Housing Minister Jacob Mark says he is willing to look at tougher rules against landlords and property owners who circumvent housing regulations, after Odense and Nyborg asked the government for stronger powers.
The minister, from the Socialist People’s Party (SF), made the statement to DR Nyheder on October 30, 2026. He said municipalities should have better options to act when problems arise with landlords or property owners who get around the rules.
Mark was responding to a joint letter from Odense’s city and culture councillor Lars Christian Lilleholt and Nyborg mayor Kenneth Muhs, both from Venstre. He has now said he will hold a meeting with the two Funen municipalities, and he acknowledged that they are facing real problems.
The minister used blunt language about what he called greedy operators who only look after themselves. He said it matters that municipalities have the rules they need to ensure that landlords and property owners do not put other people’s lives and health at risk.
The Odense and Nyborg cases behind the request
A central part of the municipalities’ concern is entrepreneur Thomas Lund Hansen, who has been involved in a series of contested cases in both Odense and Nyborg. In August 2026, Odense Municipality reported him to the police, arguing that he had operated a hostel illegally in central Odense, according to DR.
DR notes that it has been in contact with Thomas Lund Hansen, who declined to be interviewed. One of his properties, the historic Fattiggaarden in central Odense, has visible fire damage, according to DR’s reporting.
Lilleholt told DR that the minister’s signal is decisive for the municipalities. He said he welcomed the clear message that the rules must be examined, and that he expects them to be tightened so municipalities can pursue landlords who keep breaking the law.
What the municipalities have asked for
According to TV 2 Fyn, the two municipalities proposed a register of property owners who repeatedly break the rules. They also asked for the power to revoke occupancy permits and to temporarily close buildings being used illegally.
TV 2 Fyn reports that the proposals include bans on commercial letting in particularly serious cases. The municipalities also suggested a tribunal to settle disputes between municipalities and landlords more quickly than today.
What tighter landlord rules would mean for international tenants
In Denmark, the kommune, or municipality, is the authority that issues and oversees permits for how a building may be used, including whether it may legally house people. If a property is used in a way the permit does not allow, it is the municipality that must act, which is exactly where Odense and Nyborg say their tools are too weak. For internationals, this matters because newcomers often start out in rooms, sublets or hostel-style accommodation while renting in Denmark on short notice.
Nothing has changed in the law yet. Mark has only said he is ready to discuss stronger rules with other politicians and to meet Odense and Nyborg, and DR reports no bill, deadline or agreed measure. Until any change is adopted, the register, permit revocations, temporary closures and letting bans described by TV 2 Fyn remain proposals from two municipalities, not rules tenants can rely on.
The practical risk for foreign residents is visible in the Odense hostel case from August 2026, where the municipality turned to the police over alleged illegal operation. When a property is found to be used illegally, it is the people living there who have to move, regardless of whether they knew about the permit situation. Tenants who suspect a property is being used in breach of its permit can contact their own municipality, which is the authority handling such cases.
