Tilstandsrapport, Elinstallationsrapport, and Ejerskifteforsikring: Denmark's Home-Inspection Scheme

What these documents are

Tilstandsrapport (condition report) is prepared by a beskikket bygningssagkyndig (a certified independent surveyor), based on the seller's questionnaire (sælgeroplysningsskema) and a visual inspection: roof, masonry, windows/doors, floors (kitchen, bathroom), interior walls, ceilings, attic (sik.dk, 2026).

Elinstallationsrapport is the same for the electrical installation, prepared by an authorised electrician.

Who regulates the scheme

Until 2026, Sikkerhedsstyrelsen regulated it; since January 2026 its functions moved to Erhvervsstyrelsen (Markedsovervågning) — use the current name when referencing the regulator.

How the seller actually gets released — and why it matters which way round this works

Both reports are a precondition for ejerskifteforsikring (change-of-ownership insurance): without them, no insurer will underwrite a policy for either party (Bolius).

The seller is released from the ordinary 10-year statutory liability for defects covered by the scheme once three conditions are met, before the purchase agreement is signed: valid reports exist, the buyer has been informed of the legal effect of the liability waiver, and the seller has offered to pay at least half of the premium of a suitable ejerskifteforsikring (Lov om forbrugerbeskyttelse ved erhvervelse af fast ejendom, LBK nr 1123 af 22/09/2015, §2).

The decisive detail: the buyer does not have to actually buy the policy for the seller's release to take effect — the offer and the payment commitment are what discharge the seller, not the buyer's purchase. This cuts against the buyer, not for them: if the buyer declines the insurance, the buyer is not left with a claim against the seller instead — the seller is already released either way. Turning down the offer leaves the buyer with neither the seller's liability nor an insurance payout.

What ejerskifteforsikring does NOT cover

Defects already noted in the tilstandsrapport or elinstallationsrapport — they're disclosed, not hidden.

Conditions normal for the building's age (for example, damp in the basement of a 1930s house is typical for that era, not an insurable event).

Validity windows: reports expire faster than the liability question they answer

A tilstandsrapport is valid for 6 months — an unsold home needs a fresh one if it stays on the market longer.

An elinstallationsrapport is valid for 12 months.

Ejerskifteforsikring itself is commonly sold as either a 5-year or a 10-year policy. A 5-year policy leaves a real gap against the seller's decennial exposure window: since the seller is already released by the offer regardless of what the buyer chooses, a shorter policy term shifts years 6–10 of risk onto the buyer alone, not back onto the seller.

The damage scale changed in 2020, not 2021 — and it's colours, not just icons

The historical system: K0 (cosmetic) / K1 (minor) / K2 (serious) / K3 (critical) / UN (needs further investigation).

Since 1 October 2020 the K-scale has been dropped — including K0 — and replaced with a four-colour system on the house-symbol graphics: red (needs immediate repair), yellow (serious, but can typically wait a couple of years), grey (minor), and black (needs further investigation). If you see "K0/K1/K2/K3" in older material or blog posts, that's pre-October-2020 notation and no longer how a current report reads.

This scheme is built for houses, not ordinary flats

In practice, huseftersynsordningen is used for villas, terraced houses and summer houses — not ordinary ejerlejligheder (owner-occupied flats in a multi-unit building). A single survey can't practically cover an entire building shared by many owners, and there's no way to cleanly separate an ejerskifteforsikring policy from the owners' association's (ejerforening's) own area of responsibility.

Shared building elements — roof, façade, stairwell, foundation — belong to the ejerforening, not to an individual flat seller, so a flat's report (where one exists at all) typically covers only the parts the seller is personally responsible for. If you're buying a flat rather than a house, put your attention on the ejerforening's bylaws, accounts, and meeting minutes instead of expecting the same package that a house sale gets.

What happens if the seller skips a step

If the seller doesn't complete all three conditions — valid reports before signing, informing the buyer, and the insurance-premium offer — the seller keeps full statutory liability for hidden defects under general sale law, not capped by any policy term or amount. For the buyer this is both a risk (no ready-made policy in place) and potential leverage in negotiation.

Preguntas frecuentes

Who pays for ejerskifteforsikring?

Under the standard scheme, the seller and buyer split it 50/50 if the seller made the required insurance offer and the buyer chooses to buy the policy.

What if the seller didn't order the reports?

The buyer can't take out ejerskifteforsikring at all; the seller keeps full statutory liability for hidden defects under general rules.

Does the buyer actually have to buy the insurance for the seller to be released?

No. The seller is released by offering to pay half the premium (plus valid reports and informing the buyer) — the buyer's purchase isn't required. Declining the offer does not restore a claim against the seller; it just leaves the buyer without a policy too.

Are K0/K1/K2/K3 still valid?

No — since 1 October 2020 a four-colour scale (red/yellow/grey/black) is used instead, and K0 was dropped entirely; professionals sometimes still use the old letters out of habit.

Does huseftersynsordningen apply the same way to a flat purchase?

Usually not — the scheme is built around a single seller responsible for a whole building, so it's used mainly for houses and summer houses. Ordinary ejerlejligheder are typically sold outside it, with the owners' association's documents doing the work a condition report would do for a house.