Like other growing tech hubs, demand for housing is rising fast in Copenhagen. The core three ways to find a place are through Facebook groups, online rental sites (which you have to subscribe to) and networks/friends of friends/colleagues. Of course we'd recommend becoming a member of LifeX to get you settled into your new life as quickly as possible.
Hunting for a place to live is rarely fun, of course, but here it can be complicated by ads and messages coming through in Danish. There are no quick hacks here unfortunately, scouring sites and responding to adverts is a daily task you will need to stay on top of to catch a viewing slot and you’ll need to be quick making a decision. Just prepare to invest some time in it and don't lose faith! :)
Join a bunch of these, allow notifications for new shares in the group and prepare to pounce on new listings - they get snapped up super fast!
• Copenhagen startup flats and flatshares
• Room mates and flat finder
• Room mate in Copenhagen
And some more:
• Lejligheder til salg og leje i København
• Leje i København - Rooms and apartments for rent in Copenhagen
• House/Room Renting in Copenhagen
• Copenhagen/København- Flat/room to rent
• Lejligheder, værelser til leje og udleje i KBH V. NV. Ø. N og K
For short term stays there’s Airbnb, but this works out pretty expensive in the long run!
Here are some good places to start!
BoligPortal
Other options:
www.dba.dk — Denmark’s answer to e-Bay/
GumTree
Findroomate.dk
Post on your Facebook wall, ask around at work - you never know who knows someone either looking to flatshare or rent out a room.
Even if you’re totally new to a city and still growing your network, help can come from the most unexpected places. Now is the time to hustle!
For short term stays there’s Airbnb, but this works out pretty expensive in the long run. Another option is Couchsurfing.
Another option is to make a friendly community in the heart of Copenhagen called LifeX your new home. In their own words: LifeX has kept the great parts of shared housing while getting rid of the not-so-great parts, so you don't have to worry about cleaning, moving furniture or splitting the bills. They do things like Sunday dinners, bike rides around the city and game nights, but still leave space for downtime too. [Read more]
In their own words: Nest is a home of opportunity for the creators, builders, and dreamers of tomorrow. There are 21 entrepreneurs living in four apartments in the heart of Copenhagen. [Read more]
Copenhagen is divided into different neighbourhoods, such as the City Centre and Christianshavn, Nørrebro, Østerbro, Vesterbro and Kongens Enghave (full list). It’s helpful to know this when searching for flats and rooms. Here’s a good description of the different neighbourhoods.
Also note, many places ask for up to three months’ rent plus a security deposit up front so be prepared for this!
There's scams out there (beware fake pictures from Google Street View) so see the place and meet the people first if possible before signing anything.
While it’s good to familiarise yourself with sites and groups before you get here, it’s usually best to wait until you’re here to start applying for viewings. Only agree to places you have visited.
You can change your address here. It's free as long as you do it no later than five days after you move - otherwise you may get fined.
Fancy an update each time we add new content to this topic?
Founders is a startup studio based in lovely Copenhagen, Denmark. We partner with amazing entrepreneurs to build companies from zero to traction (or, idea-stage to product-market-fit).
We made this playbook based on what we've learned welcoming new desk mates, ping pong break pals and co-founders from 20+ nationalities to the Founders Family. Most of this info is already available, but it's scattered between a bunch of different sites and it can be hard to know where to start. We've pulled it all together in one place and thrown in our own recommendations so you can focus on your new job, life, adventure!
Like any good guide, our playbook is a living document that we will constantly be updating. Something you want to see in here? Help us keep the content fresh and relevant by dropping us an email! :)
We made a takeaway pdf with all the answers and tips from each topic.
Download pdf versionCan't find what you need? Tell us what's missing and join our mail list for updates!
