Accommodation rules

No matter whether it is you, your employer or the developer that has provided your accommodation, there are rules, which apply to your living arrangements while you work in Denmark. These apply no matter whether your accommodation is via a private landlord or a hotel, or if you live in a camp at the building site where you are working.

What are the accommodation rules that apply when working in Denmark?

The municipality for habitation must approve your accommodation. Otherwise, you are not permitted to live there. It is therefore not legal for you to take up residence in an abandoned building, in a tent in a field or in the forest.

If you work on a building site in a remote location – such as a site in a forest or on an island, for example – your employer has a duty to provide you with accommodation while working on the site.

However, it is not always permitted to live on or near the construction site, for example in a site trailer. This is only possible if the developer has obtained a permit from the municipality.

What rules apply in the case of a private residence?

You can check yourself, whether your accommodation is legal. If a house or an apartment does not meet the requirements below, then the municipality cannot approve it for habitation and you may not live in it.

The residence must meet the following requirements at minimum:

1. There must be escape routes from all inhabitable rooms so that it is possible to escape quickly in the event of a fire.
2. An inhabitable room must have at least one window facing the outside so that daylight can get in.
3. In the case of inhabitable rooms in houses, there must be at least 2.3 m between the floor and the ceiling.
   In apartments, there must be at least 2.5 m between the floor and the ceiling.
4. The floor in an inhabitable room must not be lower than the terrain outside. However, it is permitted to live in a room in which the floor sits above ground level along at least one window wall.

If you are unsure whether your accommodation is legal, you can contact Borgerservice (Citizen Service) in the municipality where you are being accommodated. In Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg, you can also contact International Citizen Service.

International Citizen Service (English)

What rules apply when your employer provides your accommodation?

If your employer provides your accommodation, then your employer has a duty to ensure that your housing complies with a number of specific requirements, and ensure that it is healthy and safe to live in. This applies to accommodation at work sites, in houses, summer cottages and other solutions such as caravans and container houses.

The general rules still apply. However, when it comes to accommodating employees, there are also additional requirements, which are supervised by Arbejdstilsynet (the Danish Working Environment Authority).  

Special requirements for employee accommodation:

• Access to toilet facilities and drinking water
• Drainage for wastewater
• Protection against moisture, cold, heat and noise
• Sufficient daylight and windows that can be opened for ventilation
• Heating and a satisfactory indoor climate.

A maximum of two people may be accommodated in each inhabitable room, unless the residence has at least 20 square meters per person, or you are living with more people because you have your partner and your children with you.

If you have any questions or would like to submit a complaint about your accommodation, you can contact Arbejdstilsynet’s Call Centre by telephone on +45 70 12 12 88 or send an email to at@at.dk

Arbejdstilsynet’s supervision of employee accommodation

When an employer provides an employee with accommodation, Arbejdstilsynet performs a supervisory role in order to ensure that the accommodation meets the requirements. Arbejdstilsynet therefore has the right to access the residence and inspect its conditions. However, it is a requirement that Arbejdstilsynet show identification and that at least one resident is present.

Both you and your employer have an obligation to provide Arbejdstilsynet with the information they need to perform their supervisory role. This could be in the form of a rental agreement or documentation for your employment, for example.

If the residence does not meet the requirements on furnishings and installations, Arbejdstilsynet can issue an order requiring the employer to rectify the conditions.

Exceptions and special rules

The rules do not apply to state employees, drivers during rest periods, au pairs and persons on ships or offshore installations. Arbejdstilsynet does not perform a supervisory role in these cases. The rules do not apply if you are covered by a collective agreement via your employer, which contains rules relating to accommodation. In this case, you should contact your union to find out more about the rules that apply in your case.