Buying a house in Denmark

I would like to give a brief overview of our experiences with buying a house in Denmark. Basically, the properties here are very attractive and you definitely get something nice for your money – but there are also downsides. We purchased our property through a well-known estate agent in the area. We viewed the property and relied on the information provided (condition report and electrical installation report, both prepared by experts). This was our mistake: these reports were commissioned by the seller and, let's say, do not really reflect reality. Essential damage or malfunctions are not even mentioned. This means that they are not worth the paper they are printed on. Because, if these things are discovered, the estate agent and the seller's solicitor always refer to the reports – because supposedly everything is in there. And for everything else, there is the change of ownership insurance that we (sensibly) took out. However, the insurance only pays out once a specialist has assessed the damage, prepared a cost estimate and submitted it to the insurance company – and the insurance company has approved the project. This is a lengthy process that takes at least 6-10 weeks. This must be taken into account when planning. We paid too much for the property because it has some serious problems with basic functionality, such as water, sewage, heating, electricity and windows.

There is a term for this, not only in Switzerland, when an owner and an estate agent conceal things in the sales process that they definitely must know or are aware of. I'll leave it at that.

I could get lost in the details here, but I want to focus on a few important tips for buying a house:

• Check every electrical appliance that is part of the purchase contract in detail. Don't be blinded by a cleaned-up front or a light that still shines. We had to throw everything in the kitchen away because it was simply broken and/or disgusting.
• Check every tap and drain. If a tap is turned off, take the time to open the valve. If water sprays out, something is probably broken.
• Check every toilet and every wet room in detail. If the report says, "water could penetrate the structure," that's still a very euphemistic description.
• Check every radiator to see if the heat is reaching it – it's not always just the ventilation, but can also indicate a lack of pressure or defective valves if it's not getting warm.
• Check the heating system and its consumption, as well as the installation. There is a lot of room for creativity here when it comes to installation.
• It gets really interesting with the electrical installations. Here, the electrician pointed out to me that the installation of the stove in the kitchen was not legally permissible. Check every switch, every socket and every fuse. I managed to trip the RCD by pressing two light switches at the same time. Now we have a nice construction site here.
• Check every door, every lock and every key. We have a sliding door that we cannot use because the guide rail is missing. We have an exterior door for which there is no longer a key. There is only one key left for the flat.
• Check the windows for leaks. We were contractually guaranteed that four windows would be replaced. However, there are three more windows that are defective and need to be replaced: if the frame is so warped that you can see outside when the outside temperature is -15 degrees, then something is wrong.
• Check that the garage doors can be opened and closed without using force.
• Check that the public plans correspond to the situation on site. We have an exciting adventure ahead of us in terms of electricity, water and sewage.

What speaks volumes is the fact that the estate agent did not even show up on the handover date. You must insist on this: the estate agent must draw up a handover report. Actually, before buying, you should hire your own expert to inspect the property – this is the only way to be sure that what you are buying is what was promised.

Fortunately, I am someone who always plans for the worst-case scenario. So I chose a renovation budget that was large enough to cover most things. It's not ideal, because it has completely derailed our moving plans. We have to rethink the timing, which again involves additional costs in Switzerland.

Despite all the adversities, our house is well on its way to becoming a real gem. It's taking more effort than planned because we want to do it right, both legally and technically. This will ensure that our home continues to function cleanly and reliably in the future.

Guido
February 2026

A few pictures: