§ 3-7. Your landlord cannot charge you extra payments
If you rent a home (bolig), the landlord (utleier) cannot charge any payments other than the rent (husleie), any share of electricity and water, and a deposit (depositum) or guarantee (garanti). If you pay anything else, you can always claim it back, with interest.
Machine-translated from Norwegian. The Norwegian text is the one that applies. Read the original in Norwegian.Norsk English العربية Polski Українська
The text of the law (unofficial translation)
It cannot be agreed that a tenant (leier) of a home shall pay other or larger sums of money than those stated in §§ 3-1 and 3-4 to 3-6.
Anyone who has paid an amount in breach of the first paragraph can always demand that the landlord repay the amount or compensate for it. The rest of the agreement is binding even if repayment or compensation is demanded.
The claim under the second paragraph carries interest under the Act of 17 December 1976 No. 100 relating to interest on overdue payments etc. § 3 from the day the amount was paid, unless the payer must be considered to a significant degree jointly responsible for the breach.
What does this mean?
As a tenant of a home, the landlord can only charge you for three things:
One: The rent, a fixed amount per month.
Two: A share of electricity, water and sewage, but only based on documented costs, and only if it has been agreed.
Three: A deposit or guarantee, but no more than six months' rent in total.
That is all. Everything else is unlawful.
Examples of unlawful charges you do not have to pay:
- An "administration fee" for setting up the tenancy (leieforhold)
- A "key fee" when you move in
- A "cleaning fee" charged in advance when you move in
- An "internet fee" invoiced separately by the landlord (at a profit)
- A requirement to buy the landlord's furniture at an inflated price
- "Liability insurance" the landlord requires you to take out through him
Have you already paid something unlawful? You can always claim it back, with late-payment interest from the day you paid. The rest of the tenancy agreement (leieavtale) remains valid. Only the unlawful amount falls away.
Examples
Petter pays NOK 2,000 as a "setup cost" when the tenancy is entered into. This has no basis in the law. Petter can claim the NOK 2,000 back with interest, and he does not need to terminate the tenancy agreement to do so.
The landlord demands that Marius pay an extra NOK 500 per month for "internet and cable TV" as a separate item the landlord invoices at a profit. This is not allowed. The landlord cannot charge for such services on top of the rent unless it is part of the agreed rent or a documented recovery of costs.
Common mistakes
- Paying fees without asking questions. Speak up, and claim back what you are not obliged to pay.
- Thinking you will lose the tenancy agreement if you complain. The tenancy agreement is binding even if you claim back unlawful payments.
What should you do?
Go through what you have paid. If anything is not rent, documented electricity/water or a deposit/guarantee, raise it with the landlord and demand repayment. The Rent Disputes Tribunal (Husleietvistutvalget) can help you if the landlord refuses.