Norway sees significant increase in rental disputes
There has been a rising number of issues between landlords and tenants in Norway, with the Rent Disputes Committee dealing with around 30 percent more complaints this year.
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Tighter economic times have contributed to a 30 percent increase in cases for the rental disputes committee, the newspaper Finansavisen reports.
“This year, we have had an increase in the number of cases of 30 percent compared to 2022,” Thomas Laurendz Bornø of the Rent Disputes Committee told the newspaper.
He added that a tough economic situation could be behind the increase. Increased interest rates and higher property taxes mean second homes, typically rented out, have become more expensive to maintain. This has increased the cost for landlords and reduced the number of homes available in the big cities, especially Oslo.
The Rent Disputes Committee is a government agency that can resolve conflicts through mediation and enforceable rulings. The committee deals with all manner of issues, such as evictions, late payment of rent, withholding of deposits and more.
This is one of the alternatives to pursuing a rental dispute in a small claims court.
READ MORE: How to resolve disputes with your landlord
The House Owners’ National Organisation has said that it has received an increase in queries about when the rent can increased. Lawyer for the group, Øyvind Reitzel Bjerke, said this was particularly noticeable when energy prices skyrocketed last year.
Landlords in Norway are only able to raise the rent once every 12 months in line with the consumer price index. If a one-year contract ends and the tenant wishes to continue living in the property, the landlord can set the rent to whatever they wish with the new contract.
There are slightly different rules for tenants who have lived in the property for three years on a longer-term contract.
READ ALSO: The most common disputes between tenants and landlords
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Tighter economic times have contributed to a 30 percent increase in cases for the rental disputes committee, the newspaper Finansavisen reports.
“This year, we have had an increase in the number of cases of 30 percent compared to 2022,” Thomas Laurendz Bornø of the Rent Disputes Committee told the newspaper.
He added that a tough economic situation could be behind the increase. Increased interest rates and higher property taxes mean second homes, typically rented out, have become more expensive to maintain. This has increased the cost for landlords and reduced the number of homes available in the big cities, especially Oslo.
The Rent Disputes Committee is a government agency that can resolve conflicts through mediation and enforceable rulings. The committee deals with all manner of issues, such as evictions, late payment of rent, withholding of deposits and more.
This is one of the alternatives to pursuing a rental dispute in a small claims court.
READ MORE: How to resolve disputes with your landlord
The House Owners’ National Organisation has said that it has received an increase in queries about when the rent can increased. Lawyer for the group, Øyvind Reitzel Bjerke, said this was particularly noticeable when energy prices skyrocketed last year.
Landlords in Norway are only able to raise the rent once every 12 months in line with the consumer price index. If a one-year contract ends and the tenant wishes to continue living in the property, the landlord can set the rent to whatever they wish with the new contract.
There are slightly different rules for tenants who have lived in the property for three years on a longer-term contract.
READ ALSO: The most common disputes between tenants and landlords
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