How to Swap Apartments in Denmark

Your Complete Guide to Home Swapping in Denmark

Swapping apartments with another tenant is one of the most effective ways to find a new home in Denmark. Unlike the traditional housing market, where you compete against hundreds of other applicants for every apartment, home swapping lets you find your dream home through direct contact with other tenants who, like you, are looking for change.

This guide gives you everything you need to know to carry out a successful home swap - from the initial preparations to sitting in your new living room enjoying the view.

What Is Home Swapping, and Why Is It Popular?

Home swapping is an agreement between two (or more) tenants to exchange homes permanently. It's not a subletting arrangement or a temporary deal - it's a complete exchange of tenancies, where both parties take over each other's lease agreements and obligations.

The concept has existed for decades but has become increasingly popular as the housing market has tightened. In København, Aarhus, and other major cities, waiting lists for attractive rental housing can be up to 20-30 years long (according to BL – Danmarks Almene Boliger, the Danish national organization for social housing). Home swapping gives you the opportunity to skip the queue.

More and more Danes are choosing home swapping for good reasons:

• No waiting lists: You skip the queue for attractive homes that would otherwise be inaccessible
• Better opportunities: Access to homes that never reach the open market, because they're swapped internally
• Mutual interest: Both parties must be satisfied with the agreement, ensuring better and more thoughtful matches
• Free platform: HomeSwap makes it easy to find swap partners at no cost - we make money from ads, not from you
• Faster process: A swap can often be completed in a few months instead of years on a waiting list
• More control: You choose your own swap partner and have influence over the entire process

Understand the Legal Framework Thoroughly

Before you start looking for a swap partner, it's absolutely essential to know the rules. The Danish Tenancy Act (lejeloven, specifically § 161) gives tenants the right to swap homes, but there are important conditions you must meet.

The basic requirements:

1. Residency requirement: As a general rule, you must have lived in your apartment for at least 3 years to have the right to swap. This requirement must be met at the time you request your landlord's permission for the swap.

2. Landlord approval: Your landlord must approve the swap but can only decline with justifiable reason. Justifiable reasons may include the incoming tenant not having the financial means to pay the rent, or the home becoming overcrowded.

3. Comparable tenancies: The swap must be between comparable tenancies. For example, you cannot swap a social housing unit for a privately rented apartment without both landlords' approval.

4. No financial gain: It is illegal to receive money for swapping - this is considered "nøglepenge" (key money, under the Danish Tenancy Act) and is punishable.

There are more nuances and exceptions in the legislation that you should know about. Want to learn more about the legal aspects? Read our in-depth guide: The Tenancy Act and Home Swapping: What Do the Rules Say?, where we review all relevant sections and typical situations.

Prepare Your Listing Carefully

A great listing is absolutely the key to attracting the right swap partners. Think of it as a first impression - you only get one chance to capture the interest of potential partners browsing through many listings.

Photos that sell your home:

Quality photos are the very first thing potential partners see, and they often determine whether anyone even reads your text. Take photos in daylight, tidy up thoroughly before shooting, and show all rooms from the best angles. Use your smartphone - modern phones take excellent photos if you do it right.

Get all our tips in the guide: How to Take Great Photos of Your Apartment, where we cover everything from lighting to the typical mistakes you should avoid.

An honest and complete description:

Describe your home honestly with both strengths and any limitations. This saves time for everyone and avoids disappointment at viewings. Be specific about size, amenities, location, and all the practical details.

See our detailed tips for writing the perfect listing: What Should You Include in Your Listing? - with examples of good and less effective descriptions.

Checklist before publishing:

Make sure you have all relevant documents ready before creating your listing. This includes your lease agreement, documentation of your move-in date, and your landlord's contact information. Our Checklist: Before You Swap Homes helps you get started in an organized way and avoid forgetting important details.

Find the Right Match

Once your listing is created and saved, the exciting search for the perfect swap partner begins. HomeSwap's advanced matching system helps you find relevant matches based on:

• Location and geographic preferences: Where do you want to live, and does it match where your home is located?
• Home size and number of rooms: Do your needs fit each other's homes?
• Rent and financial situation: Are the rents at a level you can both accept?
• Special wishes and requirements: Pets, balcony, elevator, parking, and other specific needs

But a good match is about much more than numbers and facts on paper. You also need to assess whether the potential partner is reliable, serious, and someone you can trust throughout the process. Communication style, response time, and honesty in the description are all important indicators.

Read our thorough guide: How to Evaluate a Potential Swap Partner, where we review red flags, good questions to ask, and how to verify information.

Visit Each Other's Homes

Once you've found a potential match through messages and initial conversation, the next step is to visit each other's homes in person. This is an extremely important part of the process, where you can:

• See the home in reality: Photos don't show everything - size, light, and atmosphere are best experienced on site
• Feel the atmosphere and noise level in the area: Is there traffic noise? What's the neighborhood like?
• Ask practical questions: About neighbors, the building's condition, heating costs, and all the small details
• Meet your potential swap partner face to face: Get a sense of the person and build trust

A good first visit can be decisive for whether the swap happens. Take your time, ask plenty of questions, and take notes. Get our best advice in: Tips for Your First Visit to a Swap Partner.

Coordinate the Move

When both parties have said yes and the landlords have approved the swap, it's time to plan the practical part: the actual move. This requires good coordination, as you typically need to move at or around the same time.

Important considerations for planning:

• Coordinate moving dates: Agree on a date that works for both parties - often a weekend
• Key handover: When and how are keys exchanged safely?
• Address change: Remember to notify all relevant authorities within the deadline
• Meter readings: Read electricity, gas, and water meters at handover and document with photos
• Cleaning: Agree on who cleans when and to what extent

For a complete walkthrough of the moving process with detailed checklists, see: How to Plan the Actual Move.

After the Swap: Your New Home Awaits

Congratulations - you've moved into your new home! But the work doesn't stop entirely here. There are still practical things to take care of in the first days and weeks to ensure a smooth start:

• Register your new address with the municipality within 5 days via borger.dk
• Update subscriptions and insurance to the new address
• Document the apartment's condition thoroughly with photos at move-in
• Get to know the area and your new neighbors - a good neighborhood is priceless
• Check that all utilities are working and registered in your name

Get the full overview of all tasks in: After the Swap: Checklist for Your New Home.

Ready to Get Started with Your Home Swap?

Home swapping is a fantastic opportunity to find your next home - and it really doesn't have to be as complicated as it might sound. With the right preparation, the right tools, and a little patience, you can find your dream match.

Here are your next steps to get started:

1. Create a free profile on HomeSwap - it only takes a few minutes
2. Upload great photos and write an honest description of your home
3. Set your preferences for what you're looking for in a new home
4. Start browsing potential matches and send messages to interesting profiles
5. Be patient but active - the best matches often take a little time to find

With HomeSwap, you have access to Denmark's largest platform for home swapping - completely free for all basic features. We're here to help you through the entire process.

Create your listing today and take the first step toward your new home. Good luck with the search!