medborger_i_danmark_engelsk.pdf - Ny i Danmark

38Tenant-occupied accommodationHOUSINGNon-profit or privatehousing societyRights and dutiesYou are entitled to alease contractRented accommodation is owned by aprivate or a non-profit housing society*.You can put your name on a waiting listfor a flat. This means that you may rentthe flat when your name is at the top ofthe waiting list. But you may have to waitfor many years. Ask the housing societyconcerned about waiting times.Private housing societies rarely have awaiting list. When a flat becomes vacant,the owner chooses the new tenant.Lease contractBoth tenant and landlord have rights andduties.These are stated in the Danish RentAct. This Act contains provisions on thetermination of leases. As a tenant, youmay generally terminate your lease bygiving three months’ prior notice, and aslong as you comply with your duties, thelandlord cannot suddenly evict you.The Danish Rent Act also lays downrules on how high the rent may be, who isto be responsible for maintaining therented premises, and how many peoplemay live there.According to the Danish Rent Act, youmust receive a lease contract that sets outthe agreements made between you and thelandlord.The lease contract must specify,for example, how much prior notice youmust give if you want to terminate thelease. The contract must also specify therequired state of repair of the flat whenyou move out.Do not sign the lease contract withoutreading it carefully – also the small print.Nor should you sign the lease contractwithout having inspected the flat togetherwith the landlord´s representative.Make a list of the defects in the flat, ifany, either in the actual lease contract oron a separate piece of paper that both youand the landlord sign. If you detect anydefects in the flat after you move in, youshould notify the caretaker within twoweeks. In this way, you do not have to payfor damage not caused by you.Lease deposit or lease premiumYou should expect to pay either a leasedeposit or lease premium before or alongwith your first rent payment.The amountof the deposit or premium payable is to beagreed between you and the landlord.The landlord may use the leasepremium to pay for repairs of any damagethat you may have caused. However, if youleave the flat in the same state of repairas when you moved in, you are entitled torepayment of your lease premium whenyou move out.If you are a married couple who will beliving together in the same flat, you mayboth sign the lease contract. In this way,either of you is entitled to stay in the flatif the other person moves out, or youdivorce.Inspect the flatImportant to agree theamount of deposit withthe landlord in advanceMake sure that bothyou and your spousesign the lease contract