Skagen scenario feared as holiday municipality tightens empty home checks

Syddjurs Municipality has allocated 650,000 kroner to enforce rules requiring homeowners in central Ebeltoft to live in their properties for at least 180 days a year, DR reports.

Council member Camilla Rønde (S) warns the popular tourist town risks following Skagen’s example, where residential areas stand empty outside the summer season. A new DR analysis shows that in 28 postal codes, at least one in five detached houses is owned by people without a registered address in the municipality. In Ebeltoft, the figure is nearly one in ten.

The municipality has already sent letters to 54 homeowners without a local registered address, urging compliance. If voluntary adherence fails, authorities may resort to police reports, Rønde said.

Local business owner Kristian Busk, a member of Ebeltoft’s trade association, supports the crackdown, fearing the town could become a seasonal ghost town. Researcher Ditte Brøgger of the Center for Regional and Tourism Research calls municipalities “powerless” due to the rapid pace of change and the difficulty of enforcement.

New housing minister Jacob Mark (SF) has proposed raising fines for violating residency requirements to up to 100,000 kroner, arguing that higher penalties would remove the financial incentive for part-time rentals.