Rental contract in Norway

When renting a home in Norway, you should have a written rental agreement with the landlord. A rental agreement must be written if either the tenant or the landlord requires it.

The rental agreement, together with the Norwegian Tenancy Act (husleieloven), regulates the rights and obligations of the tenant and the landlord.

A rental agreement should clearly state the amount of rent, whether a deposit is required, any agreed additional payment for electricity or water, which rooms or parts of the property are included, and the notice period.

If you live in shared housing, it is important to make sure that everyone who is responsible for the tenancy is included in the agreement or has an individual agreement with the landlord.

Before signing the agreement, you should read the terms carefully and make sure that you understand the rent, additional costs, deposit, notice period and other important conditions.

The landlord cannot require contractual conditions that are less favourable to the tenant than the rights provided by the Norwegian Tenancy Act.

Forbrukerrådet provides a standard rental agreement that can be completed digitally or downloaded as a PDF.

A deposit must be placed in a separate deposit account in the tenant's name. The tenant and landlord should not be able to withdraw money from the account independently.

The agreement about a deposit must be made when the rental agreement is entered into. A landlord cannot later require a deposit if this was not agreed when the tenancy agreement was made.

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