A new Danish bill sent out for consultation would tighten enforcement against illegal short-term rentals, and Copenhagen says it will set up a housing patrol to help police them.
The proposal has just been sent into hearing, and it gives authorities more tools to detect and stop illegal short-term letting. DR reports that penalties for breaking the rules will also be sharpened, with higher fines among the changes.
Homes in Copenhagen are rented out on a large scale through platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com. Much of that letting is legal, but in some buildings the rentals run on a more or less permanent basis, which is not.
Line Barfod of Enhedslisten, Copenhagen’s mayor for climate, environment and technical affairs, welcomed the move. According to DR, she said the city faces a large challenge, with many homes that should be family housing used for illegal short-term letting and shadow hotels.
The Danish Agency for Planning and Rural Development, Plan- og Landdistriktsstyrelsen, is the supervisory authority for the rules. Under the bill, municipalities may take over part of that control, and Copenhagen intends to do so.
A housing patrol in Copenhagen
A majority at Copenhagen City Hall recently adopted a budget that sets aside 6.8 million kroner a year for the next four years. Part of the money is earmarked for staffing a housing patrol.
Barfod said the patrol will work proactively and monitor Airbnb and other platforms. It will also check buildings where large numbers of key boxes are installed, according to DR.
The patrol is to receive reports from residents who say they have almost no neighbors left in their buildings. Its staff will then collect the data needed to prove what is going on.
In separate coverage of the bill, DR reports that authorities would also be able to demand data from platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com. In some cases, platforms could be ordered to block bookings or remove listings.
Asked by DR whether landlords who rent out apartments illegally to tourists in Copenhagen should now be nervous, Barfod answered yes. She added that they should stop breaking the law.
Timeline
The bill is an implementation of a broad political agreement reached at Christiansborg in January 2026. It is now in the consultation phase before it can be put to a vote.
If the bill is adopted, the law is set to enter into force on July 1, 2027. Copenhagen has already signaled that it will take on part of the enforcement work once the rules apply.
The city has previously been at the center of debate over illegal Airbnb rentals and their effect on the housing stock. The new patrol is tied to the city’s broader Copenhagen housing efforts.
