Checklist: Before You Move Into a Rental
Short answer: Read the lease; check the deposit is at most 3 months' rent and prepaid rent doesn't exceed your notice period's rent. Get contents insurance, attend the move-in inspection, and report defects within 2 weeks of the tenancy starting – in writing, so you can prove it (section 91 of the Danish Rent Act). Register your move within 5 days.
You'll soon have the keys, and your head is full of moving boxes. But a handful of things are far easier to sort out now than to clean up after later – and two of them have fixed deadlines.
Before You Sign
The vast majority of leases are drawn up on Typeformular A, 10th edition (the standard authorised lease form). Pay special attention to the rent, the notice period, who is responsible for interior maintenance (section 8 of the form), and the special terms field (section 11). That's where any terms that deviate from the law's default rules are written. If you're unsure about anything, ask before you sign, and get verbal promises written into the lease.
The Money
Ask for an itemised statement of what you have to pay, and when. The deposit may be no more than 3 months' rent. Prepaid rent may also be no more than 3 months' rent – and never more than the rent you'd pay during your notice period (section 59 of the Rent Act). The landlord may not charge you for giving you the tenancy (section 15). Only pay into an account at a Danish bank, and only once you've seen the home and have a signed lease. See the full calculation in What Money Do You Pay When Moving In?
The Week Before You Move In
- Take out contents insurance (indboforsikring) that covers you from move-in day. Your landlord's building insurance doesn't cover your belongings.
- Find out whether you need to set up electricity yourself, and whether heating and water are paid a conto (on-account payments to the landlord, settled annually).
- Order internet in good time.
- Consider mail forwarding from your old address.
Move-In Day
- Attend the indflytningssyn (move-in inspection) if the landlord holds one. Landlords who rent out more than one apartment must.
- Check that the home has been cleaned, that no window panes are broken, and that the outer doors have working locks with keys. You're entitled to that (section 89 of the Rent Act).
- Take dated photos of every room – including small things.
- Read the electricity meter and any water and heating meters, and photograph the numbers.
The First 14 Days: Send Your Defects List
If you discover faults, you must notify the landlord no later than 2 weeks after the tenancy begins – even if a move-in inspection was held (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 that you couldn't have seen are exempt. See what the list should contain in Defects at Move-In.
Register Your Address – and Choose a Doctor at the Same Time
Register your move with your new municipality no later than 5 days after moving (section 12 of CPR-loven, the Danish Civil Registration Act). You do it digitally via borger.dk with MitID, and in most municipalities you can do it at the earliest 28 days before. If you choose a doctor at the same time as you register your move, changing doctors is free. You must notify your employer, dentist, associations and subscriptions yourself. If you're eligible for housing benefit (boligstøtte), apply no later than 30 days after moving in – then it can apply from your move-in date.