How to Find a Rental in Denmark Fast – and Get Picked
Short answer: There's no central register of available private rental homes in Denmark, so you need to search several places at once: housing portals, non-profit housing organisations and your own network. Set up search agents so you're notified when a new home is listed, reply quickly with a short, concrete message, and have your papers ready before the viewing.
Mads is starting his master's degree in Aalborg in a month and still has nowhere to live. He writes "Is it still available?" to ten listings and never hears back from anyone. The problem is rarely that there are no homes at all. The good ones just get rented out quickly – to the people who are both early and make it easy for the landlord to say yes.
Where Do You Find Rental Homes in Denmark?
According to borger.dk (the Danish public information portal), there's no central register of available private rental homes. So you need to keep an eye on several places yourself:
- Private rental homes are listed on housing portals such as LejLet.nu, in Facebook groups and through networks. Some portals charge people looking for a home. On LejLet.nu, searching, creating search agents and messaging landlords are free.
- Non-profit housing (almene boliger) requires you to sign up for a waiting list with one or more non-profit housing organisations. DanmarkBolig.dk brings together non-profit family and senior housing from across the country. Waiting times can be long, so sign up now, even if you need a private rental in the meantime.
- Youth housing and dorms (ungdomsboliger and kollegier) are typically found through sites such as ungdomsboliger.dk or – in Copenhagen – Kollegiernes Kontor.
Facebook groups can be quick, but there's no control over who posts a home, so be extra critical there.
Why Do You Need to Be Among the First?
In the big cities, an attractive home typically gets lots of inquiries in a short time, and in practice it's often the first people to write who get invited to a viewing. It pays to see a new listing within the hour it appears – not the next day.
On LejLet.nu, you can save a search as a search agent. You'll then get an email the instant a new home matching your criteria is published. A search agent can't conjure up homes that don't exist, but it makes sure you don't miss the ones that do. A few tips:
- Set realistic criteria. A very narrow area or too low a maximum rent will give you few or no emails.
- Feel free to set up several search agents, for example one for each area you could imagine living in.
- Make sure you're notified of new emails on your phone, so you can reply the same day.
What Should Your First Message Say?
The landlord should be able to see who you are and whether you suit the home, without having to write back and ask. Keep it short – 5 to 8 lines – and include the essentials:
- Who you are and what you do (job or studies)
- Who will live in the home, and whether there are pets
- When you can move in, and how long you expect to stay
- That you can pay the rent and the move-in costs, for example because you have a steady income
- When you can come to a viewing
An example:
Hi Anne. My name is Mads, I'm 24 and I'm starting my master's degree at Aalborg University on 1 September. I'll be living in the apartment on my own, I have no pets and I don't smoke. I receive SU (the Danish state education grant) and have a steady student job, so I can pay both the rent and the move-in costs. I expect to live here for at least two years and can come to a viewing any weekday after 4 pm.
Best regards, Mads
A bare "Available?" is easy to skip when the landlord has lots of inquiries to choose from.
What Should You Ask at the Viewing?
- What's the total move-in price – deposit, prepaid rent, the first month's rent and on-account (a conto) payments? See What Money Do You Actually Have to Pay When Moving In?
- Is the lease fixed-term, and if so, why?
- What do the on-account payments for heating and water cover, and how do you pay for electricity?
- Who owns the home – and is it a sublet (fremleje)?
- Does the landlord use Typeformular A, 10th edition (the authorised standard lease form)?
- Who is responsible for interior maintenance, and will there be a move-in inspection (indflytningssyn)?
- What do the house rules say about things like pets, the balcony and the laundry room?
Get the key answers in writing, for example in the messaging feature, so you can compare them with the lease before you sign. See also How to Read a Lease Before You Sign It.
Which Papers Can You Have Ready?
- Proof of income: your latest payslips, an employment contract or proof of SU.
- A reference: the name and phone number of a previous landlord who can confirm that the rent arrived on time.
- Your own RKI printout: private landlords can't look you up in RKI (Denmark's main register of bad debtors) themselves, but you can download your own record for free with MitID at dininfo.dk and show the landlord the printout.
On the other hand, never send photos of your passport, driving licence or health insurance card. The police advise against it, because the information can be misused. Show your ID in person when you meet instead.
How Do You Avoid Getting Scammed?
Time pressure is exactly what scammers exploit. Never pay anything for a home you haven't seen in person, and never before you've both signed a lease. If the price seems too good to be true, or the landlord is "abroad," stop and think. See the typical signs in 7 Signs of a Rental Scam.