Heating, Water, Electricity: Who Pays in a Rental?
Short answer: If your landlord supplies heating, you normally pay a conto (monthly payments on account) on top of the rent and get an annual statement. Heating may not be built into the rent, except for single rooms and some youth housing. Water is billed by meter or included in the rent. Most tenants pay electricity directly to a supplier.
Who pays for heating, water and electricity varies from one tenancy to the next, and the lease is rarely as clear about it as you'd like. Here's the starting point under the Danish Rent Act (lejeloven) – and what to keep an eye on before and after you move in.
How do you pay for heating?
If your landlord supplies heating and hot water, the cost as a rule may not be included in the rent. Instead you pay a fixed a conto amount every month along with the rent, and once a year you get a statement of your actual consumption (sections 65 and 71 of the Rent Act). If you've used more than you've paid for, you pay the difference. If you've used less, you get the money back. Only for single rooms and certain youth housing may heating be included in the rent.
If you have your own agreement with the district heating or gas company, you pay them directly, and your landlord has nothing to do with the heating bill.
What about water?
If your landlord supplies cold water and the flat has individual water meters, water is billed by your consumption – usually also a conto with an annual statement (section 68). If the building is exempt from the requirement for individual meters, water is instead included in the rent. Heating and water must be settled in separate statements (section 72).
Who pays for electricity?
In most flats you have your own electricity meter and your own contract with a supplier, and the electricity bill has nothing to do with your rent. If the landlord supplies the electricity, consumption for anything other than heating may only be divided using approved individual meters (section 69). If you rent a room in your landlord's own home, the Copenhagen rent tribunals say the rent may include all utilities. If you're charged separately, it must be based on suitable meters – not on an estimate.
Key deadlines for the utility statement
As a rule, the statement must reach you no later than 4 months after the end of the accounting year – otherwise the landlord loses the right to demand an extra payment (sections 75 and 79). You have 6 weeks from receiving it to object in writing (section 77). You can read about the exception for district heating and natural gas, invalid statements, paying in instalments and objections in the guide Heating statements: deadlines, extra payments and objections.
Can the landlord raise your a conto amount?
Yes, with 6 weeks' notice before a payment date. But the a conto payments in total may not exceed the expected cost for the accounting year (section 71). If the amount jumps, it's reasonable to ask for an explanation.
What should you check before you sign?
- What's included in the rent, and what do you pay a conto on top?
- Do you have your own electricity meter, and do you need to set up your own contract?
- How much was used last year? Ask the landlord whether you can see the latest utility statement for the flat.
- Is the a conto amount realistic? A low amount makes the home look cheaper, but can lead to a large extra bill.
On LejLet.nu, a conto heating and a conto water appear as separate lines in the listing, so you can see them next to the rent. If no a conto amounts are shown, ask the landlord through the messaging feature whether heating is included in the rent or whether you need your own contract with the supplier. And remember that it's the rent excluding utilities that counts if you apply for housing benefit.