Taking a heter iska loan to buy an air conditioner for an apartment rented out on Shabbat

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Question

Shalom,

Is it permitted to take a loan with a heter iska in order to buy an air conditioner for an apartment, in a way that this enables renting out the apartment for Shabbatot?

Answer

Shalom u’vracha,

If the rental income justifies buying the air conditioner for the purpose of renting out the apartment, it is permitted. But if the air conditioner is bought for personal use at home, and only incidentally a few shekels will be earned from rent, it is forbidden.

Source

Renovating an apartment is considered a full-fledged business venture, but one must be careful not to go too far, since usually buying an air conditioner for a residential apartment is not done to upgrade the property but for personal use. Therefore, only if the air conditioner truly brings profits that justify its purchase can this be regarded as a business.

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