How to Read a Lease Before You Sign It

Last updated September 21, 2026

Short answer: Most Danish leases are written on Typeformular A, 10th edition, the authorised standard lease. Read sections 4 (deposit and prepaid rent), 8 (maintenance) and 11 (special conditions) most carefully – that is where a lease can leave you worse off than the law. Anything not expressly agreed follows the Danish Rent Act, lejeloven (section 11(2)).

You've been to the viewing, the landlord has said yes, and now there's a 14-page contract in your inbox with a note asking you to sign it today. Spend half an hour on it first. Once your signature is on it, it's much harder to get anything changed.

Which contract is the landlord using?

The Rent Act only allows authorised standard forms, and today that means Typeformular A, 10th edition. Since 1 February 2025 there has also been an authorised English version, in which every field must be filled in in English. If the landlord uses a non-authorised standard contract, the agreement is still valid, but terms that leave you worse off than the law are void (section 14 of the Rent Act).

What should you check in sections 1–10?

Typeformular A is divided into fixed sections. These are the ones that most often cause problems:

Section 1, the parties and the property: Address, names and floor area. If "sublease" (fremlejeforhold) is ticked, you are renting from another tenant and don't have the same protection as an ordinary tenant.
Section 2, start and end: When the tenancy begins and whether it is fixed-term. Notice must be given in writing by both parties.
Section 3, payment of rent: Annual and monthly rent, on-account (a conto) charges and the due date. Amounts on top of the rent can only be charged where the law allows it – otherwise they must be included in the rent.
Section 4, deposit and prepaid rent: See the caps below.
Section 5, heating, water and electricity: Who supplies what, and whether consumption is billed by meter.
Section 7, condition at move-in and move-out: Whether the landlord lets more than one home and must therefore hold inspections. Either way, you have 2 weeks from the start of the tenancy to tell the landlord about any defects you want to rely on (section 91 of the Rent Act) – do it in writing, so you can prove it.
Section 8, maintenance: Whether you or the landlord has the interior maintenance – whitewashing, painting, wallpapering and floor treatment. If the landlord has it, the lease states the balance of the maintenance account.
Section 10, pets and house rules: Whether you may keep pets, and whether the building has house rules. Ask for a copy.

How much can you be asked to pay when you move in?

Item	Cap	Rule
Deposit	No more than 3 months' rent	Section 59(1)
Prepaid rent	No more than 3 months' rent – and never more than the rent for your notice period	Section 59(3)

If your notice period is 1 month, for example for a room in the landlord's own home, prepaid rent can therefore be no more than 1 month's rent. If more is demanded, that's a red flag.

What is in section 11, and why should you read it twice?

Section 11 is called "Special conditions". It is the only place in the lease where terms that depart from the Rent Act and the rest of the form may be written – and the form itself says these terms can give you fewer rights or more obligations. Typical examples:

whether the rent is freely agreed (fri leje), and on what grounds (section 54 of the Rent Act)
whether the rent is adjusted once a year in line with the net price index, so it rises with inflation
a fixed term, or a period in which you can't give notice (uopsigelighed, a lock-in period)
a notice period other than the statutory 3 months
agreements about the condition of the home, such as taking it over "as seen" (som beset) or newly renovated.

Which red flags should you catch before signing?

A deposit or prepaid rent above the caps in the table above.
"As seen": It's lawful, but as a rule you then can't complain later about faults you should have spotted at the viewing. Go through the home carefully and take photos.
A fixed term with no real reason on the landlord's side: The fixed term must be justified by the landlord's circumstances, otherwise boligretten (the housing court) can set it aside. Ask why the lease is fixed-term, and read our guide to fixed-term leases.
A long lock-in period: If you move out during it, you are generally liable for the rent until the period ends or the home is re-let.
A requirement to hand the home back newly renovated: That can't validly be agreed. But if you took the home over newly renovated and have the interior maintenance, you must hand it back in the same condition as you received it.
A form that isn't Typeformular A: Terms that leave you worse off than the law are void (section 14(3)) – but an unusual contract is a signal to read extra carefully.

How this fits with LejLet.nu

If you found the home on LejLet.nu, compare the lease with the listing: rent, deposit, prepaid rent and total move-in price should match. The listing form rejects a deposit or prepaid rent that on its own exceeds 3 months' rent, but it doesn't check the cap based on your notice period – you need to watch that yourself. If the landlord promised something in your messages that isn't in the lease, ask for it to be written in.

Not sure?

Ask the landlord directly, and get verbal promises written into the lease. If the contract is complicated, Lejernes LO (LLO, the Danish tenants' association) can review it – LLO advises its members.