Was Copenhagen's cap raised to 100 days? Where the Airbnb rules stand in July 2026
A lot has been written about short-term rental in Copenhagen over the past six months. Much of it is wrong, and some of it became wrong after it was written. Here is the status as it stands at the end of July 2026, with sources you can check yourself.
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No, the cap was not raised
On 13 May 2026 Liberal Alliance tabled a motion in the City Council to use section 6 of sommerhusloven and raise the cap from 70 to 100 nights a year when rental goes through an intermediary. It was heard on 21 May. It was rejected 50 votes to 3. Only Liberal Alliance voted in favour. Enhedslisten, SF, the Social Democrats, the Conservatives, the Social Liberals, Venstre, Alternativet and the Danish People's Party voted against. The same motion had a second point asking the tax minister to double the tax-free allowance from 35,100 kr to 70,200 kr. That point never came to a vote. It was struck from the agenda at the start of the meeting. The cap in Copenhagen is therefore still 70 nights. If you have read otherwise, it is either wishful thinking or an article written before 21 May.
The three figures people mix up
The rule is not just 70 nights. It has three tiers. If you rent out on your own, without a platform that reports to the Danish tax authority, the cap is 30 nights a year. If you rent through an intermediary that reports automatically, such as Airbnb, the cap is 70 nights. A municipality can raise it to 100 nights, and twenty have, including Odense, Roskilde and Bornholm. Copenhagen and Frederiksberg have not. Renting out a single room while you live in the home yourself is not covered by the cap at all. For a full walkthrough, see our Copenhagen Airbnb rules guide.
The 100,000 kr fines are not current law
In January 2026 a political agreement was reached on significantly higher fines: indicative rates from around 5,000 kr for small overruns up to 100,000 kr at 180 days or more, plus 50,000 kr a year for so-called shadow hotels. The agreement was never turned into legislation before the general election of 24 March 2026. Dansk Erhverv reported this on 2 July 2026. Until a bill is passed, those rates do not exist in reality. How large is the problem in practice? The Danish Planning and Rural Districts Agency published an evaluation in October 2025. Between 2019 and May 2025 thirteen cases about renting out one's own year-round home were closed. Number of enforcement notices: zero. Number of fines: zero. Number of police reports: zero. I am not writing this to encourage anyone to cheat. I am writing it because fear is a poor basis for a decision.
The housing patrol, and what it cannot do
The City of Copenhagen has set aside 3.6 million kr for a housing patrol of about 15 staff. Here is the detail almost no one writes: the city does not have the legal authority to check the number of rental days. That is stated in the city's own written response of 3 March 2025, where the administration says the reporting obligation covers income, not the number of days. What the city supervises is the residence requirement. That is a separate rule: a year-round home is treated as unoccupied if it stands empty for more than 180 nights in a year. That is where cases actually arise. Our guide to the residence requirement covers what the city checks and how.
The EU regulation: you do not need a registration number
EU Regulation 2024/1028 on data collection for short-term rentals applies fully from 20 May 2026. Many European hosts have been given a registration number they must put in the listing. Danish hosts have not. The requirement only applies in countries that have chosen to introduce a registration scheme, and Denmark has not. If you rent out your own home in Copenhagen you do not need to apply for a number, and you do not need to pay anyone to obtain one for you.
The tax, with the 2026 figures
The tax-free allowance is 35,100 kr in 2026 if rental goes through a reporting platform. Without reporting it is 13,800 kr. Of what you earn above the allowance, only 60 per cent is taxed. The remaining 40 per cent is a further deduction. The amount is taxed as capital income. A worked example: you rent out for 90,000 kr through Airbnb. You deduct 35,100 kr, leaving 54,900 kr, and you are taxed on 60 per cent of that, or 32,940 kr. One thing changed in 2026 that many overlook: the 2023 to 2025 exemption has expired. In those years you could get the high allowance even if the platform did not report. From 2026 the Danish Tax Agency must have received the data, or you drop to 13,800 kr. The full calculation is in our Airbnb tax in Copenhagen 2026 guide.
Your association can still say no
None of the rules matter if your housing co-op has banned short-term rental. The Supreme Court held on 28 May 2021 that an exclusion was valid in a case where a co-op member had hosted around 220 guests. For condominium associations the picture is less clear. Read your bylaws and the minutes of the last two general meetings. It takes twenty minutes and is the cheapest insurance you can buy.
What it means for you
The rules are stricter in tone than in practice, and they were just confirmed unchanged. That means you can plan a year ahead without guessing. 70 nights is not a target, it is a cap, and the craft is placing them on the nights that pay best and filling the rest of the year with something else, for example rental of 1 to 6 months. Want to know what your home can realistically earn, before and after tax? Try our Copenhagen Airbnb calculator, or ask us for a free estimate on your address, with no obligation.
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Get my free estimateFrequently asked questions
No. On 21 May 2026 the City Council rejected the proposal 50 votes to 3. The cap remains 70 nights.
No. The January 2026 political agreement was never turned into legislation before the 24 March 2026 general election. The rates are not in force.
Not in Denmark. EU Regulation 2024/1028 only requires a number in countries that have set up a registration scheme, and Denmark has not.
Sources
City of Copenhagen, minutes of the City Council meeting of 21 May 2026, item 49. City of Copenhagen, written response of 3 March 2025. Dansk Erhverv, 2 July 2026. The Danish Planning and Rural Districts Agency, evaluation October 2025. skat.dk and the Danish legal guidance 2026-1. Sommerhusloven sections 5 to 6. The Danish Housing Conditions Act sections 3 to 7. Supreme Court BS-30451/2020-HJR. EU Regulation 2024/1028.