The vast majority of landlords are honest people who earn their income by renting out homes. But as in all industries, there are crooks who try to exploit the small fish – the tenants. We call them housing sharks.
The housing shark will not go out of its way to demand money under the table to rent out a rental property. The housing shark may not even have the right to rent out a rental property, but does so anyway. The housing shark will try to get the highest possible rent, without having to make any effort whatsoever in the form of maintenance or correction of defects in the rental property. And if the tenant complains to the Rent Board, the housing shark will try in every possible way to harass the tenant to either give up the complaint or move out.
Anything the housing shark can do once the tenant has moved in is protected by law. But it can sometimes be difficult to understand your rights, and it will take time to resolve the problems. And there is no guarantee that the tenant will get their money back. Therefore, it is in the tenant's best interest to avoid renting from a housing shark altogether.
As a minimum, you should review the following checklist before renting accommodation from a private landlord:
Is the landlord the owner of the property? This can be checked at www.ois.dk. Simply enter the municipality and address, and you can see who owns the property. The person who owns the property should be listed as the landlord on the contract. If you rent through a rental agency, the landlord's name should be listed c/o the rental agency.
Is the landlord a tenant and should you sublet? In that case, you should see a copy of the landlord's own lease or cooperative certificate, if it is a cooperative housing. You should also contact the owner of the property and get confirmation that your landlord is allowed to sublet to you. If you are going to sublet, there are additional precautions you should take to ensure you are as safe as possible.
Check whether the name on the street door and mailbox matches the landlord's name if the landlord lives in the rental property.
Does the landlord demand money under the table to let you move in? Or that you have to pay a deposit or rent before the lease is signed? This is typically something that house sharks can be expected to do. Find another landlord.
Is there already a tenant living in the rental property? Contact them and confirm that they will be moving out before you take over the rental property.
The above will never completely protect you from being scammed, but it can prevent the worst cases of fraud.
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