85% of its buildings were standing by the end of the 1960s: blocks of up to four floors and some private houses, set among lawns. Neve Avivim was mostly built in the 1970s and includes high-rises with large apartments. In Gimel, most buildings were six to eight storeys until the 1990s, when residential towers were added. Ramat Aviv HaHadasha was built between 1996 and 2016 and has apartment buildings only.

After the 1991 Gulf War, Israel decided that all new construction must include a protected space, and most buildings put up since the mid-1990s have a mamad, a reinforced safe room inside the apartment. Older buildings were never required to add one. That leaves most of Ramat Aviv Aleph and Neve Avivim without a mamad, most of HaHadasha with one, and Gimel depending on the age of the building.

There are exceptions: TAMA 38 projects, which reinforce older buildings, customarily add a mamad to every apartment, though it isn't required. Ramat Aviv Aleph already has TAMA 38 projects, on Shimoni and Fichman streets for example. In short, don't guess from the neighbourhood. Ask the host whether there is a mamad or a mamak (a shared safe room on the floor), and if not, where the nearest shelter is.

Tel Aviv University–Expo station, called University–Merkaz HaYeridim until 2025, sits in the middle of the Ayalon highway, east of campus. Underground passages link it to Ramat Aviv and Expo Tel Aviv, and the Science Promenade leads from the station to campus. There are direct trains from here to Ben Gurion Airport and Jerusalem. Two stops south, you're at HaShalom, by Azrieli.

There is no light rail in Ramat Aviv. The Red Line doesn't come here, and the Green Line, planned to run along Einstein and Haim Levanon to Expo, is still under construction, so for now it's buses on Namir and Einstein, a free shuttle from the station for TAU students and staff during semesters, and the Yarkon Park bike paths, just to the south across Rokach Boulevard.

Ramat Aviv works best for people whose day starts and ends on campus: students, postdocs, visiting researchers and faculty on sabbatical. It also suits families and anyone who wants trees, gardens and quiet at the end of the day. The Eretz Israel Museum, the Palmach Museum and the Yitzhak Rabin Center sit along Haim Levanon, and ANU, the Museum of the Jewish People, is on campus.

Who it doesn't suit: the nightlife and markets of central Tel Aviv are a trip away, about half an hour by public transport. It's also relatively pricey. In Aleph's low blocks, ask whether there is a lift. On Home Sublet there are no agency fees and no renter fee: rent and deposit go straight to the host at the key handover. And the “Landlord approved” tag means the host has attached the landlord's signed consent.