In­ter­na­tio­nal full-de­gree stu­dents

The city centre

In general, apartment buildings in the city centre date back one or two centuries. While many may have been renovated to fit modern standards, bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms are often very small yet equipped with all necessary facilities. 

You may find that these facilities differ from what you are used to from home or other places you have lived.

Suburban areas

You might want to consider expanding your search to suburban areas outside the Copenhagen city centre and Frederiksberg. 

These areas are often more affordable, with excellent public transportation and bike lanes to the city centre, Frederiksberg and CBS.

Suburban areas outside the city centre are typically areas with lots of history and amenities, and they transmit a neighbourhood feeling as the one that can be experienced in the city.

Pets

If you bring your pets, it may be even more difficult to find a place to rent.

Location location location

Generally renting in Copenhagen is expensive. It is less expensive if you find a place outside central Copenhagen, and even cheaper in the outskirts of Copenhagen or in the suburbs.

Copenhagen is an easy city to get around with public transportation, so living in the suburbs, still leaves you at a reasonable travel distance to work at CBS. Buses, trains and metro run frequently.

Other factors

Private rentals and the rent itself are regulated by the Tenant Consolidation Act (Tenants Laws). Rent for a certain rental is determined by a number of factors:

• Location
• Type (apartment, single/family house or single room)
• Building year
• Remodeled and other aspects

Read more on Housing on the City of Copenhagen 

Utilities often not a part of the rent

In addition to your monthly rent, you should expect to pay for utilities such as heating, water, electricity and gas.

Sometimes utilities are included in the monthly rent, so make sure to find out whether you have to pay utilities or not.

A conto payment

A conto payment is a fixed amount that is paid in advance to cover your expected consumption, and is later adjusted based on your actual consumption.

This payment is based on an average calculation, such as the estimated annual consumption. 

This payment method is often used when utilities are not included in the rent. 

In Denmark it is normal to pay a deposit when renting accommodation. 

Limits

There are limits to the amount that the owner may request in deposit. Legally, the owner can only request up to 3 months deposit and 3 months prepaid rent. 

The deposit will remain on the owner's account until the apartment has been inspected for any damages and the heating and other utilities have been settled.

Getting your deposit back

When terminating your lease, if you have prepaid 3 months of rent, you will not need to pay rent for the last 3 months of your lease.

Read the terms carefully

When you sign a rental agreement, you should read the terms carefully and make sure they clearly describe what you have agreed to. 

The contract defines some of the rights and obligations of the tenants and the landlord. This includes the amount of rent you must pay and the conditions for moving-in and moving-out. 

Mandatory provisions

A number of provisions in the Tenants Laws are mandatory with no option to negotiate less protection for the tenant. 

Other provisions can be negotiated and may offer the tenant less protection than what the Tenants Laws prescribe.

Public housing

If you rent a home from a public housing enterprise, a written lease is required by law. 

However, a written lease is not required by law for privately owned homes, but it is recommended nonetheless.

When subletting, a written contract is required by law in all cases.

CPR number requires documentation

When registering for a CPR number, you need proof of address in Denmark. The easiest way to proof your address is to bring your contract.

Standard rental agreement

We recommend that you use the standard rental agreement developed by the Danish Ministry of housing. 

Aarhus University has created an unofficial translation of the rental agreement that you might want to use for comparison with your own lease. 

• official rental agreement from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Housing and Senior Citizens
• unofficial translation of the rental agreement

The do's and don'ts when signing a lease

Do's:

• go through the apartment with your landlord and document any defects e.g. take pictures). You risk having to pay from your deposit when you move out, if you cannot prove that the defect was already there when you moved in.
• make a note of the rent and what it consists of: is heating, water, internet etc. included?
• pay your rent on time. If you don't, it could be a reason for eviction.
• sign up for meter service.
• study the move-in and move-out conditions carefully.

Don'ts:

• do not sign the lease without reading the terms - a rental contract is a legal contract.
• do not pay any deposit in advance without having a contract.

Only sign a valid contract

Make sure that you receive a valid contract signed by the current tenant or landlord. Leasing contracts are in Danish (possibly with an English translation) and they should be the official one looking like this. 

If the contract is in English (without a Danish version) or if it is homemade, you should be alert. 

Read the contract carefully

Always read the contract carefully and make sure that what you agree on is also confirmed in writing. 

Do not feel pressured into signing anything even if the landlord try to pressure you into signing a contract or transferring money straight away. 

Sublet apartments

When subleasing a room or apartment make sure that the landlord/owner of the property is informed of the sublease. 

This will put you in a better position in case of a conflict between the landlord/owner and the person subletting to you.

Should you in any way be unsure about the legitimacy of an offer you have received you can check who owns the property on boligejer.dk.

Pay by bank transaction

You should never pay deposits or rent in cash. Make a bank transaction so the transaction can be traced. Never pay money under the table. It is illegal and you have no legal way of getting your money back.

Danish bank account

Also make sure to transfer the payment to a Danish registration and account number. 

Don't transfer a deposit and/or rent via wire transfer services, such as Western Union or Moneybookers Escrow, as these will most likely be transferred out of Denmark, and are untraceable and irreversible.

Danish currency

Be on alert for landlords offering you a residence to be paid in Euros, as it is not the Danish currency.

It is mandatory to have a CPR number if you are a resident in Denmark and you must have a valid address to apply for a CPR number. It is illegal to use a different address for this purpose. 

Before you commit to anything, make sure that you can register for your CPR number (civil registration number) at the property. 

If the person from whom you are renting will not permit you to register their address with the citizen service, do not accept the offer.

Airbnb's

In some Airbnb's you can registrer but in most of them you cannot.

If you do not get a CPR number

The CPR number is needed in order to get free healthcare, opening a bank account, to be able to work and to make arrangements with mobile service providers and other private companies.

Be on the alert if:

• housing is offered at much lower rate than the market standard.
• housing very centrally located: there are very few (payable) housing options there and scammers like to choose addresses in the city centre, because many people like to live there.
• the descriptions is vague: this may suggest that the apartment does not exist. Make sure you critically examine the information offered to you.
• the landlord is resident in a country other than Denmark: look out for email addresses which originates from any other country than Denmark. This could indicate that the address given for a property in Denmark may not exist.
• any irregularities in what is being offered to you.
• the landlord tries to avoid video calls - even if they claim to be deaf and dumb.

Make sure to:

• get the address including floor and apartment and check that the address exist. You should be able to find an address on krak.dk or dgs.dk. If an address doesn't exist there, it is most likely because It doesn't exist.
• always view the apartment in person beforehand: you need to see it in person for verification.
• check that the person in fact owns the room or apartment in question
• make payments only to a Danish bank account – if possible
• always use your common sense
• never let yourself be pressured by an eager letter or landlord

Advice from the police

The police offers good advice on how to make yourself more secure in your hunt for housing and avoid scam. You can find the police’s good advice on the Police's webpage (only in Danish)

Here you can also find more information about how to report scam.

Legal aid

Learn more about your right and how to receive legal aid on Tenants' rights and legal aid on the City of Copenhagen

Please note that if you live outside the City of Copenhagen, you need to contact that specific municipality.

As a Nordic citizen, you do not need to apply for a residence certificate or residence permit. 

As an EU/EEA citizen staying in Denmark for longer than three months, you must apply for a residence certificate. Learn more and apply online here.

What?

As a non-EU/EEA citizen staying in Denmark for longer than three months, you may need to fill out an application form in order to apply for a residence permit and you must pay an application fee.

How?

If you are an incoming full degree student, you apply online. Once we have received your tuition fee payment, we will initiate the application process and provide you with a login to continue the application. You receive further information together with your letter of accaptance.

Apply before arrival

If you need to apply for a residence permit, note that it needs to be obtained before entering Denmark unless your citizenship will allow you to travel visa-free to Denmark. The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) has a service goal of 60 days to reach a decision from the date they receive a fully completed application. I.e. if you submit an incomplete application, the timer resets and you should expect another 60 days before a decision is reached. CBS has no influence over Danish diplomatic missions or SIRI, and we cannot speed up the process for any student who applies late.

Application fees

Non-EEA/EU students must pay two application fees in connection with the residence permit application if they apply from abroad. Read more about the fees, the conditions and your rights

If you have questions you can contact CBS Admission for the bachelor programmes or master programmes