Danish private-rental guide
Normal wear and 'better condition' in Danish move-out claims
Section 187(1) says the tenant returns the home in the same condition as at handover, except for deterioration caused by wear and tear outside the tenant's maintenance duty and defects the landlord must remedy. The tenant cannot be required to return it in better condition than at handover.
Procedure and condition are different questions
FristCheck's automated rule engine checks procedural dates and reports. Whether a mark is ordinary wear, tenant-responsible damage or covered by a maintenance clause is a separate factual and contractual question.
The handover condition is the baseline
Move-in photos, the lease, the move-in report and the tenant's defect notice help establish the original condition. A checkout photo alone does not show how the home looked at handover.
No automatic upgrade
The final sentence of § 187(1) prevents requiring a better condition than the one received. That does not make every renovation charge invalid; the maintenance allocation, actual deterioration, causation and evidence still matter.
Evidence checklist
- Lease maintenance clauses
- Move-in report
- Move-in photos and defect notice
- Move-out report and photos
- Age and prior condition of the item
- Invoice or estimate
Questions people ask
Is repainting always normal wear?
No automatic answer applies. The lease, maintenance duty, duration, use, starting condition and type of deterioration all matter.
Can the free checker decide repair prices?
No. It checks defined procedural rules and does not assess price reasonableness, evidence weight or causation.
Scope and source
Primary legal text: Danske Love — Lejeloven. Source snapshot checked: . This guide explains only the stated provisions and does not determine an individual dispute.