October 14, 2026
Genhusning in Denmark: your rights when you are rehoused during renovation
Genhusning (rehousing) is when you, as a tenant in Denmark, move temporarily or permanently to another home because your apartment is being renovated, rebuilt or demolished. In private rentals, your rights depend on why you have to move: improvements under the Rent Act, urban renewal with municipal funding, or demolition. If you may need a new home, you can search rental waitlists on Waitly and sign up early.
Last updated: 13 October 2026.
In short
Temporary rehousing means you keep your lease and move back when the work is done. Permanent rehousing means you get a replacement home and do not return. In urban renewal cases, the municipality finds the home and covers moving costs. After major improvements without public funding, you can demand that your landlord offers you another suitable home. Always respond in writing and within the 6-week deadline.
When are you entitled to rehousing?
You are entitled to rehousing when you have to leave because of urban renewal, expropriation or demolition for a purpose that allows expropriation, or when an improvement raises your rent above a statutory limit.
Your landlord must give 6 weeks' notice before work that causes no significant inconvenience and 3 months' notice before other work, under section 103 of the Danish Rent Act. This guide covers what happens when you actually have to move out.
Temporary or permanent rehousing
Temporary rehousing is a short move during which your lease continues. In urban renewal, the municipality can require you to move into another home temporarily if your own can be lived in again within 6 months at most. Your landlord cannot terminate your lease in that period, and with your consent the period can be extended to 12 months at most in special cases.
Permanent rehousing means you are given a replacement home and do not move back. You have this right when you must leave because of a decision under the Urban Renewal Act, or when the rebuild raises your rent above the limit set by law. Replacement homes are often found through waitlists, so it helps to know how long a rental waitlist takes.
Rehousing during urban renewal
Under the Urban Renewal Act, your landlord can terminate your lease with 3 months' notice, but no earlier than 6 months before you must move out. The notice must be in writing, and you can object in writing within 6 weeks, after which the landlord must take the case to the urban renewal board.
With permanent rehousing, you have these rights:
The municipality finds the replacement home, and you have priority for homes in your own or a neighbouring area.
The home must have one room more than the number of people in your household or the same number of rooms as your current home, and it must be of suitable quality, standard and location.
You can turn down one offered home and be offered another.
For up to 2 years after moving in, you can ask to be offered a different replacement home.
If the replacement home costs more, the municipality pays a phase-in subsidy for 10 years. In the first year, it covers two thirds of the difference between your old and new rent, and it then falls by equal amounts each year.
Temporary rehousing: who pays the rent?
During temporary rehousing under the Urban Renewal Act, you keep paying the rent for your own home, but no more than before you moved out. The municipality pays the rent for the temporary home. If the temporary home is cheaper than your own, the municipality pays you the difference.
The temporary home must have at least one room for every two people in the household, and the municipality can also use a hotel. The City of Copenhagen states in its rehousing guidance that it sets the temporary period at no more than 4 months per home in the renewal projects it funds.
Major improvements without public funding
Not every renovation is urban renewal. If your landlord pays for an improvement, section 106 of the Rent Act lets you demand another suitable home when the improvement, together with improvements from the last 3 years, raises your rent by more than a set amount per square metre per year. The amount is adjusted every year.
Your landlord must tell you about this right at least 3 months before work starts, and you must make your claim within 6 weeks of that notice. The offered home must be of suitable size, location, quality and standard, and after housing benefit the rent must not differ significantly from your current rent. If you disagree with the offer, the landlord must take it to the rent tribunal (huslejenævnet). If the landlord never told you about the right, your rent cannot rise above the limit.
Demolition and expropriation
A landlord may only terminate a lease because of demolition if it can be documented that the building will be torn down. The notice must be in writing, give the reason and tell you about your right to object within 6 weeks.
If the termination is due to expropriation, or to demolition or rebuilding for a purpose that allows expropriation, the Housing Conditions Act gives you the right to a replacement home found by the municipality. If new apartments are let after the rebuild, the landlord must offer you one of the same type together with the notice.
Who pays the moving costs?
The municipality covers moving costs in urban renewal and expropriation cases, but not automatically after improvements your landlord pays for. In urban renewal, this applies to both temporary and permanent rehousing. After expropriation, you apply to the municipality for compensation of reasonable, documented moving costs.
Section 106 of the Rent Act does not mention moving costs, so agree on them in writing with your landlord before you accept another home. Always keep your moving receipts.
According to the City of Copenhagen, with permanent rehousing you sign the new lease yourself and pay any deposit and prepaid rent yourself.
How to respond to a rehousing notice
A rehousing notice starts deadlines, and most of them are 6 weeks. Here is what to do:
Note the date the letter arrived and count 6 weeks forward.
Check that the letter explains your right to object. If it does not, the notice may be invalid.
Always reply in writing and state exactly what you disagree with.
Consider whether you would rather find a home yourself. In urban renewal, the municipality can pay reasonable compensation when you find another suitable home on your own.
If you go looking yourself, learn how a rental waitlist works and the difference between waitlists and interest lists before you sign up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I entitled to rehousing if I moved in after the renewal decision?
Not always. If you rented the home after the municipality told your landlord it must be vacated, you have no right to a replacement home unless you are asked to leave at least 2 years after your tenancy began. Your landlord must tell you this in writing before you sign.
Do the rules also cover rooms and co-op homes?
Tenants of single rooms who are protected against termination under the Rent Act have the same right to a replacement home in urban renewal as tenants of apartments. Co-op members and owners only have the right when the home must be vacated after a decision on shared outdoor areas or condemnation under chapters 6 or 9 of the Urban Renewal Act.
Find your next home in good time
If you are being rehoused permanently, or would rather choose your next home yourself, start looking early. Waitly lets you get notified when apartments open up and join waitlists and interest lists with several landlords from one profile. Signing up improves your chances, but it does not guarantee a home, so join more than one list.
