The 1st came and went. The 5th came and went. There is still no rent in the account, and the tenant answers briefly or not at all.

This is the situation Danish landlords search for most, and it is also the one that gets most expensive to improvise your way through. The order matters, the deadlines matter, and your documentation decides what you can claim afterwards.

Here is what to do now, and what you can set up so the next tenancy stands stronger.

In short

  • Write to the tenant straight away, and do it in writing. What is agreed verbally disappears in a dispute.
  • A formal demand, a påkrav, is the step required before missed payment can have consequences for the tenancy. It has its own requirements for content and deadline.
  • The deposit is security for the settlement at move-out. It does not solve an ongoing arrears while the tenant still lives there.
  • Many tenants in arrears can apply to their municipality for help. That is often the fastest route to the money actually arriving.
  • What works is set up before the contract: a documented assessment of the tenant, security you can use, and cover for what the security does not reach.

First step: get it in writing

Send a friendly, specific reminder the same week. State the amount, which month it covers, and when you expect payment. Ask for a reply, even if the reply is bad news.

Most arrears are a one-off: a job change, a bill that tipped the month over, an error in a payment agreement. Those cases resolve fastest when you make it easy to answer and easy to pay.

Keep everything. Emails, texts, payment records and any agreement on instalments. Your documentation is the only thing that counts if the case is later assessed by someone other than the two of you.

Påkrav: the formal step

The reminder is the friendly version. The påkrav is the formal one. It is the step required before missed payment can have consequences for the tenancy itself, and it has its own requirements for both content and deadline.

A påkrav must make three things clear as a minimum: which amount is missing, what deadline the tenant has to pay, and what the consequence is if the deadline is not met. The wording has to be understandable, and the deadline has to be the one the law requires.

If you are unsure about the form, have it checked before you send it. A påkrav with the wrong deadline or unclear wording can cost you the whole step, and then you start over.

What the deposit actually covers

This is where the most expensive misunderstanding sits.

The deposit is security for the tenant's obligations and is settled when the tenancy ends. It is not an account you draw from when rent is missing in a current month. Prepaid rent is not free funds either, it covers the final months of the tenancy according to what you agreed in the contract.

In other words: the security helps you at the end. It does not help you with cash flow along the way. That is why arrears left to run grow large long before they become visible in a settlement.

Point to the public help before you escalate

A tenant who is behind on rent and risks losing the home can in some cases get help from the municipality. The municipality can help with rent arrears for a period, and there is particular attention to families with children and to residents in a vulnerable situation. The help can be conditional on an agreement about finances.

It is worth mentioning to the tenant, and it is not charity on your part. A municipal arrangement is often the fastest route to the money actually being paid, and it is cheaper for you than an empty home and a case that drags on.

Put it neutrally: “If money is tight right now, you can contact your municipality and ask about help with rent arrears.”

When the tenancy ends anyway

Hold the move-out inspection and prepare the move-out report according to the rules. That applies when the tenant leaves during a conflict too, and there it applies most of all.

Make a move-out settlement item by item with documentation: arrears, repairs according to what was agreed, and consumption not yet settled. Offset the security in the settlement.

If an amount remains once the security is used, it has to be claimed from the tenant. It can end with a debt collection partner, and disagreement about the settlement itself belongs with the Huslejenævnet in your municipality. That is why the deadlines and the reports are not formalities, they are what decides whether the claim is still yours.

More on that part in the article on what to do when the deposit does not stretch.

How to make the next tenancy less exposed

Assess the tenant on a documented basis before you sign. A structured assessment of ability to pay says more than three payslips in your inbox, and it gives you something to point to if you say no.

Write the security clearly into the contract. Deposit and prepaid rent are two separate items, including when a guarantee is provided for them.

Consider a guarantee when a good applicant lacks liquidity at move-in. You still decide what security you require, the guarantee is one way of providing it.

Consider landlord insurance for what the security does not reach. Arrears and repairs together can exceed the security provided, and that is exactly the gap landlord insurance is made for.

How Keyhole makes it easier

Tenant Screening gives you a structured assessment of a prospective tenant's finances before you sign. You get an overall recommendation, not raw financial data, and you make the decision yourself.

Keyhole Guarantee makes it possible to accept a tenant who cannot put down the whole security in cash, without compromising on the security you require. The tenant remains responsible for legitimate claims at move-out.

Keyhole Landlord Protection is landlord insurance developed together with TRYG. It covers documented losses beyond the security provided, according to the terms of the policy.

The three solve different parts: one qualifies the decision, one makes sure there is security, and one covers when the security is not enough.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take from the deposit when rent is missing?

The deposit is settled at move-out. It is not an account you can draw from during an ongoing tenancy.

How quickly should I react?

The same week. A written reminder costs you nothing and makes every following step easier.

What is the difference between a reminder and a påkrav?

The reminder is a payment reminder. The påkrav is the formal step with its own requirements for content and deadline, and it is the one that can have consequences for the tenancy.

Does a deposit guarantee cover missing rent?

A guarantee covers legitimate claims within the guarantee sum and according to the agreed terms. Always ask about the basis for payout before you accept a guarantee.

Can the tenant get help with the arrears?

In some cases yes, through the municipality. It is worth mentioning early.

Where do we complain if we disagree about the settlement?

The Huslejenævnet in the municipality where the home is located.

Book a conversation

Talk to Daniel about your tenancies and what is worth setting up before the next contract is signed.

Sources

  • The Danish Rent Act (retsinformation.dk), payment of rent, påkrav, security and move-out
  • The Active Social Policy Act (retsinformation.dk), municipal help with rent arrears
  • Huslejenævnet, borger.dk
  • Keyhole Landlord Protection, landlord insurance developed with TRYG