What is a roommate?
A roommate is a person you share a home with without being in a romantic or family relationship with them. In Danish it's called bofælle, and informally roomie, especially among younger people. The term flatmate is also common in British English.
Roommate vs. partner vs. lodger
It's not just words. There are legal and financial differences:
- Roommate. You share a home on equal terms, lead separate lives, and typically have either separate leases or a joint lease with joint liability.
- Partner (samlever). You live together as a couple. This has consequences for taxes, benefits, and inheritance rights. Rules on cohabiting relationships are in the Danish Inheritance Act § 87.
- Lodger (logerende). You rent out a room in your own home to someone else. You are the landlord, they are the tenant. Special tax rules apply to room rentals (Skattestyrelsen on room rental).
Rights and obligations
As a roommate, you have:
- The right to use common areas: kitchen, bathroom, living room.
- Privacy in your own room. The other person may not enter without permission.
- A duty to pay your share of rent and utilities on time.
- The right to information about changes to rent, guests, pets, etc. from the head tenant, if you're a sublet renter.
How to find a good roommate
- Be concrete about budget, lifestyle, and dealbreakers from the first conversation.
- Meet in person at the flat, not at a café.
- Check up on people: a quick Google search and a conversation with their previous roommate often says more than a CV.
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