Your Rights as a Tenant in Denmark: An Overview

Last updated September 21, 2026

Short answer: As a rule, your landlord can only end your lease for reasons set out in law, your deposit must be repaid unless the landlord documents a claim, and disputes can be settled cheaply by the local rent tribunal. But several of your rights require written action within short deadlines – especially 2 weeks, 6 weeks and 1 year.

Many tenants go around feeling that they're really at their landlord's mercy – that the lease can be terminated whenever it suits the landlord, and that the deposit is money you might as well say goodbye to. That's not how it works. Danish rental law protects tenants far more than most people expect. But the protection only works if you know the deadlines.

Which deadlines do you need to know?

Deadline	What do you need to do?	Read more
2 weeks from the start of the lease	Tell the landlord about any defects you want to rely on – in writing, so you can prove it (section 91 of the Danish Rent Act, lejeloven)	Defects when you move in
30 days after moving in	Apply for housing benefit (boligstøtte) if you want it from your move-in date	Housing benefit for rented homes
6 weeks	Object in writing to a notice of termination from your landlord (section 176)	Can a landlord just terminate your lease?
6 weeks	Object in writing to a notified rent increase (e.g. sections 44 and 46)	What can your rent increase by?
6 weeks	Object in writing to the heating or water statement (section 77)	Heating statements
1 year	Ask for your rent to be reduced if it's too high (section 45(4))	Is your rent too high?
4 weeks	Take the rent tribunal's decision to the housing court or appeals board	The rent tribunal

The 6-week deadlines run from the moment the landlord's letter reaches you, so write down the date. The 1-year deadline applies when the rent is set according to "the value of the tenancy" (det lejedes værdi), for example in smaller buildings and in unregulated municipalities.

Can your landlord just terminate your lease?

No, not as a rule. An ordinary, open-ended lease can only be terminated by the landlord for the reasons the law lists – for example, that the landlord wants to live in the home themselves, in which case you're entitled to at least 1 year's notice (sections 171 and 175). There are exceptions: if you rent a room in your landlord's own home, you can be given 1 month's notice without a reason. If you rent a flat in a two-family house where the landlord lives in the other flat, the landlord can give you at least 1 year's notice without any particular reason. If you rent the landlord's own owner-occupied or co-op flat, the landlord can, under certain conditions, give you at least 1 year's notice in order to move in themselves (section 170, nos. 2 and 3).

As a rule, a notice of termination must be in writing, sent on paper rather than by email, and tell you about your right to object. If you object within 6 weeks, the landlord must take the case to boligretten (the housing court) to uphold the termination (section 176). If you have a fixed-term lease, different rules apply – see Fixed-term leases.

Will you get your deposit back?

Yes, unless the landlord has a documented claim. The deposit may be no more than 3 months' rent (section 59). If you rent from a landlord with more than one home, the landlord must hold a move-out inspection within 2 weeks of learning that you've moved out, give you written notice at least 1 week in advance and give you a move-out report. Otherwise the claim for repairs lapses (section 187). If the landlord only rents out one home, any claim must be made within 2 weeks of the move-out date. You never have to hand back the home in better condition than when you got it.

Do you have a right to a home in proper condition?

Yes. The home must be in good and proper condition when you move in: cleaned, with unbroken windows and working locks with keys for all external doors (section 89). If the landlord doesn't fix a defect immediately after a formal demand, you can have it fixed at the landlord's expense, and as long as a defect reduces the value of the home to you, you can claim a proportionate rent reduction (section 95). Disagreements about maintenance can be decided by huslejenævnet (the local rent tribunal), which can order the landlord to carry out specific work (section 114).

Where can you complain without a lawyer?

If you and your landlord disagree, the case can in most situations be decided by the rent tribunal in your municipality. The rent tribunal is a cheap, local dispute body: bringing a case costs 367 kr. (2026), and if you win in full, the landlord pays a fee of 7,027 kr. (2026). The amounts are adjusted annually. Disputes about termination and compensation, however, belong to the housing court.

Can you sublet and swap?

Yes, under conditions. If you still live there, you have the right to sublet up to half of the home's living rooms, and no more people may live there than there are living rooms (section 157). Under certain conditions you can also sublet the whole home temporarily or swap with another tenant. What you may not do is take money for giving someone access to the tenancy (section 15).

What about pets?

Whether you may keep pets is decided by your lease and the house rules – in Typeformular A, the standard lease, it's section 10. The Rent Act does, however, regulate what happens if you keep an animal in breach of the agreement or it's a nuisance to others (section 153): the landlord must first give you a reminder, after which the rent tribunal can give you a warning or make the tenancy conditional (section 154). If your lease says you may keep animals, the landlord generally can't simply withdraw that permission. Read more in Pets in a Rental Home: What Can Your Landlord Decide?

Where can you get help?

Lejernes LO (LLO), the national tenants' union, advises its members – membership starts at 700 kr. per half-year at LLO Hovedstaden. The rent tribunal decides cases but doesn't give advice. If you're new to Denmark, read Renting a home in Denmark as a foreigner.