How to rent an apartment in Copenhagen as a foreigner

How does renting in Copenhagen actually work?

Copenhagen runs two rental markets side by side. The private market is fast, expensive and competitive. The public, non-profit sector (almen bolig) is cheap but allocates by waiting list, often measured in years. Most newcomers start in the private market and join a waiting list in the background.

The word you will see everywhere is lejebolig, which just means a rented home. An apartment you buy outright is an ejerbolig. A cooperative share is an andelsbolig.

What is the difference between a lejebolig and an andelsbolig?

A lejebolig is a rental. You pay rent and a deposit, and you own nothing. An andelsbolig is a cooperative: you buy a share in the housing association, then pay a monthly fee that covers the association’s loan and maintenance, as the City of Copenhagen explains.

Andelsboliger often cost less per month than private rentals, but the share price can be high, the association’s finances matter, and banks are cautious about lending for them. For a first landing in Denmark, a rental is usually the practical choice.

How do you find a place to rent?

1. Private rentals. Most are advertised on portals and through estate agents. Set up alerts and reply within minutes, not hours, for anything central.
2. Public housing. Register at danmarkbolig.dk, then sign up with individual housing organisations such as KAB.
3. Student and youth housing. Cheaper, and you can often join the list before you are admitted to a course.
4. Network and noticeboards. Supermarket boards, colleagues and Facebook groups still fill a real share of rooms.

Rooms (værelse) in a shared flat are the cheapest and most common way into the city centre. For long-term rentals it is often easier to find a three or four-room flat in newer areas such as Sydhavn, Nordhavn or Ørestad than a one or two-room flat in the old city.

What do landlords check before they rent to you?

Private landlords can pick and choose, and they usually want proof you can pay. Expect to show photo ID, an employment contract or payslips, and often a reference from a previous landlord. There is no legal cap on what they may ask for as documentation, but the deposit and prepaid rent are capped by law.

Housing associations work differently. They allocate “first in line” by waiting list. Some use flexible renting (fleksibel udlejning), which lets you move up if you have a permanent job of at least 25 hours a week, are a student on an SU-eligible course, or are newly separated. A few neighbourhoods apply stricter criteria, including criminal-record checks, according to the City of Copenhagen.

What does it cost to move in?

By law a landlord may charge a deposit of up to three months’ rent and up to three months’ rent in advance. On top come a conto heating, water and other prepayments. The Ministry of Children, the Elderly and Housing sets out the rule and a worked example.

Take a flat at 12,000 kr a month. The maximum deposit is 36,000 kr and the maximum prepaid rent is 36,000 kr, so you could be asked for 72,000 kr before you get the keys, plus utilities. That is the single biggest cash shock of moving to Copenhagen, and it is normal rather than a scam.

Do you need a CPR number to rent?

Not to view a flat, but you need a CPR number and MitID for almost everything that follows: a Danish bank account, a NemKonto, Digital Post and signing documents digitally. Register your address at your local borgerservice (citizen service centre) within five days of moving in, as borger.dk explains.

Landlords often ask for your CPR as part of the contract. If you are still waiting for yours, say so and give a timeline.

How do you get housing benefit (boligstøtte)?

If you rent a home with its own kitchen and live there permanently, you can apply for boligstøtte, a monthly housing benefit. What you get depends on household income, assets, the number of adults and children, the rent and the size of the home.

As of 2026 the maximum for a non-pensioner household renting is 1,194 kr a month with no children, 4,201 kr with one to three children and 5,251 kr with four or more. You can run a calculation before you apply, and you apply through borger.dk.

How do you avoid rental scams?

Rental fraud in Denmark follows a predictable script: an attractive flat, a landlord who is “abroad” or “too busy” to show it, pressure to transfer a deposit today to hold it, and no contract.

Rules that protect you:

• Never transfer money before you have seen the flat and signed a contract.
• Pay to a Danish bank account in the landlord’s name, never to a foreign account or a payment app.
• Ask to see ID and, for an andelsbolig, the association’s written approval.
• If you are defrauded, report it to the police. You can report online with MitID, or by calling 114 or visiting a police station.

What are your rights under the lejeloven?

The rent act (lejeloven) sets the ground rules for private rentals, including how deposits work and how they are settled when you leave. A landlord must return your deposit after you move out, minus any documented unpaid rent or damage. Landlords do not have to pay interest on a deposit.

Tenants’ organisations such as LLO give members legal help with disputes over deposits, rent increases and repairs.

What it costs & how long it takes

Timing: private rentals move in days to weeks. Public housing waiting lists commonly run for years. KAB says its most popular and central addresses exceed 20 years, though some housing departments offer within four years.

Common mistakes

• Underestimating the move-in cost. Budget for deposit, prepaid rent and utilities together.
• Replying late. On portals, being second is being nowhere.
• Skipping the waiting list because it is slow. Join it anyway; seniority only builds if you are registered.
• Paying a deposit before seeing the contract or the flat.
• Assuming a “no CPR” landlord is being helpful. It usually means no contract and no protection.

If something goes wrong

If a landlord keeps your deposit without cause, put your complaint in writing and contact your local tenants’ association such as LLO. If you paid money for a flat you cannot use, that is fraud. Report it to the police online with MitID, by phone on 114, or at a station, and keep every message and receipt.