Fælledby tenants and buyers criticise demolition compensation

Tenants and buyers affected by the planned demolition of two Fælledby buildings on Amager Fælled have criticised the compensation offered to them, DR reports. One tenant described a meeting on Monday evening as a “waste of time”.

The buildings are so seriously defective that they must be demolished. The affected residents were informed last week that their homes and purchases would be torn down.

Edin Deronjic was due to move into a rented apartment with his fiancée and their baby. He said the meeting between Fælledby and the affected tenants and owners failed to answer the questions they had prepared.

“Since we were told that the buildings must be demolished, we have prepared a number of questions. But we actually did not get answers to any of them,” he said.

Compensation is the main dispute between Fælledby and the tenants and owners. DR reported on Monday that owners had been offered significantly different compensation amounts, including for nearly identical apartments bought at almost the same time.

The owners have not wanted to be interviewed. Tenants have been told they will receive their deposits back and a daily penalty payment of 500 kroner for each day their contracts have been breached.

“That is not enough,” Deronjic said. He estimated the payment at about 10,000 kroner a month, adding that there were no Copenhagen rental homes at that price with enough space for two people.

The move-in date for Deronjic and his fiancée has been postponed three times since they signed their lease. He said they should also be compensated for the delays, which had caused stress and left them losing money on deposits for temporary apartments.

Tenants and buyers have until 7 October to accept the compensation. Henrik Steenstrup, chairman of Fælledby’s board, said the assessments were unlikely to change significantly.

“We have used a very common method and obtained two estate agent valuations, and as a starting point we are sticking to that model,” he said.

However, Steenstrup said Fælledby had listened to the feedback from the meeting and would discuss whether any adjustments were needed. He could not say when the tenants and owners would receive an answer, but said the organisation was working as quickly as possible to provide clarity about the process.