Beware of scam

As a potential Tenant, it can be difficult to find a room or apartment in the larger Danish cities, among other things because of the very high prices and the many other housing seekers. The student cities of Copenhagen, Odense, Aalborg and Aarhus are very popular student cities, which has resulted in an overheated rental market.

Scams in the housing market

Unfortunately, this has led to an unfortunate trend where fraudsters can easily defraud the potential Tenant. Most recently, we've seen an increase in fraud cases where homes are rented through the Airbnb service.

We experience that fraudsters especially target new students, or foreigners, who are often very busy finding new housing in their future student city before the start of studies or work – at the same time as all the other new students and every else. The scammers therefore find it easy to scam ignorant and desperate Tenant and rent out homes that simply do not exist or that they require you to pay to access.

Lejernes Retshjælp recommends that you pay close attention when looking for a rental property. That's why we've put together 8 tips to avoid scams on the housing market:

• Use common sense when reviewing the various rental offers. Is it a realistic offer, or does it sound too good to be true?
• Have the landlord give you a thorough presentation of the lease before accepting the lease.
• Have your lease reviewed by tenancy law specialists*.
• Never pay "money under the table", either to be allowed to rent the property or for any other services that may show up. The landlord may also not charge you for sending you a copy of the lease.
• Before you pay the deposit and/or prepaid rent, check whether the person who will rent out the property actually has the right to rent it out. You can look up the owner of the lease on boligejer.dk to learn more.
• Pay special attention if you have to pay a deposit and/or prepaid rent in cash or to a foreign account.
• Always ask for a receipt after paying the deposit or prepaid rent.
• If the landlord is in a hurry for you to sign and pay the deposit - then stop and think carefully

We are ready to help you via our contact form, which you will find here. You can also call us for a non-committal chat.

*It is free for members at Lejernes Retshjælp to have their lease agreement reviewed. Non-members can purchase a review.

As a student, we can offer you a membership in Lejernes Retshjælp at a discounted price for only DKK 30 a month, you get free legal aid and review of your lease. Become a member today.