Hello,
I am about to rent a shared property with two other people.
The property is handled by an agency, who, unless asked, would not have told us about their policies with the deposit and renovation of the flat. Therefore, we agreed on renting the property without knowing that we were going to lose our whole deposit, no matter the length of our stay and no matter the final state of the flat.
The policy is that after every tenant, the flat will be renovated to brand new and cleaned like a hotel suite. This is done no matter the final conditions, therefore, our deposit is lost in advance, whether there are damages or not.
Usually, normal wear and tear of the house is accounted for during the stay, and a tenant does not need to pay for normal wear and tear of the apartment during their stay. Is this not the case in Denmark? Is it legal to not give the deposit back a priori? We have not paid anything yet as this is making us frown. Yet, if this will be the case for any other rented property, it makes no sense to lose the flat and re-encounter the problem later on.
Thank you in advance for any help
Notice of deposit loss in advance of renting the property
It's not correct what you have been told. You only have to pay for normal tear and wear. If the agency tells you anything else, it is trying to cheat you.
Here are two links where you can get free advice regarding rented housings:
https://www.lejerens-fr.dk/https://www.copenhagenlegalaid.com/front-page
If you can find another place to live, I would strongly recommend you to do so. Under all circumstances, I would contact one or both of the legal aids to learn more about your rights.
I just wonder if the rent is reasonable, or if the agency also here tries to take advantage of the housing market. Perhaps, the lawyers can say something about this, too.
Another useful link about your rights:
https://international.kk.dk/artikel/ten … -legal-aid
/Nellie
Hello Nellie,
thank you for your reply!!
I believe the agency is taking advantage of us not knowing our rights, but I also think they have found a legal way to do so. Thank you for the links, I will contact them as soon as their opening hours allow.
In the meantime, I can answer about the rent. We believe it is quite an honest price: the flat is 110 m^2, and the rent is around 16500, aconto included (water+gas). It located in Norrebro, Kobenhavn N. What do you think about the price? Is it reasonable?
Thanks again for your advice,
Elena
I cannot say whether the rent is reasonable or not, as many issues can influence the rent. If I shall guess, the rent is set too high. I assume this from the landlord's statement regarding the deposit and repair when you leave.
I'll strongly advise you to go to Huslejenævnet and ask for an advance approval of the rent. It costs 520 kroner, and Huslejenævnet's decision/verdict on the rent will be final.
Many landlords base the rent on their own costs, but this isn't the way due to the rules. The rent shall be based on the condition of the flat.
There are a couple of online rental calculators, but don't rely too much on them, only take the result as an indication.
https://tjekdinleje.dk/result/?code=30& … 6055952743https://app.rentguide.dk/en/cases/create
Do notice that you shall keep the utilities out of the calculation. We only talk of the mere rent in itself.
/Nellie
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