Deficiency in the Apartment: Landlord's Maintenance Responsibility, Your Five Remedies, Injunction with Penalty, Environmental Administration, and How to Deposit Without Losing the Contract

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Deficiencies in the apartment are the area where tenants most often have the right and most often give up – because the defect report was made verbally, because they did not know that a reduction exists, or because they deducted from the rent and suddenly faced a termination notice instead of a functioning heating system. This guide is the order that makes the deficiency the landlord's problem and keeps it there.

What constitutes a deficiency – and what does not

Fault report that sets the clock

Everything is based on when the landlord was informed. Your right to a reduction begins when the deficiency is reported (in practice), the landlord's obligation to act "as soon as possible" begins then, and your obligation to report damages that must be addressed quickly is fulfilled then (Section 24, second paragraph). A verbal fault report to the property manager is nothing in retrospect. Write.

Subject: Fault report, apartment [address, number], [date]

Hello,

I am reporting the following deficiency in the apartment:
– What: [description, extent]
– Where: [room, location]
– Discovered/ongoing since: [date]
– Impact on residence: [smell, health, rooms that cannot be used, temperature …]

Attachments: photos dated [date].

I request written feedback with a case number and timeline for action. If the deficiency requires investigation – for example, moisture measurement – I request information on when it will be done.

I reserve the right to a rent reduction for the time the apartment is in deficient condition (Chapter 12, Sections 11 and 16 of the Land Code).

Kind regards,
[Name, phone]

Five remedies – and when to use each

1. Rectify yourself at the landlord's expense (Section 11, first paragraph 1 via Section 16): if the landlord does not address the issue promptly after being notified, you may have it done and claim the cost. Use for specific issues – locksmith, emergency plumbing for a leak, glazier – where you can show the landlord had the opportunity. Hire a professional, save the invoice, document before and after. Do not offset against rent; invoice the landlord or deposit.
2. Rent reduction (point 3): for the period the apartment is in a deficient condition, you are entitled to a reasonable reduction, regardless of whether the landlord was negligent. See the next section.
3. Damages (point 4): for destroyed furniture, clothing, medical expenses, temporary accommodation – if the landlord does not prove that the deficiency is not due to their negligence. The burden of proof is reversed in your favor. Document the damages and costs.
4. Remedial order (point 5, Section 16, second paragraph): the Rent Tribunal orders the landlord to rectify within a certain time, with a penalty. The tool that actually gets things done. See below.
5. Termination (point 2): if the deficiency cannot be remedied without delay, or the landlord does not act after being notified, you may terminate the agreement – but only if the deficiency is of significant importance, and not after the landlord has remedied it. Rarely what you want; but the right to terminate with immediate effect without notice can be valuable if you are moving from an uninhabitable apartment anyway.

How much reduction is reasonable?

The law states “reasonable.” Practice from the Rent Tribunals and recommendations from the Tenants’ Association provide benchmarks – always as a percentage of the rent for the time the deficiency persisted:

• No heating or hot water during the winter months: 50–100 percent depending on extent and duration.
• One unusable room (damp, mold, remediation work): the room's share of the area, often 20–35 percent for one of three rooms.
• Broken stove, refrigerator, or washing machine included: 5–15 percent until it is fixed.
• Elevator out of order for those living high up or having difficulty walking: 5–20 percent.
• Disruptive construction work in the building that lasts a long time: 10–30 percent depending on noise and duration.
• Disturbances from neighbors that the landlord does not act against after notification: 10–25 percent.

The figures are starting points, not rights. Request a reduction in writing from the landlord, referring to the date of the fault report. If the landlord does not agree: apply to the Rent Tribunal for a reduction – or, if you have already moved, claim the amount in the District Court. The claim is time-barred two years after you left the apartment (Section 61).

Order for Action – when the landlord does nothing

Environmental Department – a parallel track

Moisture, mold, cold, poor ventilation, noise, and pests are not only rental issues but also a nuisance to human health according to the Environmental Code (Chapter 9, Section 3). The municipal environmental and health protection board supervises housing and can, upon notification, inspect and order the property owner to investigate and remedy, with a penalty (Chapter 26, Sections 9 and 14 of the Environmental Code). The Public Health Agency's general advice provides benchmarks: indoor temperature should not fall below 18 °C (20 °C for sensitive groups) and the air exchange rate should be at least 0.35 liters per second per square meter. The notification is free and can be made in parallel with the fault report and board application. Many landlords act more quickly on the environmental department's inspection notice than on the tenant's email.

Deposit – do not deduct

Landlord's Access for Work – and Your Rights During Them

The landlord has the right to enter without delay for necessary inspections and for improvement work that cannot be postponed without damage (Section 26, first paragraph). Less urgent improvement work may be carried out after notice at least one month in advance, and not at all during the last month of the tenancy without your consent (third paragraph). If the landlord wishes to carry out other work – renovation, standard improvement – you may terminate the agreement within one week from the notification, and the work may not commence before the termination date you could have chosen. During the work, the landlord must ensure that you do not suffer more inconvenience than necessary and compensate for damage caused by the work even without negligence (fourth paragraph). You are entitled to a reduction for the time you cannot fully use the apartment, unless otherwise agreed in a negotiation agreement (Section 16, third paragraph). If you refuse access when the landlord has the right, it is grounds for forfeiture (Section 42, first paragraph 10), and from July 2, 2026, the Enforcement Authority can grant access through assistance – therefore always offer times in writing.

Sources

• Land Code Chapter 12, Sections 9–11 – condition at access and consequences
• Land Code Chapter 12, Section 15 – maintenance at reasonable intervals
• Land Code Chapter 12, Section 16 – defect during the rental period, injunction
• Land Code Chapter 12, Section 18 a – renovation injunction, minimum acceptable standard
• Land Code Chapter 12, Section 21 – deposit with the County Administrative Board
• Land Code Chapter 12, Section 26 – landlord's access (wording from July 2, 2026)
• Environmental Code Chapter 9, Section 3 and Chapter 26 – nuisance to human health, supervision and injunction
• Public Health Agency's general advice on indoor temperature (FoHMFS 2014:17)
• County Administrative Board: deposit rent
• Rent Tribunal – injunction

The guide is general information about applicable rules, not advice on your case. If you rent from a private individual who owns the residence, the private rental law applies instead of Chapter 12 of the Land Code on several points from July 1, 2026. Legal status checked on September 25, 2026.

For those reading under stress

The guide is intended as support when you already have a lot on your mind. You do not need to read everything at once: start with the section that matches where you are today and return when the next step becomes relevant.

Dealing with authorities rarely improves when you handle everything alone. Seek help from a support person, lawyer, or relative if you can—especially before decisions with long-term effects.

Common mistakes that make the case more difficult

• Relying solely on verbal promises without a brief written confirmation or follow-up email.
• Waiting to request documents until the conflict is already locked—then it becomes harder to demonstrate what was said.
• Writing so extensively and emotionally that the authority stops responding to the substantive issue.
• Missing deadlines for reconsideration or appeal because the decision was not read verbatim.

Mini-checklist before you leave the guide

1. Do I have the date, diary/case number, and the name of the person handling the case (if known)?
2. Do I know what the next step is: respond, request, remind, appeal, or report?
3. Have I saved emails and attachments in a place where I can find them in a week?