Viewing a home in Denmark: checklist for before, during and after

1. Does the home suit the everyday life you will actually be living?

2. Does what you see match the sales listing (salgsopstilling) and the reports?

3. What needs to be looked into further before you possibly make an offer?

It is tempting to spend the whole visit picturing the sofa in the living room. But the viewing is also your chance to discover what the floor plan cannot show: the noise from the road, the light in the rooms, the smell in the basement and whether the layout works when you are standing in the middle of it.

You do not have to be able to assess everything yourself. The aim is to get an honest first picture of the home and a concrete list of what you still need answers to.

In brief

• Read the sales listing, condition report (tilstandsrapport), electrical installation report (elinstallationsrapport) and energy label (energimærke) before the visit, if they exist.
• Write down your most important requirements and questions in advance.
• Use your eyes, ears and nose. A home feels different in person from how it looks in photos.
• Compare the home with the Danish building and housing register (BBR), the floor plan and the documents, but do not try to make a technical assessment yourself.
• The symbols in the condition report say something about how serious a defect is and how urgent, not what it costs to fix.^[1]
• An ordinary viewing does not replace an inspection by your own building surveyor (byggesagkyndig).
• Take notes straight away. After three homes, kitchens, basements and the estate agent's answers easily blur together.
• Get unclear information and important answers confirmed in writing.

What can a viewing tell you?

At a viewing, you can find out how the home works in practice.

Among other things, you can experience:

• Noise from the road, neighbours and installations
• Daylight and views
• Room sizes and how you move between rooms
• Smell, any feeling of damp, and ventilation
• Wear and visible damage
• Access, parking and outdoor areas
• Whether the home meets your most important requirements

The viewing can also show where the documents need to be read especially carefully. If you see discolouration by a window, you can check whether the area is mentioned in the condition report. If the basement is used as a bedroom, you can compare that use with BBR and the municipality's information.

But the visit has its limits. You cannot see inside closed structures, pipes, the layers of the roof or hidden installations. A home can look nice and still have issues that require a professional assessment.

Start on paper before you walk through the door

A good viewing starts at home at the kitchen table.

First, read the documents that are already available for the property. That makes it easier to spend your time in the home on the right questions.

The sales listing

Look out for, among other things:

• Cash price
• Owner costs (ejerudgift) or shared costs
• Floor area and plot area
• Year of construction and conversions
• Heating type
• Energy label
• Easements (servitutter) and other notes
• Information about the owners' association (ejerforening) for an owner-occupied flat (ejerlejlighed)

Compare the figures with your budget. A home can fit the purchase price and still be expensive to run.

The condition report

The condition report is the result of a building inspection carried out by a certified building surveyor. It describes the building's visible damage and signs of damage under the rules of the Danish home inspection scheme (huseftersynsordningen).^[2]

Mark the spots you want to find when you are in the home. Also look for question marks and remarks about areas that could not be inspected.

Read the in-depth guide on the condition report when buying a home.

The electrical installation report

The electrical installation report covers whether the electrical installations are legal and working, using the scheme's method. It is prepared by an authorised electrical contractor registered with the Danish home inspection scheme.^[3]

Use the report to understand the faults recorded. Avoid opening fuse boards, taking sockets apart or carrying out other checks that require professional knowledge.

The energy label

The energy label shows the building's calculated energy performance and suggestions for improvements. Actual consumption can differ, because the occupants' habits, temperature and energy prices all play a part.

Read more about the energy label when buying a home.

BBR and property data

The BBR notice (BBR-meddelelse) contains the information registered about the property. The information is based partly on the owner's own reports and has not necessarily been verified by the municipality.^[4]

Check whether areas, buildings, use, heating type and conversions match what you find. A conservatory, an outbuilding or a converted basement room can look natural and still need further clarification.

Your preparation before the viewing

Make a short list you can keep on your phone.

Your most important requirements

First, write down the things that must not get lost in the excitement:

• Area
• Commuting time
• Number of rooms
• Access
• Outdoor space
• Room to work from home
• Noise
• Need for renovation
• Monthly finances

Use the guide on prioritising your requirements for a home to tell the essentials apart from the nice-to-haves.

Your questions

Write questions based on the documents, not just a general checklist.

They could be:

• What lies behind the remark about the roof?
• When was the bathroom done, and is there documentation?
• Why does the area in the listing not match BBR?
• Are major works planned in the owners' association?
• What has the actual heating consumption been?
• Are there known problems with water, damp or drains?

The practical side

You might bring:

• Phone for notes
• Tape measure or laser measure
• Floor plan
• Your list of requirements
• Questions from the reports

Ask before you take photos, open cupboards or test installations.

When you arrive

The neighbourhood starts before the front door.

Notice:

• Traffic and other noise
• Parking
• Access to the home
• Distance to bins, bikes and shared areas
• The terrain and where water runs around the house
• How close the neighbours are and whether they can see in
• Light conditions around the building

An address can feel different on a quiet Sunday and at rush hour. If the area matters a lot to you, you can come back at another time without needing to go inside.

Also read the guide on local plans and building regulations if the view, future development or the area's future is decisive for you.

Rooms, light and layout

Walk through the home in a fixed order. That makes it easier to compare with other homes afterwards.

Look at:

• Whether the rooms are the right size for their use
• Where furniture can realistically go
• Whether any rooms can only be reached by walking through another room
• Ceiling height
• Daylight and orientation
• Number and placement of sockets
• Storage
• Stairs and changes in level
• Whether doors and windows can open freely

Floor plans are good for an overview, but they do not tell you what it feels like to walk from the kitchen to the dining table with your hands full.

Measure the spots that could be decisive. That might be the space for the bed, the dining table, the pram or the home office.

Damp, smell and ventilation

Smell is one of the things photos never show.

Pay attention to:

• A basement smell or stuffy air
• Discolouration on ceilings, by windows and on external walls
• Loose wallpaper or flaking paint
• Condensation on windowpanes
• Black spots in joints or corners
• A very strong air freshener smell or isolated patches of fresh paint
• Ventilation openings that are closed or covered

A sign is not a diagnosis. Discolouration can have several causes, and a dry wall on the day does not rule out an earlier problem.

Ask whether there has been damp, water ingress or mould, and whether there is documentation of investigations and repairs. If the issue matters for your purchase, a professional can look into it further.

Roof, facade, windows and foundations

You cannot assess the whole structure from the ground, but you can note visible conditions.

Among other things, look at:

• The roof surface and visible flashings
• Gutters and downpipes
• Cracks in the facade and plinth
• Flaking and traces of damp
• Windows and external woodwork
• How the ground slopes around the house
• Visible repairs

Compare your observations with the condition report. If something looks different from the description, ask for an explanation or a professional assessment.

Kitchen, bathroom and installations

Kitchens and bathrooms are expensive rooms to change. So age, condition and documentation matter more than the colour of the cupboard doors.

Ask about:

• When the rooms were installed or renovated
• Whether there are invoices and documentation
• Who carried out the work
• Known problems with drains or water
• Ventilation
• Floor drains and visible joints
• Where the installations are located

With the seller's or estate agent's consent, you can test ordinary functions such as a tap, a window or a door. However, an ordinary test does not tell you whether hidden pipes, membranes or installations have been done correctly.

Basement, loft and outbuildings

The overlooked square metres can hold both opportunities and questions.

In the basement, you can look at:

• Smell and ventilation
• Traces of damp
• Floor and walls
• Drains
• How the rooms are used compared with the registration

In the loft, if access is safe and permitted, you can look at:

• Daylight visible through the roof
• Discolouration
• Ventilation
• The visible condition of the insulation
• Whether the area could be inspected for the condition report

Outbuildings, garages and extensions should also be compared with BBR and the documents.

If you are viewing an owner-occupied flat

With an owner-occupied flat, you are not just buying the rooms behind the front door. You also become part of an association.

Look at:

• Stairwell, basement, loft and courtyard
• Windows, roof and facade
• Bins and bike parking
• Shared installations
• Signs of upcoming maintenance

Read the articles of association, accounts, budget, minutes and maintenance plan. Ask whether major works or changes to the shared costs have been decided or discussed.

A new kitchen may matter less to your finances than a roof project in the association.

Questions for the estate agent and seller

Good questions are concrete and linked to something you have seen or read.

For example, ask:

• Has there been water, damp or mould in the home?
• What major works have been carried out, and is there documentation?
• Are there issues in the reports that have been fixed since the inspection?
• What explains the difference between BBR, the floor plan and the actual home?
• What have heating, water and electricity cost during the time the seller has lived there?
• Are there any pending insurance claims or disputes about the property?
• Which white goods and installations are included?
• Are there planned changes to the area or the property that the seller knows about?

The estate agent (ejendomsmægler) represents the seller. That does not make the answers less relevant, but important information should be in the documents or confirmed in writing.

When does a second viewing make sense?

You do not need to follow a fixed rule about a certain number of visits.

An extra viewing can be relevant if:

• The first one was rushed
• Several of you need to make the decision
• There are many remarks in the reports
• You want to measure specific spots
• Light or noise needs to be experienced at a different time
• You want to bring a professional
• New documents have raised questions

Use the visit to settle the open points. If you simply do the same round again, you will not necessarily learn anything new.

When can your own building surveyor be relevant?

The seller's condition report and your own technical inspection are not the same thing.

Your own building surveyor can focus the inspection on your questions, the home's structures and the issues you would be taking on if you buy. The inspection can still have limitations, especially where structures are hidden or not accessible.

Read the guide on using a building surveyor when buying a home.

After the viewing

Write your notes while the home is still fresh in your mind.

Sort them into four groups:

1. This suits my everyday life well
2. This can be changed
3. This needs an answer
4. This needs a professional or legal investigation

Also note the financial impact. Wanting a new kitchen is quite different from a possible problem with damp or the roof.

Compare the home with your requirements, not just with the home you saw last week. A less attractive home may suit everyday life better. A very striking home may require compromises you feel every day.

If you are thinking about making an offer, get the documents and the open questions reviewed first. Then read the guide on bidding rounds and negotiation when buying a home.

Complete viewing checklist

Before

• Read the sales listing
• Read the condition report and electrical installation report
• Read the energy label
• Compare areas and buildings with BBR
• Note remarks and unclear issues
• Write down your most important requirements
• Prepare concrete questions
• Agree whether you may take photos and measure

During

• Assess noise, light and access
• Walk through the rooms in a fixed order
• Look for visible traces of damp and notice any smells
• Find the places mentioned in the reports
• Look at the roof, facade, windows and plinth from safe areas
• Ask about renovations and documentation
• Compare actual use with the floor plan and BBR
• Note answers and new questions

After

• Write down your first impressions
• Sort questions by who needs to answer them
• Get significant information confirmed in writing
• Compare the home with your own requirements
• Consider whether you need an extra viewing
• Consider whether you need your own building surveyor
• Update the budget with expected works and running costs

Common mistakes at a viewing

You only look at the interior design

Furniture, lamps and freshly painted walls rarely come with the home. The layout, light, noise and structures do.

You read the reports afterwards

Then you lose the chance to find the specific spots and ask questions while you are standing in the home.

You read a report symbol as a price

The symbols describe how serious the damage is and the possible time frame. They do not tell you what a tradesperson will charge for the work.^[1]

You take a verbal answer as documentation

An answer can be useful, but actual renovations, permits and agreements should be documented as far as possible.

You try to be the building surveyor yourself

Your job is to spot questions. The technical assessment requires expertise and can still be limited by hidden structures.

You forget the monthly finances

Transport, heating, shared costs and maintenance come with the home long after the initial excitement has faded.

In short

At the viewing, you need to understand the home that is actually in front of you.

It does not have to be flawless. You need to know what you are buying.

Read the documents first. Use your senses in the home. Compare what you see with the reports and registrations. Write down your questions, and get help with the issues you cannot assess yourself.

Start by screening the home's documents and history before you spend time on the viewing.

BoligKlar gives you a second pair of eyes and an overview. The technical, legal and financial assessment lies with the relevant professionals.

Frequently asked questions