This is purely my experience of finding an apartment in Denmark. Remember that it’s not a cheap country so, always keep your budget at a realistic level. I had been to Denmark several times, I also have friends who have already moved here before me. So, I already had some ideas about the housing market in Denmark.
While I was looking for apartments, I listed down a few criteria.
- Distance to the workplace. So, I could spend more time with the family and cut down the travel cost
- Schools and Kindergarten distance for kids
- Access to public transport
- Access to grocery stores
- Facilities and access for outdoor activities
While talking with many colleagues and friends, I gathered a lot of information. Everyone agreed that the housing cost is very high within the city center and the northern part of Copenhagen. If you want to get a reasonable and comparatively cheaper housing, look for the southern part of the city. You can target either an old apartment/house or a newly built high-quality apartment. There are a lot of new developments coming up around the city. I was using the following websites when I was searching for an apartment.
Most of the sites require you to get a paid membership to connect the owner directly. If you’re renting from a company, you can find the apartment details on the company website without any membership.
There are few things to consider before you decide what kind of housing you’re planning to go for. Usually, the rental value is including the fixed amount for heating and water. You will get your money back end of the year or you will pay the exceeding amount for your consumption. This is why you must consider the energy rating of the building and the source of the heating.
After the initial inspection, you have 14 days to inform the defects that you find in your new house. After this period, fix using your own money.
Deposit payment
Usually, you have to pay 3 months of the rental as the deposit and 2 months rental for the first and the last month. So, when you move in, you don’t have to pay for the first month. When you vacate the apartment, you must paint the walls and fix the damages. Otherwise, you will not get your deposit back. If you move out of your apartment within the first year, chances are you will not get your deposit back. We must stay for 9 months minimum and 3 months’ notice period before vacate to get our deposit back.
Usually, a new apartment, it would have only a very few appliances. Well, if you’re looking for a fully furnished apartment, this will not apply to you.
Each municipality (kommune) has a different tax and it will affect how much tax you’ll be paying. You can get this information from the Municipality Tax website https://www.skm.dk/skattetal/satser/kommuneskatter#/aar/2019 as a consideration to choose a house/apartment. If you’re renting from a private individual, it’s highly advisable that you visit the property before making any decision.
How did we find the apartment before we arrive in Denmark?
We started to find an apartment soon after we applied for a residence permit to Denmark from Malaysia. A couple of my friends visited the apartment building that we have finalized. They took a video of the model unit and shared with me all the information that they gathered. Once finalized, we completed and send the reservation form to the agent. If you don’t have the CPR number, you can use your Passport number as well. The agent confirmed my reservation in 2 weeks. After 4 days of the confirmation, I received the housing contract with the bank account information and the detailed cost. The company gave me 4 days to complete the total deposit in a single transaction. We signed the contract and sent it in 2 days, but we faced a couple of issues regarding transferring the money to Denmark.
As a foreigner in Malaysia, I could transfer the maximum amount of RM 10,000 per day from Malaysian banks. I transferred to one of my friend’s bank account in Denmark, and he transferred to the company from his account. To avoid the hefty currency exchange loss, I used Transferwise to transfer money to Denmark as their exchange rate was excellent and the charges are very reasonable. Initially, Transferwise suggested that it could take 3 days to reach the money to Denmark, but it transferred on the very next day. Even though I was transferring from a foreign country, the company I rented my apartment was not willing to extend the payment deadline. If I delay the payment by 1 or 2 days, my move-in date delay by 1 – 2 weeks.
We received the Welcome home and the instruction email for the initial inspection the next day.
Summary
- Finalize a property, either an apartment or a house
- If it’s an apartment, you should submit the reservation form
- Receive the housing contract
- Read well, sign and send.
- Make the payment within the given time
- Meet the landlord/company representative, get the key and settle in.
Next, you can read about how to register the CPR number in my next post.
