Housing for students

Finding a place to live as a student can be difficult in the time leading up to the start of the academic year. Below you'll find information to make your search easier.

Finding a place to live

What to expect when house-hunting

Rule of thumb

Affordable private apartments are rare.
Most students live in dorms/collegiums or shared apartments.
Finding a room in a shared apartment with access to a shower and a kitchen and approximately 30 - 40 minutes of transport to campus is completely normal.
Living farther from the city centre usually means cheaper rent, but remember to factor in transportation costs.

Residential Halls & Dorms (Kollegium)

Typical living arrangements

Your own room
A shared kitchen with 3–25 other residents
Some dorms offer small apartments with:
- Your own kitchen and/or bathroom, or
- Shared kitchen, bathroom, and common area with 2–5 people

Admission

Usually based on a waiting list
Some dorms accept motivated applications
Danish students often sublet their rooms when they go on exchange

Check StudenthousingAarhus for independent dorms, and ask your educational institution whether they offer their own student housing.

Shared Apartments, Sublets & Private rooms

Students who don’t live in dorms often rent rooms or apartments from private landlords.

Where to find listings

Online housing portals
Try searching for terms like “bolig”, “lejebolig”, and “portal”

Before you sign anything

Make sure you understand:

Your rights and responsibilities as a tenant
The landlord’s obligations
What to do — and avoid — when renting privately

Know your rights and obligations

Renting in Denmark is regulated through the Danish Rent Act - Lejeloven.

To find out more about the obligations and conditions for both tenant and landlord you can search online for 'lejeloven', 'lejeloven på engelsk'. 'The Danish Rent Act' and similar phrases. Make sure the the information you find is from an official source and up to date.

If you experience a scam, The Danish Tenants Association (Lejernes Landsorganisation) offers advice and legal counselling to people who have problems with their landlords. They can advise you on your rights and possibilities.

Helpful websites for finding a place to live

StudenthousingAarhus is a collaboration between Kollegiekontoret in Aarhus, the housing organisations in Aarhus, and most of the city's independent halls of residence.

Kollegiekontoret manages, maintains, and modernises the youth housing estates, one private and four independent halls of residence with a total of approximately 4500 tenancies.

AU Housing is a service for students at Aarhus University. They manage a number of rooms in different dorms, housing organisations and private landlords reserved by the university.

Do's and don'ts when renting in Aarhus

Never do this

Never pay without getting a rental contract - and remember that if it seems shady or too good to be true, it probably is. You have no legal claim if you haven't received a rental contract or if you have paid money "under the table".
Never pay by cash
Never pay via a foreign bank account or money transfer service
Don't accept landlord pressure
Don't be too critical about the location
Never pay money under the table
Don't pay too much in deposit and prepaid rent (ask The Danish Tenants Association, if in doubt)
Be aware of non-Danish-speaking landlords

Remember to do this

Check who owns the rental
Always inspect the rental
Check the rent level
Get everything in writing
Read the contract carefully and make sure it describes the specific terms and conditions clearly
Document any defects when moving in (photos are a good idea)
When subletting, note what the rules are for the specific subletting deal
Make sure that the rental is consistent with the rental contract
Make sure to go through the property
Double-check the legality of the arrangement, if you are told not to have your postal address there

Danish listing of addresses

In Danish the ground floor is called "stuen / st." or in some cases 0.

The floor above is "første sal" / "1. sal" (1st floor) and so forth.

Besides the number of km2, the size of an apartment is usually stated by the number of rooms. This number is found by combining the number of bedrooms and the living room - but does not include the kitchen, bathroom, or hallways.

Apartment addresses are written as: street name, house number, floor number (st., 1., 2. and so on) followed by the apartment number / the placement of the apartment (th., tv., mf.). Th. means "til højre" / to the right, tv. means "til venstre" / to the left, and mf. means "midt for" / in the middle.

Remember to include a postal code and city name, when writing your address, e.g.:

Jane Johnson
Bredgade 2, 3. tv.
8000 Aarhus C

Expenses beside rent

Prepaid rent (indskud)

You pay prepaid rent to cover the rent before your lease ends. For example, if you have paid three months of prepaid rent, you do not have to pay rent for the last three months before you move out.

Utility costs

Utilities refer to heating, water, gas, electricity, internet, and a media license fee. You need to check your rental contract to see which utilities are already included in your rent. The amount you pay for utilities depends on how much you and your household consume.

Deposit (depositum)

You pay a deposit so that the property can be restored when you move out, to the state it was when you moved in. If the property is left in good condition, you may be able to get a fair amount of your deposit back.