Deposit rent

You may deposit rent if you, for example, believe that you are entitled to a reduced rent due to shortcomings or damages in the apartment or property you rent. Apply for a deposit of rent with the County Administrative Board.

If you rent an apartment or property you may, in some cases, deposit the entire rent, or a part of the rent, with the County Administrative Board. You decide how much to deposit. When you make a deposit we accept and store money that you are supposed to pay to the landlord.

The advantage of making a rental deposit with the County Administrative Board, compared to just refraining from paying your rent, is that the landlord cannot evict you for not having paid the rent. However, your rental agreement may be terminated if you deposit a too large amount of the rent, for example, if you deposit a full month’s rent for a three bedroom apartment although only one room cannot be used. The landlord also have the right to evict you if you make the deposit after the rent’s due date.

What is required for a rent deposit?

As a tenant you have the opportunity to deposit rent if you believe that you:

• are entitled to a deduction of rent due to problems or damages in the apartment or property that are not caused by you. For example, if the landlord fails with the maintenance of the property,
• are entitled to damages under the Rental Act,
• are entitled to a compensation for having paid for corrections or repairs at your own expense,
• have a financial counterclaim on the landlord, regardless of the nature of the counterclaim, or
• are in disagreement with the landlord on the rental amount and the amount is not specified in the rental agreement.

How much of the rent can I deposit?

It is your choice how much money you think is reasonable to deposit, then you pay the rest of the rent as usual. Use a lawyer if you are having trouble determining how much you should deposit. You can deposit an amount that is equal to

• the deduction of the rent you think you are entitled to, or
• the economic demand you place on the landlord.

How do I make a rent deposit?

A rent deposit application consists of three parts:

1. You send the application to the County Administrative Board.
2. You pay the amount you want to deposit.
3. You pay a security.

We cannot process the deposit application if one of these parts is missing.

Apply for a rent deposit

To deposit rent, complete an application and send it to the County Administrative Board.

Pay the amount you want to deposit

Pay the amount you want to deposit to the County Administrative Board.

At the first payment

Please provide your corporate number, or social security number, and your name in the payment notification box (for example, “012345-6789, Company Ltd., Your Name”).

For following payments

If you wish to continue to deposit the lease for the same reason as the first payment – please provide:

• the case number that was given to you at the first deposit
• the month or quarter that the deposit regards
• the rent’s expiration date
• the amount of the security deposit in the payment notification box (for example, “October 1st, 208-2010-300, security deposit 10 000).

Pay a security to deposit

To be able to deposit money with the County Administrative Board, you as a tenant have to pay a security in the form of a pledge or guarantee. The security must cover any litigation costs as well as interest on overdue payment if, according to the court, the landlord is entitled to the deposited amount.

The County Administrative Board requests a security equivalent to the following amount:

Decision to accept your rent deposit

If we decide to accept your rent deposit, we will notify the landlord that you decided to deposit the entire rent, or parts of the rent, with us. In this case, the landlord can choose to come to an agreement with you or sue to get the money.

Reimbursement of the deposited amount

You are entitled to a reimbursement of the deposited amount if these three circumstances are fulfilled:

• three months has passed since the last rent’s payment day
• three months has passed since the County Administrative Board sent information to the landowner regarding the deposition
• the landowner has not shown the County Administrative Board that they’ve taken the matter to court to acquire the money.

The landlord does not forfeit their right to the rent because you are reimbursed of the deposited amount. The landlord’s possible claim remains, and the landlord can bring an action for the claim against you within the limitation period.

You are also entitled to a reimbursement of the deposited amount if you and the landlord agree.

Application for payment

The reimbursement application must be in writing and signed by the person who wants the money. If payment is to be made because the parties have agreed on it, a certified copy of the written agreement must be sent in together with the application. The agreement must state who has the right to withdraw the deposited amount.