Glossary
Understand every term you meet from the agent and in the listing, explained short and straight.
A
- Advokatforbehold An advokatforbehold is a clause in the købsaftale making the deal free to walk away from until your boligadvokat approves it. It is not standard and must be written explicitly into the agreement, but it gives a free exit and avoids the 1% godtgørelse that the statutory fortrydelsesret costs.
- afdragsfrihed Afdragsfrihed lets you skip paying down the realkreditlån for up to 10 years, lowering the monthly payment temporarily; in return you pay a higher bidragssats and the debt does not shrink.
- Andelsbolig An andelsbolig means you don't own the dwelling itself, but a share of a cooperative housing association plus the right to use a specific home. You're liable for your part of the association's debt, the price is capped at the maksimalpris, and you pay a monthly boligafgift instead of rent.
- Andelskrone The andelskrone is computed as (property value + other assets − association debt) / original deposits, and you multiply it by your deposit to get your share value. It is fixed at the general assembly and sets the ceiling for what the share may be sold for.
B
- belåningsgrad Belåningsgrad is the loan as a share of the home's value; a realkreditlån may be at most 80% (75% for a holiday home), so the last 20%-plus comes from a bank loan and your own down payment.
- bidragssats The bidragssats is the ongoing fee you pay the mortgage institute on top of interest, averaging around 0.80% per year of the outstanding debt; it rises with the loan-to-value ratio and with afdragsfrihed.
- Boligadvokat A boligadvokat reviews the purchase agreement and handles settlement (drafts and registers the skøde), typically costing about 4,450-10,000 kr. With an advokatforbehold written into the contract you can walk away at no cost until your lawyer has approved the deal.
- Boligafgift The boligafgift is the fixed monthly payment in an andelsbolig, covering both the association's operating costs and interest plus principal on its debt. It isn't the same as ownership costs - a low boligafgift can hide interest-only loans, and a high one can reflect heavy debt.
- Budgivning In a bidding round all bids are secret and a bid is binding once submitted. The seller has full right to reject and is not obliged to take the highest bid, but can freely prioritise better terms or reject all bids.
E
- ejendomsværdiskat Ejendomsværdiskat is 5.1‰ of the first DKK 9.007m of the basis and 14‰ above that (2026), charged on only 80% of the public property valuation (the forsigtighedsprincip). Freehold and condo owners pay it on top of grundskyld as a recurring cost.
- Ejerlejlighed With an ejerlejlighed you own your flat outright, plus a share of the common areas set by your fordelingstal. You're liable only pro rata and subsidiarily for the owners' association debt (not jointly), and pay fællesudgifter by your fordelingstal.
- Ejerskifteforsikring Ejerskifteforsikring protects the buyer against hidden defects not listed in the tilstandsrapport or elinstallationsrapport, covering at least 5 years (extendable to 10). When the seller presents the reports plus an offer and pays at least half of the cheapest premium, the seller is released from 10-year hidden-defect liability.
- Ejerudgifter Ejerudgifter are the fixed running costs of owning the home: grundskyld (land tax), ejendomsværdiskat (property-value tax), building insurance and any homeowner/association fees. They exclude loan interest, principal and consumption (electricity, water, heat), which you must add yourself to get the true monthly cost.
- Elinstallationsrapport The elinstallationsrapport is an authorized electrician's review of the home's electrical installations, valid 12 months. It does NOT use the condition report's red/yellow/grey/black colour scale but its own icon system (risk of shock, risk of fire, illegal installation, investigate). It is required alongside the tilstandsrapport for the seller to be released from 10-year hidden-defect liability.
- Energimærke The energimærke rates the home from A2020 (most efficient) down to G (least), is valid for 10 years and is legally required when selling, letting or transferring a home. A poor grade (F-G) usually means higher heating bills and a renovation backlog the buyer inherits.
F
- Fællesudgifter Fællesudgifter are the monthly payment to the owners' association in an ejerlejlighed, split by your fordelingstal, covering operation and upkeep of common areas. They don't include interest and principal on your own flat - you pay those yourself via your mortgage.
- Forældrekøb Forældrekøb is when a parent buys a home and rents it to their child, and you are always taxed on the market rent even if you charge less. Any discount counts as a gift, tax-free up to 80,600 kr per parent in 2026; above that it triggers gaveafgift.
- Foreningens gæld Foreningens gæld is the total loans of the cooperative association, and you're liable for your share of it - it's subtracted in the andelskrone and serviced through the boligafgift. If the debt exceeds the property's value, the association is technically insolvent, a real risk.
- Fortrydelsesret As a private buyer you get 6 business days to cancel after signing the købsaftale, but using this right costs the seller a 1% godtgørelse of the purchase price. Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and grundlovsdag do not count, and you must both notify in writing and pay the 1% before the deadline.
G
- gældsfaktor Gældsfaktor is your total debt divided by household income before tax; above 4 is treated as high debt and triggers stricter bank requirements that your finances survive a price fall.
- grundskyld Grundskyld is a municipal tax on the land value: the kommune sets the promille (max 30‰), levied on 80% of the public land valuation. Since the 2024 reform annual increases are capped at 4.75%, and freehold + condo owners pay it on an ongoing basis.
R
- Radon Radon is a radioactive gas; the Danish reference level is 100 Bq/m³. Readings of 100-200 Bq/m³ call for light measures (e.g. ventilation), and above 200 Bq/m³ more extensive radon sealing is advised. It is not covered by the tilstandsrapport, so a separate measurement is the only way to know the level.
- realkreditlån A realkreditlån, funded by mortgage bonds, covers up to 80% of the home's price (75% for a holiday home) and is the main loan in a Danish purchase; the term is at most 30 years with a fixed or variable rate.
S
- Samejeoverenskomst A samejeoverenskomst is an agreement setting who owns which share and what happens on a sale or break-up, and it matters most for unmarried couples because there is no statutory split between cohabitants. Without one, each owns only what they paid for or are registered as owning, with no automatic division or inheritance if you separate.
- Skjulte fejl og mangler Skjulte fejl og mangler are defects not visible at the sale, for which the seller is generally liable for up to 10 years. The seller can only escape this liability via the huseftersynsordning: a tilstandsrapport + elinstallationsrapport + an offer of ejerskifteforsikring where the seller pays at least half the premium.
- Skøde The skøde is the digital document that registers you as owner; registering it triggers a fee of a fixed 1,850 kr. plus 0.6 % of the purchase price. Your ownership is only publicly secured once the skøde is recorded in Tingbogen (the land register).
T
- Tilstandsrapport The tilstandsrapport is the licensed surveyor's review of the home's visible defects, valid for 6 months. Since 1 October 2020 findings use four colours: red = critical (urgent), yellow = serious (can wait a few years), grey = minor, black = needs further investigation. The seller orders and pays for it (typically DKK 4,000-10,000).
- Tinglysningsafgift State duty to register the transaction: the deed (skøde) costs a fixed 1,850 kr. plus 0.6 % of the purchase price, and a new mortgage charge (pant) costs a fixed 1,825 kr. plus 1.25 % of the loan (cut from 1.45 % on 1 January 2026). Usually the buyer's second-largest acquisition cost after the down payment.
U
- udbetaling You must put down at least 5% of the home's price yourself as the udbetaling; on a 4 million kr. home that is 200,000 kr. that neither the mortgage nor the bank loan may cover.
- Udbudspris The asking price is what the seller advertises the home for, not what you will end up paying. It is the seller's wish and the starting point for bidding, so always judge it against the home's real market value before you bid.