Copenhagen budget deal targets housing crisis with 117 million kroner

Copenhagen’s new 2027 budget agreement allocates 117 million kroner to measures intended to ease the city’s housing crisis and crack down on illegal Airbnb rentals, DR reports.

The agreement was presented at Copenhagen City Hall by eight parties: the Socialist People’s Party, the Red-Green Alliance, the Social Democrats, the Social Liberal Party, Venstre, the Liberal Alliance, the Alternative and the Danish People’s Party.

The funding includes support for new publicly supported housing, assistance for new cooperative homes and a housing patrol that will issue fines to people who illegally rent out their apartments for more than the permitted 70 days a year.

“I am particularly pleased that this agreement focuses on Copenhagen’s biggest problem: the fact that we are in the middle of a massive housing crisis, where it is very difficult for Copenhageners to find somewhere to live,” Copenhagen Lord Mayor Sisse Marie Welling of the Socialist People’s Party said.

Measures included in the agreement

The agreement sets aside 30 million kroner to buy up to 35 cooperative homes. This is intended to give more tenants the opportunity to remain in their homes as cooperative owners if their rental property is put up for sale.

A total of 27.2 million kroner will be allocated through 2030 for the housing patrol. Additional smaller amounts will fund case processing and related work.

The city will also allocate 4.7 million kroner annually from 2027 to 2030 to handle the increased number of cases at the Rent Tribunal and the Population Register.

Another 9.2 million kroner through 2030 will fund more secure operations as the city handles a growing number of publicly supported housing projects. Up to 4,000 such homes are now ready to be built.

A total of 25.6 million kroner will be used to speed up the processing of local plans and reduce waiting times.

Patrol to target illegal Airbnb rentals

The housing patrol will target people who illegally rent out apartments through Airbnb for more than 70 days a year.

“I am also pleased that we are taking aim at Airbnb operators who break the rules. No one should run shadow hotels and, in effect, take homes away from Copenhageners,” Welling said in a press release.

The Conservative People’s Party and Frie Grønne are not part of the budget agreement.