Getting Your Deposit Back: Deadlines and Complaints

Last updated September 21, 2026

Short answer: The landlord must claim refurbishment within 2 weeks of the move-out inspection – or of moving out, if they have only one home (section 187(2) of the Danish Rent Act). The law sets no deadline for repayment, but the explanatory notes say it should happen without undue delay and within 4 weeks. If unpaid, complain to the rent tribunal (huslejenævnet).

Sofie hands in the keys to her apartment on Thursday 1 October, has cleaned thoroughly, and expects to see her 27,000 kr. again in a couple of weeks. But when is a couple of weeks too long – and what can the landlord deduct in the meantime?

The Timeline From Keys to Money

What	Deadline
You give your new address	No later than 8 days before moving out (section 186(2))
You move out	By 12 noon on the moving-out day (section 187(1))
Move-out inspection (landlord with several homes)	Within 2 weeks of the landlord learning you've moved – you're invited in writing at least 1 week before (section 187(3))
Move-out report	At the inspection – or sent within 2 weeks if you weren't there (section 187(4))
Landlord's claim for refurbishment	2 weeks after the inspection – or 2 weeks after the moving-out day if the landlord has only one home (section 187(2))
Settlement of the deposit	No statutory deadline – according to the explanatory notes, it should happen without undue delay and within 4 weeks

The deadlines typically run from the day you hand in the keys: the deadline for the inspection and – if the landlord has only one home – the deadline for the claim. With a landlord who has several homes, the claim deadline runs from the inspection day. Weekends and public holidays count. In Sofie's case, the landlord has several homes. The inspection must therefore be held by 15 October, and she must be invited in writing at least 1 week before. If the inspection is held on Friday 9 October, the landlord's claims must be made by 23 October. Had the landlord had only the one home, the claim would have had to be made by 15 October.

What Can the Landlord Deduct?

Refurbishment of what falls under your maintenance duty – typically painting and floors, if you have the interior maintenance
Damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, such as burn marks or broken fixtures
Locks and keys, which as a rule you must maintain yourself (section 112(3) of the Rent Act)
Unpaid rent
A reasonable amount for a utility statement that hasn't been settled yet

According to the explanatory notes to the law (lovens forarbejder), the landlord may hold back an amount for, say, the heating statement – but only what you can be expected to owe; the rest must be paid out. A landlord with several homes can only claim what's in the move-out report. See where wear ends and damage begins in Wear and Tear vs. Damage.

A Worked Example

The figures are made up. Sofie had the interior maintenance and took over the living room and bedroom freshly painted:

Item	Amount
Deposit paid (3 × 9,000 kr.)	27,000 kr.
Painting two rooms	−7,800 kr.
New key for the front door	−400 kr.
Held back for the heating statement	−1,500 kr.
Paid out now	17,300 kr.

Ask for documentation – invoices or quotes – for every deduction. Once the heating statement is ready, the 1,500 kr. must be settled and whatever is left paid to you.

If the Money Doesn't Arrive

Write to the landlord asking for payment, or an itemised statement with documentation, by a deadline such as 14 days. Under renteloven (the Danish Interest Act), the landlord must pay interest once 30 days have passed since your written request for payment (section 3(2)).
Keep everything: the lease, move-in and move-out reports, photos, the receipt for handing in the keys, and all correspondence.
Bring the case before huslejenævnet (the local rent tribunal) in the municipality where the home is. It costs 367 kr. (2026, adjusted annually), and if you win in full, the landlord pays 7,027 kr. (2026) to the tribunal. Expect it to take months – in the City of Copenhagen typically 8-10 months.
Get advice: Lejernes LO (LLO, a tenants' association) advises its members – membership starts at 700 kr. per half-year at LLO Hovedstaden.

The whole complaint process is set out step by step in Complaining About a Withheld Deposit.

What Your Message Could Say

Dear [landlord's name]
I moved out of [address] on [date] and handed in the keys the same day. I have not yet received a settlement of my deposit of [amount] kr.
I hereby request payment of the deposit – less any documented claims made on time – by [date] to reg. no. [number] and account no. [number]. If I have not received payment or an itemised statement with documentation by then, I will bring the case before huslejenævnet.
Kind regards, [your name and new address]