Buying a Norwegian home together as cohabitants

When you buy a home together as cohabitants (samboere) in Norway, the safe setup is simple: register an ownership share (eierbrok) that mirrors what each of you actually pays in, write a cohabitation agreement (samboeravtale), and make a will. Cohabitants are not protected by the same automatic rules that apply to married couples, so the protection has to be written down.

Below is what that means in practice, and where it matters most.

Set the ownership share to match the money, not 50/50

The single most important decision is the ownership share, called eierbrok. This is the percentage of the home each of you owns, and it is recorded on the title deed (skjøte) when the purchase is registered with Kartverket.

A 50/50 split feels natural, but it is only correct if you both contribute equally. If one of you brings more egenkapital (equity), pays a larger share of the deposit, or covers more of the monthly costs, the ownership share should reflect that. Otherwise the person who paid more is quietly giving the other person money.

Work out the share from the full picture:

What to count	Why it matters
Equity each person pays at purchase	Direct, documented contribution
Split of the monthly mortgage and costs	Builds equity over time
Larger lump sums later (renovation, extra payments)	Changes the real balance
Money from family, and whether it is a gift or a loan	A loan is repaid, a gift shifts ownership

You do not need to be exact to two decimals. You need the share to be roughly fair and written down, so that if you sell or separate, the split follows what you agreed rather than a guess.

Write a cohabitation agreement (samboeravtale)

A samboeravtale is a private written agreement between the two of you. It is not registered anywhere and does not need a lawyer, though one helps for larger amounts. It should state, at minimum:

• The ownership share each of you holds in the home.
• How equity, the deposit, and monthly costs are split.
• What happens to the home if you separate (who can buy the other out, how the value is set).
• Whether any family money is a loan or a gift.

The point is to decide the difficult questions while you agree, instead of during a break-up. Without an agreement, an unequal contribution can be very hard to prove later.

Cohabitants do not automatically inherit each other

This is where Norwegian law treats cohabitants very differently from spouses, and it surprises many buyers.

If one of you dies without a will (testament), the surviving partner generally inherits nothing. The home does not pass to the survivor by default. Instead the deceased’s share goes to their heirs under the Inheritance Act, usually their children or parents.

There is one narrow exception: cohabitants who have, have had, or are expecting a child together have a limited statutory right to inherit up to four times the National Insurance basic amount (4G). That is a fixed sum, not the home, and it can be reduced by a will.

So if you want your partner to keep the home, you have to write a will. A will can give a cohabitant the right to inherit and, importantly, the right to keep the shared home (the survivor’s residence right). Make the will at the same time as the purchase, while it is on your mind.

There is no statutory 50/50 split for cohabitants

Married couples have a default rule: on divorce, the value built up during the marriage is usually divided equally (felleseie). Cohabitants have no such rule. There is no automatic equal split of property when cohabitants separate.

If you split up, each of you keeps what you own. That is exactly why the ownership share and the cohabitation agreement matter so much. Without them, the partner who is not on the title, or who is registered with a share that is too small, can walk away with far less than they put in, with no legal mechanism to fix it.

Borrowing together: equity, debt limit, and the stress test

You apply for the mortgage together, and the bank assesses you as a pair. A pre-approval (finansieringsbevis) tells you both how much you can spend.

Under Norway’s lending regulation (utlånsforskriften), the same limits apply to a couple as to a single buyer:

• Equity of at least 10 %, so a maximum loan-to-value of 90 % for a repayment loan.
• Total debt no more than 5 times your combined gross yearly income.
• A stress test: you must cope with interest 3 percentage points higher, and at least 7 %.
• Above 60 % belåningsgrad (LTV), you repay at least 2.5 % of the loan each year.

Because the income is combined, two buyers usually qualify for more than one. That is normal. Just remember the loan is joint: each of you is fully liable for the whole debt, not only your share, if the other cannot pay.

A guarantee from parents (kausjon)

If you are short on equity, a parent can act as guarantor (kausjonist), often by pledging equity in their own home as extra security. This can lift you over the 10 % equity bar without a cash gift.

It is real risk for the parent: if the loan is not paid, the bank can claim against their security. Treat it as a serious commitment, put the terms in writing, and have everyone understand what is being pledged and for how long. A guarantee is usually meant to be temporary, released once the home has gained enough value or you have repaid enough.

Quick checklist before you sign

• Agree the ownership share and make it match the money.
• Write a samboeravtale covering ownership, costs, and separation.
• Make a will if you want your partner to inherit or keep the home.
• Get a joint pre-approval and check the loan against the stress test.
• If a parent guarantees the loan, write down the terms.