Renting in Norway: When can the landlord increase rent and by how much?
In Norway, strict rules determine how much landlords can raise the rent by and when. This is what the law says about rent hikes.
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Every country's property market has its idiosyncrasies, and Norway is no different. If you're new to the rental market, there are several things you'll need to know to help get you up to speed.
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Rental properties in Norway are covered by the Tenancy Act, which you can read here in English. The act dictates the size of deposits that landlords can ask for and the rules for raising rent in Norway, among other things.
Knowing how much the landlord can raise rental prices is an essential piece of info you'll need to familiarise yourself with. The law doesn't just dictate how much landlords can hike their rent up by, but also when.
This knowledge can help you in two ways, firstly by helping you plan financially if your landlord tells you that your rent will be going up and secondly, by alerting you to rogue landlords if they try and increase rent outside of what is set out in law.
It's also worth knowing that landlords can not request that rent be paid more than one month in advance. Furthermore, rent must be a fixed amount for the contract's duration.
Once the lease has been signed, and the ink has dried on the paperwork, your landlord will only be able to raise your rent in line with the consumer price index (CPI). This can only be done once a year and not within the first twelve months of the tenancy. The landlord must also give the tenant at least one months' notice of the rent going up.
If the CPI falls, the tenant can also request that the rent be lowered to reflect this.
If the rental agreement has been ongoing for more than two and a half years, then the landlord is also allowed to raise the rent in line with the average market price if the average price has grown beyond what you are currently paying.
The rent can only be raised to what's known as the "prevailing rent level". The prevailing rent level is calculated by comparing the property with places of a similar standard and size in the same location.
The increase can only be introduced, at the earliest, six months after the tenant has been given written notification of the landlord's intention to increase the rent. Essentially this means that rent can't be raised beyond the CPI until after three years.
On the flipside, if average rental prices fall, the tenant can request the landlord to lower the rent.
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Every country's property market has its idiosyncrasies, and Norway is no different. If you're new to the rental market, there are several things you'll need to know to help get you up to speed.
READ MORE:
Rental properties in Norway are covered by the Tenancy Act, which you can read here in English. The act dictates the size of deposits that landlords can ask for and the rules for raising rent in Norway, among other things.
Knowing how much the landlord can raise rental prices is an essential piece of info you'll need to familiarise yourself with. The law doesn't just dictate how much landlords can hike their rent up by, but also when.
This knowledge can help you in two ways, firstly by helping you plan financially if your landlord tells you that your rent will be going up and secondly, by alerting you to rogue landlords if they try and increase rent outside of what is set out in law.
It's also worth knowing that landlords can not request that rent be paid more than one month in advance. Furthermore, rent must be a fixed amount for the contract's duration.
Once the lease has been signed, and the ink has dried on the paperwork, your landlord will only be able to raise your rent in line with the consumer price index (CPI). This can only be done once a year and not within the first twelve months of the tenancy. The landlord must also give the tenant at least one months' notice of the rent going up.
If the CPI falls, the tenant can also request that the rent be lowered to reflect this.
If the rental agreement has been ongoing for more than two and a half years, then the landlord is also allowed to raise the rent in line with the average market price if the average price has grown beyond what you are currently paying.
The rent can only be raised to what's known as the "prevailing rent level". The prevailing rent level is calculated by comparing the property with places of a similar standard and size in the same location.
The increase can only be introduced, at the earliest, six months after the tenant has been given written notification of the landlord's intention to increase the rent. Essentially this means that rent can't be raised beyond the CPI until after three years.
On the flipside, if average rental prices fall, the tenant can request the landlord to lower the rent.
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