Getting started with Airbnb in Copenhagen

Updated 11 July 2026. Written by Nico Rossetti, Arnor.

It sounds simple. Take a few photos, put up a listing, and rent out your flat while you are away anyway. And it really can add a nice bit of income. But in Copenhagen there are a couple of rules you need to get straight first, or a good idea can quickly turn into a fine. Here is an honest step-by-step guide to your very first rental, from what to check before you even begin, to the listing that actually gets booked.

Step 1: Check that you are allowed at all

The first step has nothing to do with photos or prices. You can only short-term rent a home you live in yourself, meaning your year-round home with your registered address. Investment flats and summer houses follow different rules and different allowances. If you live in an owner association or a housing cooperative, check the association's bylaws and house rules before you do anything at all. A cooperative can restrict or fully ban short-term letting, and if you do it anyway, in the worst case you can be expelled. Ask the board in writing first. If you rent your own home, you need your landlord's permission, and the sublet rules apply. In short, get the green light before you spend time on the rest.

Step 2: Understand the 70 nights

In Copenhagen you may rent out your year-round home for a maximum of 70 nights a year. A municipality is allowed to raise the limit to 100 nights, but Copenhagen has chosen to keep it at 70, and that is not changing right now. Take that limit seriously. From 2026, the City of Copenhagen has set aside nearly four million kroner for a housing patrol of 15 staff who actively look for illegal letting, and fines can reach as much as 100,000 kr if you go over. Because you only have 70 nights, the game is to use them wisely, not to spread them thin across the whole year. More on that under pricing.

Step 3: Sort out the tax from day one

The tax is easier than people think when you use Airbnb. Airbnb reports your rental income to the Danish tax authority automatically, and that is exactly why you get the higher allowance. In 2026 the tax free allowance is 35,100 kr when you rent through a reporting platform such as Airbnb. If you rent privately without such a platform, the allowance is only 13,800 kr. Of the amount left above the allowance, 60 percent is taxable as capital income. So for most people who stay under or around the 70 nights, the tax stays manageable. Always check your annual statement so the numbers match.

Step 4: Get the home ready

Now for the practical side. Tidy up, clean thoroughly, and put away anything you would not want strangers touching. A clean, simple home photographs better and earns better reviews, and those are the two things that drive your income. Think about safety too. Fit a working smoke alarm, lock valuables and personal papers away in a cupboard, and make a spare set of keys or install a key box. Call your insurer and ask directly whether your home contents insurance covers short-term letting. Airbnb's AirCover sounds like insurance, but it is not quite, and it is far from covering everything. It is better to have the answer in writing before your first guest checks in.

Step 5: Build a listing that gets booked

The photos are the most important part of the whole listing. Take them in daylight, with clear surfaces and made beds, and use 15 to 25 good shots. The very first photo decides whether people click on your listing over the neighbour's. Then write an honest title and a clear description. Say what is nearby, for example the metro, a lake or Nyhavn, and be honest about stairs, size and noise. Guests forgive a small flat, but not a surprise. Finally, set clear house rules: how many can stay, no parties, and what time check-in and check-out are.

Step 6: Set a realistic price

Look at what similar homes in your neighbourhood charge per night, and start slightly below. The first couple of weeks are about getting your first reviews, not about earning the most. Once you have five good reviews, you can raise the price. Use dynamic pricing so the nightly rate rises automatically in high season and for big events like Distortion, concerts and conferences, when the city is full and people pay more. With only 70 nights available, it is smart to spend them when Copenhagen is at its most expensive, rather than filling the calendar in a quiet November. If you want concrete numbers for what a home like yours could bring in, read our guide on how much you can earn on Airbnb in Copenhagen.

Step 7: Handle guests, keys and cleaning

Reply quickly to messages. Guests often simply book the place that answers first, so the first few minutes count. A key box lets the guest check themselves in without you turning up every time, and a short, clear message with the address, code and wifi solves most of it. Remember that after every guest the home needs cleaning, fresh bed linen and restocking of the basics. This is where most people underestimate the work. A cleaning fee, paid by the guest on top of the price, normally covers the cost of the cleaner, but the time and the coordination are still yours.

Step 8: Earn reviews and aim for Superhost

Politely ask for a review after every stay. Good reviews lift both your position in Airbnb's search and the price you can charge. If you aim for Superhost, which requires among other things a high response rate, few cancellations and strong reviews, your listing gets shown more often and looks more trustworthy. It is a slow but reliable path to more bookings inside the same 70 nights.

Honestly, it is a real little job

The list above looks manageable on paper. In reality it means messages at all hours, cleaning and resetting between every guest, prices that need adjusting constantly, and rules that must be followed to the letter, all squeezed into just 70 nights where every single night counts on the bottom line. Many people start on their own and discover after a month that it takes more time than they thought. That is exactly where a management company comes in. We build the listing, take the photos, manage the prices day by day, receive the guests and keep you within the rules, so you get the income without the hassle. If you want to know what your home can earn, and what it costs to have it looked after, read our guide on the cost of Airbnb management.

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Frequently asked questions

Official and expert sources: the City of Copenhagen (kk.dk, the 70-night limit and the housing patrol), the Danish Tax Agency (skat.dk, the 35,100 kr allowance in 2026 and taxation of rental income), Bolius and boligejer.dk (short-term rental rules), and Airbnb (reporting and host fee). The rules and figures are for 2026 and may change. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.