At least 38 Danish municipalities registered virtually no mould cases in their official housing systems, even as national surveys show roughly one in six Danes live with damp and mould problems. For holiday-home renters who discover black spots and musty smells during a one-week summer booking, that reporting gap makes short-term guests largely absent from official statistics and case systems.
A German family’s complaint about a mould-infested holiday home in Lønstrup highlights a problem that Danish authorities have no dedicated statistics or routines for in the short-term holiday rental market. DanCenter, the agency that handled the booking, has rejected the family’s claims. The family reported black mould in bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas after arriving at the property. The agency maintains that its cleaning inspections found no serious issues.
When holiday homes sit empty, mould takes hold
Holiday homes across Denmark face structural mould risks that year-round dwellings avoid. Sommerhuse sit unheated and closed for months, creating ideal conditions for condensation and fungal growth. Furniture pushed against cold exterior walls, limited airing and closed shutters compound the problem. According to private inspection firm TestdinBolig, summer houses are over-represented in their mould caseload precisely because of intermittent use.
According to the Realdania and Bolius national survey “Danskerne i det byggede miljø,” roughly one in six Danes reports damp and mould problems in their home, corresponding to an estimated 450,000 to 500,000 households nationwide. Yet Danske Lejere’s 2022-23 survey of municipalities found 38 out of 94 responding local authorities had registered almost no cases. The disconnect is stark. Guidance and routines are mainly written for permanent rental housing, with no specific procedures for weekly holiday lets.
Expats and tourists fall through the cracks
Tenant-protection tools like huslejenævn tribunals and standard municipal mould casework are designed for long-term leases and are difficult to use in practice for one-week bookings. In practice, short-term holiday renters usually depend on agencies’ complaint systems like those of agencies such as DanCenter. There is no simple, well-documented route to a municipal health assessment within a one-week stay. Language barriers and unfamiliarity with Danish complaint culture make foreign guests even less likely to escalate beyond a voucher or partial refund.
According to Eurostat’s 2023 EU-SILC data, Denmark’s dampness prevalence is slightly above the EU average of 13.9 percent and higher than Sweden’s rate of around 11 to 12 percent. Non-EU citizens in Denmark report worse housing conditions than Danish nationals, mirroring patterns across Europe. Yet neither Statistics Denmark nor tourism authorities publish any quality or health metrics for the millions of overnight stays foreigners book in Danish holiday homes each year.
Legal tools exist but rarely fit the timeline
At a 2023 national workshop, a municipal lawyer stated that from the municipality’s perspective, mould problems are always treated as the landlord’s responsibility. Astma-Allergi Danmark’s guidance states that landlords must investigate suspected mould as soon as possible and remove both the fungus and its moisture source. Long-term tenants can take unresponsive landlords to the huslejenævn or request municipal inspections. Holiday renters can in principle contact the local teknisk forvaltning if they believe a property is a health hazard. In practice, response times and procedures are geared to longer-term tenants and may not fit a seven-day stay.
Viborg Municipality sets a practical threshold: mould covering more than about one square metre or appearing in several places warrants professional assessment. A basic Mycometer test from a private firm costs around 700 to 1,000 kroner, roughly the cost of a single night in many summer houses. Few tourists know this option exists, and fewer still have the Danish-language skills to navigate the booking.
What renters can do right now
Documentation is everything. Photograph and video every visible patch, note locations and describe any musty smell. Record any symptoms like headaches, coughing or asthma flare-ups, and see a doctor if possible. Medical records strengthen later compensation claims. Communicate with the landlord or agency only in writing, explicitly stating you suspect mould and consider the accommodation unhealthy.
If the response is slow or dismissive, contact the municipal technical department. Explain that you believe the building poses a health risk. Municipalities can inspect, issue orders and in extreme cases declare a dwelling unfit. That power formally applies to short-term rentals, though approaches differ widely between municipalities. Tenant advisory services like Lejernes Landsorganisation and Danske Lejere offer paid guidance, mainly in Danish. Astma-Allergi Danmark provides phone counselling for people with respiratory conditions triggered by mould.
Private inspection firms can provide written reports that can be used as evidence to press for refunds or file formal complaints. The cost may feel steep during a holiday week, but it shifts the burden of proof back onto the owner.
A blind spot municipalities ignore
According to Danske Lejere’s survey, many municipalities lack systematic registration and analysis of mould cases, and handling is typically placed with general building inspectors rather than specialised staff. Holiday homes, often in coastal or rural areas and used seasonally, fall even further outside these weak systems. According to private consultants SkimmelConsult and TestdinBolig, significant mould damage can substantially reduce a summer house’s market value and rental income, especially if structural remediation is needed. Yet preventative heating, ventilation and regular inspections remain optional.
For expat families who use a summer house as a temporary base after relocating to Denmark, the health stakes are higher still. Astma-Allergi Danmark warns against sleeping in rooms with visible mould or persistent musty odours, especially for children and sensitive adults. When 38 municipalities report almost no cases and national surveys estimate around half a million affected households, the gap is not just bureaucratic. It is a structural blind spot, documented by Danske Lejere, that leaves short-term renters largely invisible when they need help most.
