
What Kind of Rental Properties are There in Copenhagen?
- A single room within a shared apartment or a house (Værelse)
- A whole apartment (Lejlighed)
- A detached house or row house (Villa or Rækkehus)
Is there Student Housing in Copenhagen?
When Should I Start Looking for an Apartment in Copenhagen?
Which Safety Measure Should I Take During My Apartment Search in Copenhagen?
- Know the market. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- Gather as much information on the landlord as you can, especially in Facebook groups. Check their profiles. Are they part of housing groups in several cities? Or random expat groups? Is their profile only a few weeks old with little information? A lot of red flags.
- Don’t rent long-term apartments without CPR registration. Chances are there is something fishy going on.
- If you are unsure whether the landlord and/or the listing are real, you can check who the property belongs to at Tinglysning.
- Never ever make any cash payments or money transfers through Western Union! Period.
- Do not make any payments without having seen a contract first.
How Can I Increase My Odds of Finding an Apartment in Copenhagen?
- Don’t be picky.
- Don’t be picky.
- Don’t be picky.
- 8000 DKK incl. utilities
- Roskilde, Glostrup, Valby, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen N
- Decent condition
- 60+ sqm
- Pets allowed
- Unfurnished
- 12.800 DKK incl. utilities
- Glostrup
- Very good condition
- 50 sqm
- Pets not allowed
- Partially furnished
Is Copenhagen Pet-friendly?
Where Can I Search for Apartments in Copenhagen?
Facebook groups
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/407632512769668/
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/46683458652/
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/1400267040185590/
Housing Portals in Denmark
- boligportal.dk: Wide variety of postings. The sign-up fee is 29 DKK for the first 4 days and a further 298 DKK per month.
- minlejebolig.dk
- akutbolig.dk
- housingdenmark.com (An agency which specializes in more upscale properties)
- housingcompany.dk (An agency with mostly big properties on offer)
- boligbasen.dk: Contains offers we didn’t usually see anywhere else. However, be careful of scams. The sign-up fee is 600 DKK for 6 months. [Note: We formerly recommended this portal, but due to several reports of abuse we cannot any longer recommend investing in this portal.]
- Boligdeal.dk & Boligoensker.dk: Doesn’t offer anything the others don’t. Also, once you subscribe the subscription is renewed weekly (99 DKK).
What to Keep in Mind
How Long Will it Take to Find an Apartment in Copenhagen?
Hiring a Relocation Agency in Copenhagen
- Charlies Roof (formerly Copenhagen Housing)
- aspiremobility.com
- relocate.dk
How Much Will it Cost to Find an Apartment in Copenhagen?
What Will I Need for a Lease Contract in Copenhagen?
- National ID copy (plus possibly residence permit)
- Current address, phone number, etc.
- Possibly university admittance letter
- Possibly work contract or bank statement (some landlords require financial stability)
How Much Will the First Payment Be?
- First month’s rent
This probably goes without saying. Before you arrive you have to “prepay” your first month’s rent. - First month’s utilities
In addition to first month’s rent, you also have to pay for the utilities. - Security deposit
This is up to your landlord. The landlord is allowed to charge you up to 3 months worth of deposit. This is also the amount you should be expecting. It is rare that the deposit will be less than that. - Prepaid rent
This is a bit of a strange concept. Basically, the landlord can charge you 3 months prepaid rent which they would use to cover the last 3 months of your lease period.
Other Costs to Consider
What to Consider When Moving into an Apartment in Copenhagen
Utilities
- Get started on your search for an electricity provider on elpris.dk
- Use internetpriser.dk to get an idea of prices for internet
I Found Something, But I’m Overpaying
Waiting Lists
Notice Period
If you want to avoid paying rent in two places simultaneously, try to talk to your landlord. Often the landlord will let you out of your contract early if a new tenant is found in time.
Always make sure to double check your rental contract as you may be required to move out a week before the end of your lease to allow time for renovations.
Security Deposit
Change of Address
Financial Aid
- Rent Subsidy, administered by Udbetaling Denmark
The amount of the rent subsidy you can receive depends on several factors, but mostly your income, the size of the apartment, and the amount of rent you pay. You can apply through borger.dk here. - Security Deposit Loans, granted by the municipality
This applies ONLY to PUBLIC HOUSING! Whether you are granted the loan for your security deposit is determined by your household’s income. You can apply for it through borger.dk here.
Vocabulary
Now, what do you think? Have we left any questions unanswered? Or do you have any additional tips on how to find an apartment in Copenhagen for our readers? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below! Let’s stay in touch!
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Nour says
Hi Jacky
Thanks for the great article
How can I get in touch with you?
Which relocation agent did you eventually choose to find your house?
May be I can contact you via facebook? let me know please
Thank you ..
Mak Dukan says
Hi! Firstly thanks for the great article. Its really useful!
I am moving to Copenhagen to do a PhD at DTU. In a few months I am expecting my wife to join we as well and therefore I am looking for a cozy apartment to stay. I saw that you recommended signing up for https://findbolig.nu. Can I also sign up as a PhD student? Am asking because some other organisations do not accept PhD applications (like the KKiK).
Also what is Findbolig exactly and how does it work? Are these some better priced apartments? I see that the system is also connected to pension funds …
Thanks for all the help! Really appreciate it … 🙂
Mak
Jacky says
Dear Mak,
congratulations on your exciting move! And thank you for asking such an interesting question. The reason some associations may not accept you is probably that as a PhD student you aren’t technically considered a student, but a university employee. As far as I’m aware, KU supports PhD students in finding accommodation, so it may be worth reaching out to DTU in that matter?
Findbolig is a portal that is used by several of the big private housing associations in Denmark. Indeed, these apartments are much more affordable than what you can find on the general housing market. Prices vary, however, because there are many different associations. Some only rent to students. Some are open to the general public. As you observed, some are administrated by pension funds. That means that you need to be a member of said pension fund in order to sign up for any of their apartments.
While apartments on Findbolig are cheaper, they aren’t easy to come by. Waiting lists are very long, ranging from a couple of months to years. You can get yourself a temporary apartment and sign up for apartments on Findbolig in the meantime. So you may get something after 6-12 months or so. But if you are not a student, your options on Findbolig are limited. Instead, sign up for public housing (social housing) in Copenhagen or, better even, in the suburbs. Waiting lists are very long, but perhaps you’ll get something cheap after a year or so. Unlike Findbolig, it costs a small annual fee, but you’re more likely to get something as you’re not a student.
I hope this helps a little bit. Welcome to Denmark 🙂
Jacky
Pier says
Following this article (that is really great!) we subscribed boligbasen (that is NOT great).
Seeing a 50% of the rents that allows pets, and that have a price that is around the 60% of what it should be… We came at the conclusion that most of the announces are random generated from the website itself. I mean, we are both architects with permanent contracts, and in two months, hundreds of landlords contacted, NOBODY replies? Once or twice a day, instead I received mails of sponsored rented houses. Those were way more expensive and mostly (totally) without pets allowed. My idea is that announces are fake, but those mails are not. In the end it does not value 600 DKK.
And on the other side, on boligportal we got lots of responses.
Jacky says
Hi Pier and thanks for your feedback!
Unfortunately we had a similar experience as you with Boligbasen. We concluded it might be a useful tool for long-term home search, but it’s really not ideal for the short term :/
We also saw some offers on Boligbasen which were obviously scams.
Glad that you found a place after all and we hope you’ll enjoy your stay in Copenhagen
Pier says
Yes at the end we found a place trough an expats facebook group of our compatriots. Between expats the bond is strong so sometimes could be easier to go trough social networks, as you suggest.
Anyway, thanks for this article!