Odense Kommune has shut down an unlicensed hostel in the city center after a fire last week, and guests were ordered out on Thursday morning.
The hostel in central Odense has been closed for an indefinite period following an inspection, DR reports. The municipality issued an order that the building be vacated, because owner Thomas Lund Hansen has no permission to run a hostel there.
According to DR, the order followed a fire in the building last week. Odense Kommune then asked for documentation that fire safety was in order, and that documentation is still missing.
Guests were nevertheless staying in several rooms when municipal staff arrived on Thursday morning. The owner would not let them in, so police and a locksmith were called, per Birgitte J. T. K. Nielsen, head of urban development at Odense Kommune.
One of the guests was Minso Kim from South Korea, who had stayed in the building for the past few weeks. He was attending a summer school at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense and had expected to stay a few more days.
Kim told DR that staff informed him he had to check out. He said he accepted leaving because of the safety problems, but that he received no compensation and no apology. He now has to find another place to sleep, and student housing in the city is in high demand during the summer.
After the closure, movers began removing fixtures and furniture from the premises, DR reports. Clear damage to the building from the fire the week before was still visible.
DR also notes that Hansen has previously been involved in cases where residents had to leave a building because safety requirements were not met. Reporters met him outside the hostel on Thursday, but he declined to answer questions.
Councillor calls for national action
Lars Christian Lilleholt (V), city and culture councillor in Odense, described the situation as completely unacceptable. He said the same person breaks the rules again and again, and has now operated a hostel without a permit.
Lilleholt told DR that municipalities lack tools to intervene against landlords and hostel operators. He pointed to a possible national register of problematic property owners, the option of revoking permits including occupancy permits, and a tribunal to settle disputes between municipalities and landlords. He said the help must come from Christiansborg.
Odense Kommune is now waiting for a number of matters to be clarified before further steps are taken. That clarification is likely to be ready on Friday, according to Nielsen.
Separately, Odense Kommune states on its information pages for residents that disputes over private rental housing in the city are handled by the local rent tribunal, Huslejenævnet. The Ministry of Social Affairs gives the same guidance on complaints about lease terms.
