Move-In Inspections: What They Are and Why to Attend
Short answer: If your landlord lets more than one apartment, you must be invited to a move-in inspection (indflytningssyn) and get the report there – or within 2 weeks if you weren't present (section 90 of the Danish Rent Act). Regardless, you have 2 weeks from the tenancy's start to report defects – in writing, so you can prove it (section 91).
You get the keys, walk through the home and notice a crack in the bathroom ceiling. Is it written down anywhere? If not, in a few years it could become your bill instead of your landlord's. That's exactly what the move-in inspection is meant to prevent: a joint walkthrough that records the condition the home was in when you took it over.
Who Has to Hold the Inspection?
The duty applies to landlords who rent out more than one residential apartment – whether or not the apartments are in the same building. What counts is the number at the time the lease was signed. The duty does not apply to:
- landlords who rent out only one apartment, such as a private person renting out their condominium apartment or cooperative flat (ejer- or andelsbolig)
- rentals of single rooms
- a tenant who sublets their own apartment and rents out nothing else
If you're unsure whether the landlord really has only one home, the explanatory notes to the law (lovens forarbejder) say you can ask the landlord for a written declaration on their honour (tro og love-erklæring). If the landlord has only the one home, the duty doesn't apply at all – so make your own defects list with photos and send it within 2 weeks.
When and How Does the Inspection Take Place?
The inspection must be held in immediate connection with moving in – shortly before or shortly after you take over the home. The law has no fixed rules on how you're invited, but you must be invited in time to be able to attend. The report must be handed to you at the inspection, possibly digitally. If you're not there, or won't sign for the report, the landlord must send it no later than 2 weeks after the inspection.
What Happens If the Landlord Skips the Inspection?
If a landlord with several homes doesn't hold a move-in inspection, or you don't get the report at the inspection (or within 2 weeks if you weren't present), the landlord loses the right to require refurbishment when you move out – except for damage you're responsible for yourself (section 90(3) of the Rent Act). So keep both the invitation and the report until you move out again.
The 14-Day Deadline Still Applies
The inspection doesn't replace your own deadline. If you find faults after the inspection – or the landlord holds no inspection at all – you have 2 weeks from the start of the tenancy to tell the landlord that you intend to claim the defects (section 91 of the Rent Act). Otherwise, as a rule, you lose the right to, for example, a rent reduction for them. Send the notice in writing, so you can prove it. Hidden defects are exempt, and defects recorded in the move-in report count as your notice. See how in Defects at Move-In.
Getting the Most Out of the Inspection
- Go through the home room by room: walls, ceilings, floors, windows, doors, locks and keys.
- Check the kitchen and bathroom separately: appliances, grout, drains, damp and ventilation.
- Have cosmetic issues written in too – scratches, stains and holes. As a rule, you're not liable for what's recorded when you move out.
- Take your own dated photos as a supplement.
- Read the report before you sign, and write on it if you disagree.
- Keep the report, photos and defects list until you eventually move out.