Renting in Norway – deposit rules, rent rises, Husbanken support and buying a home
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
In 2024, more than a million people in Norway rented their home, and immigrants were more than twice as likely to rent as the rest of the population. Here is what renting in Norway means for your deposit, rent and notice, plus the help Husbanken offers and the rules banks follow when you buy.
If you are renting in Norway, you are in large company: according to SSB (Statistics Norway), more than one million people rented their home in 2024, about 130,000 more than in 2015. For buyers, the lending rules changed on 31 December 2024: repayment mortgages are capped at 90 per cent of the home's value, and the interest-rate stress test was cut from 5 to 3 percentage points, with a floor of 7 per cent.
How does renting in Norway work?
The rules come from husleieloven (the Tenancy Act). The summaries here follow Forbrukerrådet (the Norwegian Consumer Council), which gives advice and guidance but does not decide disputes.
Get a written contract. Forbrukerrådet says it should state the rent, any deposit, extra charges for electricity and water, the rooms included and the notice period. Sharing a flat? If only one name is on the contract, only that person is liable to the landlord. Forbrukerrådet recommends that everyone signs – but co-signers become solidarisk ansvarlig (jointly and severally liable) unless the contract states each person's share.
| Group (SSB, 2024) | Share who rent their home |
|---|---|
| The rest of the population | 14 per cent |
| Immigrants from the Nordics, EU/EFTA, UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand | 37.5 per cent |
| Immigrants from Asia, Africa and other regions | 44.2 per cent |
| People in their 20s | 39.3 per cent, up from 36.9 in 2015 |
| Households in the lowest income quarter | 53.2 per cent |
| Households in the highest income quarter | 6.5 per cent |
Source: SSB, read 23 September 2026.
Municipalities also have 116,819 homes of their own (2025), used for example for refugees, care housing and people with low incomes.
How much deposit can a landlord ask for in Norway?
The depositum (deposit) is not paid to the landlord: it goes into a separate account in your name, and neither of you can withdraw it alone.
| Rule | What applies |
|---|---|
| Maximum | Six times the monthly rent |
| When it is agreed | At the same time as the tenancy – the landlord cannot demand one after the contract is signed |
| Where the money goes | A separate depositumskonto (deposit account) in your name – never the landlord's account, never cash |
| Bank fee for the account | Paid by the landlord |
| Interest | Yours – except in student housing, where it can be agreed that it goes to the landlord |
| Increases | Only in step with lawful rent increases |
Source: Forbrukerrådet, read 23 September 2026.
If the landlord disputes the refund when you move out, they must send you a written claim and, if you disagree, take the matter to forliksrådet (the Conciliation Board) or Husleietvistutvalget (the Rent Disputes Tribunal). When you claim the deposit, the bank notifies the landlord in writing and pays it out to you unless the landlord documents a lawsuit within 5 weeks.
What can your landlord charge – and when can the rent go up?
Rent is one all-inclusive amount. The landlord cannot bill you separately for property tax, waste collection, chimney sweeping, cable TV, insurance or handing over keys, nor for maintenance, repairs or setting up the deposit account. Only two extras can be charged, if the contract says so: electricity and heating fuel, and water and sewage – the latter only when a water meter measures what you use.
Once set, the rent can rise in only two ways.
| Route | When | Written notice |
|---|---|---|
| Index adjustment, in line with the consumer price index | Once a year, at the earliest 12 months after the last change | At least one month |
| Adjustment to gjengs leie (the going rent for similar homes) | Once the tenancy has lasted at least two and a half years | At least six months |
Source: Forbrukerrådet and SSB, read 23 September 2026.
SSB's public husleiekalkulator (rent calculator) works out the lawful index increase; in September 2026 its latest figures were for August 2026. Gjengs leie is found by comparing similar homes by size, standard, location and contract terms. SSB publishes some of the data, and in Oslo, Boligbygg KF compiles its own.
Can your landlord end the tenancy?
| Situation | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| Fixed-term contract | Ends automatically on the agreed date. If you stay on, the landlord must send a written request to move out within three months, or the tenancy becomes open-ended |
| Open-ended contract, no notice period agreed | Three months, counted from the 1st of the month after notice is given |
| The landlord's notice | Must be written, give reasons and tell you that you can object in writing within one month – otherwise it is invalid |
| Lawful grounds | Own use by the landlord's household, demolition or rebuilding, your breach of contract, or another objectively reasonable ground |
| Eviction | Only the enforcement authority or the police can carry it out – never the landlord, for example by changing the locks |
Source: Forbrukerrådet, read 23 September 2026.
An eviction also needs a legal basis, such as a written eviction clause for unpaid rent or a lawful notice you did not object to. If you are unsure of your rights, call Forbrukerrådet on 23 400 500.
What help can Husbanken give?
Husbanken (the Norwegian State Housing Bank) runs bostøtte (housing allowance), which is means-tested against the household's income before tax and its housing costs; above the upper income limit you get nothing, however high your costs. The home must be approved as a dwelling, with its own entrance, bathroom, toilet and kitchen. A common reason for refusal: a move to Norway never reported to folkeregisteret (the National Population Register). The next deadline is 25 September 2026, with payment on 20 October 2026.
Startlån (start-up loan) comes from your municipality and is priced from Husbanken's rate; the municipality can add up to 0.25 percentage points to cover its costs, and not every municipality offers a fixed rate.
| Scheme | Who it is for | Key rules |
|---|---|---|
| Bostøtte | Adults over 18, or under 18 with children | Means-tested; the home must meet set standards; normally paid on the 20th of the month |
| Ordinary startlån | People with long-term difficulty getting a loan from an ordinary bank | No equity needed; can cover the full price if your income can service the loan |
| Startlån for first-time buyers | Buyers in participating municipalities – including Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger and about 150 others on the 2026 list | At least 5 per cent equity – NOK 100,000 on a NOK 2,000,000 home; refinanced with a private bank after 10 years |
Source: Husbanken, read 23 September 2026.
What do banks require when you buy a home in Norway?
Banks must follow utlånsforskriften (the Lending Regulation). The limits apply to every borrower, and a bank can depart from them only within a small quota.
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Repayment mortgage | At most 90 per cent of the home's value – so at least 10 per cent equity |
| Interest-only loan (rammekreditt) | At most 60 per cent of the home's value |
| Total debt | At most 5 times your gross annual income |
| Stress test | You must afford your loans if the rate rises 3 percentage points, calculated at no less than 7 per cent |
| Flexibility quota | Up to 10 per cent of new mortgages each quarter; in Oslo, 8 per cent or NOK 15 million |
Source: utlånsforskriften, sections 5, 6, 7 and 12, read 23 September 2026.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Report your move to folkeregisteret – bostøtte depends on it (part 3) | As soon as you have an address |
| 2 | Get a written contract listing rent, deposit, extra charges, rooms and notice period | Before you pay anything |
| 3 | Pay a deposit only into a deposit account in your name, at most six times the rent | When you sign |
| 4 | Check any index increase with SSB's rent calculator | When the notice arrives |
| 5 | Ask Husbanken about bostøtte and your municipality about startlån | Bostøtte by 25 September 2026 for the next round |
| 6 | Call Forbrukerrådet on 23 400 500 if a dispute starts | Weekdays 09:00–14:00; Wednesdays until 11:00 |
Source: Forbrukerrådet, Husbanken and SSB, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Forbrukerrådet (Norwegian Consumer Council), summarising husleieloven · forbrukerradet.no
- Forbrukerrådet · forbrukerradet.no
- Forbrukerrådet · forbrukerradet.no
- Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) · ssb.no
- Forbrukerrådet · forbrukerradet.no
- Forbrukerrådet · forbrukerradet.no
- Husbanken (Norwegian State Housing Bank) · husbanken.no
- Husbanken · husbanken.no
- Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB) · ssb.no
- SSB · ssb.no
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.