How do tenant and landlord rights vary around the world?

When moving abroad, many people weigh up the pros and cons of renting or purchasing their own property. 

In its new survey, Your Overseas Home discovered that around a fifth of those moving abroad were planning to rent before buying. Then there are the ‘digital nomads’, those who are able to work from a laptop anywhere, and so choose to rent in a variety of locations around the world.

But, how does renting work across Europe? Every country, and sometimes even each individual city, can have different laws for renting, for both tenants and landlords. 

There are over 4.6 million people renting privately in the UK*, and with there being a shortage of rental properties on the market across the country, renting in the UK is becoming more difficult by the day. 

If you’re looking to move abroad and aren’t in the position to purchase your own property right away, renting is an ideal option. Across Europe, renting laws vary from what we’re used to here in the UK and you may find yourself living more comfortably in a rental abroad than a rental in the UK.

YourOverseasHome.com have highlighted some of the ways that renting and letting a property can vary across Europe: 

1.Germany - Prepare to pay 

If you’re planning on renting in Germany, prepare to empty your pockets when work needs doing to the rental property you’re living in, or when you’re looking to hand back the keys. Across Germany, it’s common practice for tenants to be expected to fix any ‘wear and tear’ issues before they vacate the property. 

2. Romania - Evictions without grounds    

Across Romania, eviction rights, alongside renting rights, fall in favour of landlords. If your landlord wants the property back or wants to evict you, they can do so without grounds. Also, landlords can complete evictions with no minimum period of occupation and no rental limits. 

3. Monaco - Pay a large deposit 

If you’re looking to rent in Monaco, you should be prepared to part with a large sum of money before you begin living in a new rental property. It’s the norm to be asked to pay up to three months rent for your deposit. For UK residents who are used to paying a single month's rent upfront as their deposit, this might come as a shock to the system!

4. Denmark - You could live there forever 

If you’re renting in Denmark and think you’ve found your forever home in a rental property, it may well be able to become your forever home! The landlord can only make you move out if you’ve actually done something wrong or if the property needs major work done. Additionally, if the landlord does choose to evict you, they still need to provide you with three months’ notice. Furthermore, if they’re looking to move into the property themselves, they need to provide you with a year's notice. 

5. France - You’ll never have to move during the winter

Moving during the winter months is always difficult and far from ideal, and of course, being evicted during the winter months isn’t a pleasant experience. However, in France, it’s the law to ensure that no evictions will be made during the winter months. So, from the 1st of November to the 31st of March, you don’t have to worry about having to find a new rental property. 

6. Sweden - Don’t be a bad landlord 

In Sweden, as a landlord you want to ensure that you’re sticking to the books as much as possible and doing right by your tenants. So much so, if you’re a poor landlord who goes against regulations, you can actually be placed on a landlord ‘blacklist’. This blacklist is published each year and prospective tenants will make sure to avoid any landlords on this list, for their own rental protection.