Housing Minister Jacob Mark has sent a bill into consultation that would raise the maximum fine for repeatedly breaching Denmark’s residence requirement from 20,000 kroner to 100,000 kroner.
DR reports that the minister for children, seniors and housing, Jacob Mark of the Socialist People’s Party, sent the proposal out for consultation on September 18, 2026. The bill targets owners who repeatedly break the rules on bopælspligt, the requirement that year-round homes are actually lived in.
Under current rules, the maximum fine is 20,000 kroner. According to Mark, when homes are bought up and the residence requirement is ignored, prices are pushed up artificially. He said that makes it unaffordable for families with children to move to those areas.
As described by DR, dark windows, empty streets in winter and too few children for local schools are the reality in several Danish coastal and rural municipalities, where many year-round homes stand empty for large parts of the year.
Syddjurs mayor welcomes the fines
Syddjurs Municipality, which includes Ebeltoft, has significant problems with year-round homes that are unoccupied much of the year. Mayor Michael Stegger of the Social Democrats told DR that higher fines are welcome.
Per Stegger, the financial incentive to rent out such homes would shrink, because the fine would exceed the rental income. He added that the higher fine rate alone is not enough.
Call for closer monitoring
Stegger said municipalities want greater local powers to act against owners who break the law, including some form of inspection and monitoring. At present, municipalities may read water and electricity consumption only monthly, and only where part-time use of a home with a residence requirement is suspected.
A number of mayors, including from island municipalities, would like that expanded to weekly readings, DR reports. Mark rejected the idea, saying people also have a right to privacy, while stating that the government wants to strengthen municipalities’ options.
Asked what happens if higher fines and better controls have no preventive effect, Mark pointed to a broader plan. He said the main problem is that schools and local grocers close and rural districts lose population.
According to Mark, the government will produce a comprehensive plan to make it easier to buy a home and obtain a loan. The plan is also intended to support local schools and improve public transport.
Syddjurs municipal council recently set aside 650,000 kroner in 2026, followed by 325,000 kroner a year, to check whether people actually live permanently in homes in central Ebeltoft. So far, the municipality has sent letters to 54 homeowners with no registered address in the municipality.
