Rentals in Denmark

Finding an apartment or a house to rent is not going to be easy, especially if you are planning to move to Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg or Odense. This is not to say it's not possible, but you will have to be realistic.

First, let me say that if you don’t have a residency permit, it will be hard to get a long-term rental, since one thing that most places ask for is your CPR number, which you get when you have a residency permit.

Now you need to decide on your budget, your desired area and what type of place you need. This will influence where you look. Copenhagen will the most expensive place to live; as you go farther from the city, housing is less expensive.

Going north of Copenhagen, you will find rentals in Denmark a bit more expensive, while looking south west of the city it is usually less expensive. There are exceptions, but generally that is the case.

It is also less expensive on Fyn or Jutland, but whereever you go, you will find apartments for rent in Denmark are rarely cheap.

Types of Rentals

The next popular type of rental is a raekkehus, which is a terraced house. They are usually larger than most apartments and have one or two shared walls with their neighbors. Most terraced houses have a small private garden area attached.

The next type of rental you may be looking for is a house, which is usually advertised as a villa or hus. These are stand-alone (detached) homes and usually have their own gardens.

If you see rentals in Denmark for sommerhus or fritidshus, these are what are referred to as summerhouses. These homes can vary from very basic (without any utilities) to very nice. Generally, these types of homes can only be lived in from the 1st of April to the 1st of October.

During the rest of the year, you can use the homes, but you're not allowed to overnight except for short holidays. (This is a law which is often broken and rarely enforced due to several complications). Suggest you avoid renting summer homes unless you are just planning on using them for short holidays -- then they are great. They are rarely practical for people planning on residing on a permanent basis. But it is a good place to stay while searching for a better place, so don't overlook them if you are in a jam.

TIP: There are so few good places to rent that the good ones go very quickly. That is why, if you are outside of Denmark, most people will not even respond to your requests, because they have lots of locals to choose from. That does not mean they won't rent to you, but you have to be here to get those places. Plan to come over a few months before your move to scout out places, and don't try to get one from overseas.

Where Do You Search for Rentals?

Most of the website rentals in Denmark places do require you to sign up and pay a fee for using their site. If you are serious about getting a place, this is probably the best way.

Another way to find rentals is to check some of the Real Estate Agencies that often have rentals available on their sites. (That is how we got our last rental).

Local newspapers also have rentals; the Blaa Avis (a large auction-type newspaper) has a good selection of rentals. The newspapers that publish online do not usually list rentals, so again, you need to be in Denmark to use that avenue.

If you have been hired by a company and are being relocated to Denmark, they should be able to help you find a place. There are also several relocation agencies which will help you locate places to live and help you settle in. IF your budget allows it, these companies can make many of the problems of settling in a lot less stressful and get you off on the right foot.

If you are a college student, you should contact your school for assistance. There are several schools that have host family programs. Some have student accommodations and also keep a list of rentals that may be exclusive to their school. Always check with your school for help when looking for accomodations.

If you know which kommune or municipality you want to live in, check out the kommune's website and see what they have to offer.

Another possibility is advertising in newspapers for an apartment to rent. You can place an ad in papers like the Copenhagen Post (the English newspaper which many expats read regularly).

Tip: When you are viewing the various sites, you'll see that some are only in Danish, but there are ways to get around that. Check out the translator to show how you can view the pages in English.

Hope this information has been helpful - happy hunting. Remember, other people have found places to live and so can you. It just takes a bit of time, patience and perseverance.

Charlie

Rental Websites

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