How long is the notice period on a flat?

As a tenant, you have 3 months’ notice to the first working day of a month that is not the day before a public holiday. If the landlord receives your notice on 20 October 2026, the tenancy ends on Monday 1 February 2027. If you have agreed a different notice period or a period without notice in the lease, that applies. If you rent a room in the landlord’s own home, the notice period is 1 month.

Does notice on a rental home have to be in writing?

No, the Act sets no formal requirements for the tenant’s notice, so it can also be given orally. It is still wise to give notice in writing, for example by registered letter or by email where you ask for confirmation. The notice period runs from when the landlord received your notice, and you may need to prove that date if you disagree.

Do you have to pay rent if you move out before the notice period ends?

Yes, as a rule you pay rent until the tenancy ends. The landlord must, however, try to let the home again, and what the landlord gets, or should have got, from a new tenant is deducted from what you have to pay. If you paid prepaid rent, you can set it off against the last part of the tenancy.

How do you give notice on a rental home after a death?

If the deceased has a spouse, the spouse can continue the tenancy. If there is no spouse, a person who shared a household with the tenant for at least 2 years immediately before the death can continue it. Otherwise the estate can give notice with the usual notice period, even if the lease is fixed-term or has a longer notice period. Write that the notice is given on behalf of the estate, and attach documentation showing that you may act for the estate.

Can my landlord give me notice without a reason?

Usually not. The landlord can only give notice for the reasons the Rent Act lists, for example if the landlord wants to live in the home. If you rent a room in the landlord’s own home, or a flat in a house with only two flats where the owner lives in the other, no specific reason is needed. If you disagree with a notice, you must normally object in writing no later than 6 weeks after you received it.

Does my spouse have to sign the notice?

Yes, if it is the family home. A married tenant may not give notice on the family home without the spouse’s consent, and this applies even if you are the only one on the lease. So have your spouse sign the notice, so there can be no doubt later that consent was given.

Giving notice on a rental home: notice, template and rent

As a tenant, you can give notice on your rental home without giving a reason. The notice period is 3 months to the first working day of a month that is not the day before a public holiday, unless you have agreed something else with the landlord. You pay rent until the tenancy ends, and you should give notice in writing so you can document when the landlord received it.

This article is about private rental homes, which follow the Rent Act. If you live in social housing (almen bolig) with a housing association, the Act on the Rental of Social Housing applies instead (§ 2, subsection 3, of the Rent Act, in Danish), and you must follow the rules and procedure your housing association gives you.

How long is the notice period on a rental home?

You are free to terminate your lease unless something else has been agreed (§ 169, subsection 1, of the Rent Act). The notice period is 3 months to the first working day of a month that is not the day before a public holiday (§ 175, subsection 1). In everyday speech this is often called “to the 1st of a month”, but the wording of the Act is more precise: if the 1st is not a working day, or it is the day before a public holiday, the end date moves to the first working day of the month that meets the rule.

The notice period runs from when the landlord received your notice. That is the date you may later need to document (Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing, in Danish).

How to work it out

Find the date 3 months after the landlord received your notice. The tenancy ends on the first working day of the next month that is not the day before a public holiday.

The landlord receives the notice	3 months later	The tenancy ends	You pay rent up to and including
Tuesday 20 October 2026	Wednesday 20 January 2027	Monday 1 February 2027	January 2027
Tuesday 10 November 2026	Wednesday 10 February 2027	Monday 1 March 2027	February 2027

In both examples the 1st is a Monday, and the day after is not a public holiday, so the date stands. When the notice arrives in the middle of a month, the calculation is simple. If the date is close to the turn of a month, send the notice a few days earlier so you do not risk paying an extra month.

When the notice period is not 3 months

A room in the landlord’s own home

If you rent a single room that is part of the landlord’s own flat, or of a one- or two-family house the landlord lives in, the notice period is 1 month (§ 175, subsection 1, see § 170, no. 1). This works both ways, so the landlord can also give you 1 month’s notice. Read more about the rules for renting out a room.

An agreed notice period or a period without notice

You and the landlord can agree a different notice period for you, or a period in which the lease cannot be terminated. According to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing, this is not unusual when houses and owner-occupied flats are let and when homes are sublet. So check the lease, especially the special terms, before you work out the notice period. If you are a subtenant, also read about subletting your rental home.

A fixed-term lease

A fixed-term lease ends by itself when the rental period runs out, without anyone having to give notice. On the other hand, it cannot be terminated during the period unless this has been agreed, or the other party breaches the agreement (§ 173, subsection 1). Read more about fixed-term leases.

How to give notice on your rental home (template)

There are no formal requirements for the tenant’s notice. You can give notice both in writing and orally, but in practice it is normally done in writing, because you may later need to document when the landlord received it, writes the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing. Send it for example by registered letter or with proof of delivery, or by email where you ask the landlord to confirm receipt.

If you are married, you may not give notice on the family home without your spouse’s consent (§ 169, subsection 2), so both of you should sign. If several of you are on the lease, it is a good idea for everyone to sign. You can copy the text below and fill in the fields in square brackets:

To [the landlord’s name and address]

Notice of termination of the tenancy at [address, floor and door]

I hereby give notice to terminate the tenancy with the notice period that follows from the lease and the Rent Act. By my calculation, the tenancy ends on [date].

Please confirm in writing that you have received this notice, and send me a written invitation to the move-out inspection.

My new address, to which notices and the final statement can be sent: [address, or: will be given no later than 8 days before I move out].
Please transfer the deposit and any balance due to reg. no. [ ] and account no. [ ].

Date: [date]
Name and signature: [tenant]
Consent from spouse: [name and signature, if you are married]

Write the date you have worked out yourself, and ask the landlord to confirm it. That way, you will discover any disagreement about the date while there is still time to resolve it.

What you pay during the notice period

You only have to pay rent for the time until the tenancy ends (§ 58, subsection 5). If you move out earlier, you must as a rule still pay rent for the rest of the notice period (Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing). The landlord must, however, try to let the home again, and what the landlord gets, or should have got, from a new letting is deducted from the landlord’s claim against you (§ 175, subsection 3). If you know someone who would like to take over the home, tell the landlord straight away.

Prepaid rent and deposit

If you paid prepaid rent when you moved in, you can set it off against the last part of the tenancy once the lease has been terminated (§ 59, subsection 3). In other words, the last months’ rent can be covered by what you have already paid. The deposit is something else. It is security for your obligations when you move out (§ 59, subsection 1), and the Act does not give the same right to use it as rent. Check in the lease how much was paid as prepaid rent and how much as deposit, and read how to get your deposit back.

Utilities and refurbishment

If you pay on account for heating or water, read about the final statement in the article on the heating bill in your rental home. When you move out, you must hand back the home in the same condition as when you took it over, apart from wear and tear not covered by your maintenance obligation and defects the landlord must remedy (§ 187, subsection 1). What the landlord can require to be painted and refurbished is covered in the article on painting when moving out.

Giving notice after a death

If the tenant dies, the spouse has the right to continue the tenancy (§ 163, subsection 1). If the tenant leaves no spouse, another person who shared a household with the tenant for at least 2 years immediately before the death has the same right when it comes to a flat (§ 163, subsection 2). This could for example be a cohabiting partner.

If no one continues the tenancy, both the landlord and the estate can terminate it with the usual notice. This applies even if the lease was made for a specific longer period or with a longer notice period (§ 163, subsection 4). A longer notice period in the lease therefore does not bind the estate.

As a relative, you can use the template above. Write that the notice is given on behalf of the estate under § 163, subsection 4, of the Rent Act, and attach documentation showing that you may act on behalf of the estate.

Viewings and your new address before you move

Once you have given notice, you must allow the home to be viewed. You decide the time yourself, but it must be at least 2 hours every other working day at a time that is convenient for a viewing. If you are not present or represented, the viewing may only take place with the landlord or a representative (§ 186, subsection 1). Read more about the landlord’s access to your apartment.

No later than 8 days before you move, you must give the address to which the landlord can send notices, including claims for refurbishment (§ 186, subsection 2).
You must have moved out by 12 noon on the moving-out day (§ 187, subsection 1).
If the landlord lets more than one flat, you must be invited in writing to a move-out inspection (fraflytningssyn) with at least 1 week’s notice, unless you agree a shorter notice (§ 187, subsection 3).
You must report your move to the municipality no later than 5 days after you have changed address (borger.dk, in Danish).

If you need to find a new home, you can see the homes to rent that BY Administration lets in Copenhagen.

If it is the landlord who gives you notice

The landlord can only give you notice in the cases the Rent Act lists (§§ 170 and 171). The rules in §§ 171-179 on the landlord’s notice cannot be waived by agreement to your disadvantage as long as the landlord has not given you notice (§ 181, subsection 1). The notice period depends on the reason (§ 175):

The landlord’s reason	Notice
You rent a room in the landlord’s own home (§ 170, no. 1)	1 month
A flat in a house with only two flats, where the owner lives in the other (§ 170, no. 2)	At least 1 year
An owner-occupied flat or a co-op apartment (andelsbolig) that the owner wants to live in (§ 170, no. 3)	At least 1 year
The landlord wants to use the home (§ 171, subsection 1, no. 1)	At least 1 year
Other reasons in §§ 170 and 171, for example demolition, serious breaches of good conduct or other weighty reasons	3 months

Under § 170, no. 3, the owner must have owned the home when the lease was made and must not own other rented-out owner-occupied flats or co-op apartments when notice is given. The rule only applies to leases made on or after 1 July 2015 (§ 207, subsection 5, inserted by Act no. 1793 of 28 December 2023, in Danish). If the landlord wants to live in the home under § 171, the notice must also be reasonable based on an assessment of both parties’ circumstances, including your chances of finding another suitable home (§ 172, no. 2). If the home is being sold, read the landlord sells the apartment.

Formal requirements and deadlines

If the landlord gives notice under § 170, no. 2 or 3, or under § 171, the notice must be in writing and tell you about your right to object. Under § 171, the reason must also be stated in the notice. If the information is missing, the notice is invalid (§ 176, subsection 1), and an invalid notice has no effect, even if you do not object (Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing).

If you disagree, you must object in writing no later than 6 weeks after the notice reached you. If the landlord wants to maintain it, the landlord must bring a case before the Housing Court (boligretten) no later than 6 weeks after your deadline has passed (§ 176, subsection 2). As a rule, the Rent Tribunal (huslejenævnet) cannot deal with notices of termination. The exception is a room in the landlord’s own home in a regulated municipality such as Copenhagen: here the tribunal can overrule a notice given in an attempt to obtain an unreasonable rent or other unreasonable terms (§§ 33 and 35, see § 6, subsection 3). Read what the Rent Tribunal in Copenhagen can and cannot help with.

Giving notice on your rental home: notice period, template and what you pay