Steen LARSEN
Legal Adviser
Udgivet den 23. september 2019.
1. Deposit and Prepaid Rent
Never pay the deposit and prepaid rent until the rental contract is signed. Without a signed lease, you have no proof that an agreement has been made for the rental of the dwelling. Often, many tenants experience that they are deceived by fake landlords, whose only aim is to cheat tenants. Therefore, you should also be aware of the fact that this is a fraud. Of course, it can be difficult to figure it out, but use your common sense. If you are required to pay before a lease is signed, you must be vigilant.
2. Check the condition of the property
Before you move in, the landlord is obliged to offer you a moving in inspection.
However, not all landlords are required to do this. The law says that it is only landlords who rent more than one rental property.
If you are unsure whether your landlord is required to hold a moving in inspection, please see section 7 of your rental contract, and its guidance.
After the inspection, the lessor must prepare a report stating whether there is any damage or defects in the property. The landlord is then obliged to send the report to you within 14 days after the inspection has taken place. However, the landlord can also choose to give you the report on the same day that the inspection takes place. This ensures that you are not liable for damage that was there before you moved in. During the inspection, you can take pictures of any damanges, and ask the landlord to write it in the report.
If you find that the landlord has not listed all the defects and damages in the report, you need to make a list of the bugs and omissions that the landlord has not included. You can, helpfully, add pictures of the errors. You will then send the list to the landlord within 14 days after you have received the inspection report.
In principle, if the lessor is subject to the rules of conducting an inspection and does not comply with the rules, he will not be able to claim costs for refurbishment when you leave the property. The rules to be applied by the landlord are, first of all, to summon you to the inspection. In addition, the lessor shall send the approach report to you within 14 days after the inspection has taken place.
Remember that you are not required to attend the inspection. However, we recommend that you do meet up. If you are prevented from attending, you have the right to have another person attend for you.
Why choose BOLANDO?
At BOLANDO we are experts in tenancy law. We help hundreds of tenants every month and have a 98% success rate. Our concept is simple and fair; we always offer a free assessment of your case. If the case has potential, we can manage it for you. In managing your case, we represent you to the landlord. We will initially try to reach a settlement with the landlord. If the landlord disputes our claim, we will submit the case to the authorities. You only pay a percentage of the amount we win for you, or of the total expense you avoid having to pay. If we make no money for you, or we get no savings, it will cost you nothing. That way, you can start a case without risk but with professional help.
- Free assessment
- No Cure No Pay
- 98% succesrate
3. Be aware of section 11 of the lease
Paragraph 11 of the lease contract lists all special conditions. Be aware of this point. Here, for example, it will tell you any conditions of the lease; whether you are able to drill holes in the walls or paint the walls in a different color.4. Check the rent
Check if the rent is too high. It is of course difficult to establish, since the rules of rent fixing are very complex. If in doubt, you can ask us to make a free assessment. After that, we may help you to reduce the rent if it is too high. In that case, the lessor would have to pay back any overpaid rent. However, the legislation basically requires that the case be started within one year after the date you moved in.Did you know…
That more than 100,000 tenants pay too much in rent in Denmark? This is especially true of foreigners, including expatriates. This group does not always understand the rent legislation in Denmark. If you think you are paying too much in rent, feel free to get a free and non-binding assessment at BOLANDO.
5. Who is a tenant on the lease?
It is important to establish who is designated as the tenant on the lease. For example, if you move in with your partner and only they are on the lease, you may not be allowed to stay if they withdraw from the lease.
6. Everything must be in writing
If you make arrangements in addition to what is in your lease, you should always get it in writing. For example, the landlord can indicate that there will be new curtains or that he promises to build a balcony within a month from the time you have moved in. All these side agreements determine your choice of accommodation. If the landlord does not comply with the agreement, you must be able to prove that there has been an agreement around the relationship. That way, you can force the landlord to comply with the agreement, or alternatively, he can give you a rent reduction.7. Is there a time limit in your rental contract?
Check whether a time limit has been entered in your lease. In certain cases, the lessor may insert time limits into the lease.8. Do you need to pay extra fees?
We often see that landlords insert points into the lease that you have to pay fees for miscellaneous supplementary services. The rental legislation contains specific rules on what may be collected from the tenant. The landlord may charge for water, heating, electricity, cable TV, refrigeration and the Internet. If you are charged for water and cooling, there must be an individual meter attached to the property.
Services which it is unlawful for the lessor must to require include snow removal, stair washing, window polishing, hedge trimming, insurance, garbage collection, caretaker and administration.
The above is not exhaustive. If the landlord requires money for some of these things, or you suspect that the landlord charges you for illegal items, you can always get a free assessment of your case with us. We will make sure that the landlord stops the collection and pays you the money back for the illegal services. We will be able to claim for up to three years back in time.
9. Remember to change your address.
Remember to report your change of address using borger.dk, and other relevant organsiations. Somtimes private companies and individuals do not have access to your Social Security Number, so they will not be notified when your address changes at borger.dk.
You are required to report your address change with the authorities at borger.dk within five days of moving in. If you do not meet this deadline, you risk receiving a fine.
10. Remember to save your rental contract
The rental contract provides the framework for your lease. It is a good idea, therefore, to photograph all the pages of your lease or scan it into your computer. If you choose to take pictures of your rental contract, remember to take clear pictures. It may also be a good idea to upload the photos to your computer or send them to yourself on Facebook or email. This will prevent you from losing your pictures if your mobile phone or computer breaks or the images are otherwise lost.Are you unsure of your rights?
Do you have any doubts about your rights as a tenant in Denmark? Do you think your landlord is cheating you? Get a free and non-binding assessment of your case. If the case has potential, we can offer to manage it for you on a no-win-no-fee basis. You only pay a percentage of the amount we win for you, or of the expense you avoid having to pay.
