What does registration duty cost? Two fees, not one
These are the only payments you can calculate with total precision, because the rates are set by law. And there are two of them, most overviews (including our own, previously) mention only one.
1. Skøde: registering the title deed
The skøde is the title deed that registers your ownership. Registering it costs 1,850 kr flat plus 0.6% of the purchase price. The variable part is rounded up to the nearest 100 kr, and only then is the flat fee added. If the official property valuation is higher than the purchase price, the percentage is calculated on the valuation instead.
2. Pantebrev: registering the mortgage
The pantebrev is the mortgage deed that registers the lender's security in the property. Registering it costs 1,825 kr flat plus 1.25% of the loan amount. From 1 January 2026, this rate was cut from 1.45% to 1.25%. On a loan of 1.5 million kr, that saves roughly 3,000 kr.
| Property price | Title deed | Mortgage deed (80% loan) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000,000 kr | 13,850 kr | 21,825 kr | 35,675 kr |
| 3,000,000 kr | 19,850 kr | 31,825 kr | 51,675 kr |
| 3,500,000 kr | 22,850 kr | 36,825 kr | 59,675 kr |
| 5,000,000 kr | 31,850 kr | 51,825 kr | 83,675 kr |
Buy without a mortgage and the second fee simply does not arise. The bigger the loan, the bigger this payment gets.
What does professional advice cost when buying a home?
What matters in the table below is not just the price, but when each service becomes relevant and whose interests it serves. This is also where NordIndsigt BoligCheck fits in, compared honestly against the rest, not talked up.
| Service | Typical price | Enters the picture | Whose interests | Replaces registration/conveyancing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estate agent | 1-4% of the sale price (most often 1.5-3%), e.g. 90,000-130,000 kr at 4 million kr, averaging ~85,000 kr | From day one | The seller's, by law | No |
| Property lawyer | 5,000-15,000 kr fixed price: 4,500-7,000 kr for a co-operative share, 7,000-10,000 kr for a flat or house | At the purchase agreement | Yours | Yes, conveyancing is often included, otherwise 3,000-8,000 kr separately |
| Buyer's adviser | 5,800-8,495 kr typically (the market ranges 1,795-8,495 kr) per property | Once you've chosen a property | Yours | No |
| Building surveyor | 2,000-6,000 kr for advice, 3,000-7,000 kr for an inspection | Once you're focused on one property | Neutral | No |
| NordIndsigt BoligCheck | 299 kr for one property, 599 kr for three (Compare 3) | Before you've chosen | Yours | No, it is a document review, not a legal service |
What BoligCheck does not doA BoligCheck does not replace a property lawyer's legal conveyancing of the title deed, and it does not replace registering the title deed and mortgage deed, those are statutory steps carried out by a lawyer and the public land registry respectively. BoligCheck reviews the documents you already have access to, so you can judge the property before you bid.
Notice the pattern: everyone except NordIndsigt BoligCheck is priced per property and only becomes relevant once you've found the one home you've settled on. That is exactly why most buyers never get more than one property professionally compared.
→ More on this: Who actually works for you when you buy a home?
See it on a real property
A BoligCheck report calculates exactly this — line by line, for one specific address.
What do the documents cost?
A condition report (tilstandsrapport, a surveyor's written assessment of the building's condition) typically costs 2,500-4,000 kr for an apartment, 3,500-5,500 kr for a terraced house or smaller villa, and 5,000-8,000 kr for a villa above 150 sqm. An electrical installation report typically costs 1,500-3,500 kr, with a wider national range of 2,000-5,000 kr.
Both are normally ordered and paid for by the seller, since they are part of the official home-inspection scheme. But it is worth knowing the price: if a seller says a report is missing because "it's too expensive," that is a difference of a couple of thousand kroner set against a deal worth millions.
What does it cost to change your mind?
You have a right of withdrawal (a legal cooling-off period) for six working days after the purchase agreement is accepted. Using it costs 1% of the purchase price. On a home costing 3 million kr, that is 30,000 kr.
Put the numbers side by side: backing out after making an offer costs 30,000 kr. Having the documents reviewed beforehand costs 299 kr. That is not an argument that one is cheap, it is an argument about when in the process the money gets spent.
What do the typical findings cost?
This is why cosmetic issues are rarely what should worry you most.
400-2,500 kr per sqm depending on roofing material: roofing felt from about 500 kr/sqm, fibre cement 550-950 kr/sqm, steel 800-1,300 kr/sqm, concrete 1,000-1,400 kr/sqm, clay tile 1,200-1,600 kr/sqm, thatch 1,400-2,200 kr/sqm.
An electrician's hourly rate runs 575-800 kr. A new consumer unit (eltavle) costs 15,000-35,000 kr, and an HPFI residual-current device costs 3,000-8,000 kr. A complete electrical upgrade in a 120 sqm home typically runs 65,000-90,000 kr, and the range across whole houses spans 25,000 to 180,000 kr.
Other items that turn up in the registers: excavating an old oil tank costs 15,000-30,000 kr, simply decommissioning one in place costs 2,500-8,000 kr. Separate sewer connection runs 10,000-125,000 kr depending on the solution needed.
→ More on this: The hidden long-term costs
Does it cost the same across the country?
No. Trade hourly rates typically run 15-25% higher in the Copenhagen area than in Jutland. A carpenter, for instance, costs 500-600 kr an hour in Copenhagen against 400-500 kr in West Jutland, and a handyman around 550 kr against around 410 kr.
There is a counter-effect worth knowing, though, and it is rarely mentioned: in sparsely populated areas, travel costs for tradespeople are higher, which eats into part of the saving. So "cheaper in the provinces" is true, just not entirely.
What does the whole thing cost? A worked example
A house priced at 3,000,000 kr, a loan of 2,400,000 kr (80%), a buyer doing a standard document review:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Registration, title deed | 19,850 kr |
| Registration, mortgage deed | 31,825 kr |
| Property lawyer (mid-range) | 8,500 kr |
| BoligCheck | 299 kr |
| Total for the buyer | ≈ 60,474 kr |
This is an illustrative calculation based on the stated rates and typical market prices, not an official or guaranteed sum for any specific property.
On top of this comes the down payment of 600,000 kr and bank costs, which depend on the specific loan. Note: the bulk of this total is made up of two public fees, not service charges. There is no saving to be had here by shopping around for advisers, which is exactly why it needs to be budgeted for from the start. As a rule of thumb: buying itself costs roughly 2-3% of the price in transaction costs on top of the down payment, as in the worked example above, not 7%. The 7% figure you may see elsewhere counts the seller's estate agent commission, a cost that only falls due at a later sale, not at this purchase. Count the full round trip, buying and later selling together, and total transaction costs typically land at 3.2-4.7% of the price, see the breakdown in → Buy or rent a home in Denmark?
Calculate your own cash costs at purchase
Registration: title deed = 1,850 kr + 0.6% of the purchase price. Mortgage deed = 1,825 kr + 1.25% of the loan amount. Document review (BoligCheck) is informational and not added automatically, it costs 299 kr for one property or 599 kr for three (Compare 3). Ejerudgift/land tax varies sharply by municipality, see the full 98-municipality calculator in Ejerudgift: what the listing doesn't tell you.
What can you do without, and what can't you?
You cannot skip:
- Registration, it is required by law; without it there is no legal ownership.
- Legal conveyancing of the deal, handled by your lawyer or the seller's agent.
You can decide for yourself:
- A buyer's adviser, meaning full support through viewings and negotiation.
- A document and risk review, which can be ordered separately and more cheaply.
What a document review does not replace:
- Legal conveyancing of the deal.
- An on-site technical inspection by a building surveyor.
- Legal advice on your own personal situation.
The point
Almost every cost in a property purchase is priced per property and only arrives once you have chosen. That is why most buyers never get more than one property professionally compared.
What should you work out before you bid?
- Registration, both fees: known figures, so budget for them from the start.
- Advice: which of the above will you genuinely need, and when?
- Withdrawal: 1% of the purchase price. What is that in kroner on this specific home?
- A buffer for findings: could you handle a roof or an electrical upgrade in year two?
- Geography: is the property somewhere trade rates run high?
In short
Do not just ask "what does the home cost?" Ask "what does the whole process cost, and when does each expense land?" Most unpleasant surprises in a property purchase are not about the price of the home, they are about the costs that sat outside that number.
Frequently asked questions
What does registration duty cost when buying property in Denmark in 2026?
Two fees. For the title deed: 1,850 kr plus 0.6% of the price. For the mortgage deed: 1,825 kr plus 1.25% of the loan amount. On a home costing 3 million kr with an 80% loan, that comes to roughly 51,675 kr combined.
Why is registration duty higher than my calculator shows?
Because most calculators only count the fee for the title deed. The second fee, for registering the mortgage, is usually the larger of the two and is often left out.
Has the variable registration duty gone down?
Yes. From 1 January 2026, the rate for the mortgage deed was cut from 1.45% to 1.25%.
What does an estate agent charge in commission?
Typically 1-4% of the sale price, most often 1.5-3%. That works out to roughly 35,000-55,000 kr on a home priced at 1.5 million kr and 90,000-130,000 kr on a home priced at 4 million kr, averaging around 85,000 kr. The seller pays it, but it is calculated from the price the buyer pays. The commission is negotiable.
What does a property lawyer cost?
Typically 5,000-15,000 kr at a fixed price, depending on property type: 4,500-7,000 kr for a housing co-operative share, 7,000-10,000 kr for an owner-occupied flat or house. Conveyancing (drawing up and registering the title deed) typically costs 3,000-8,000 kr separately.
What is berigtigelse, and what does it cost?
Drawing up and registering the title deed. Typically 3,000-8,000 kr. It can be bundled into the lawyer's package or billed separately.
What does it cost to back out of a property purchase?
Six working days after the purchase agreement is accepted, and 1% of the price to use the right of withdrawal. On a home costing 3 million kr, that is 30,000 kr.
What does a condition report cost?
Typically 2,500-4,000 kr for an apartment, 3,500-5,500 kr for a terraced house or smaller villa, 5,000-8,000 kr for a villa over 150 sqm. The seller orders it.
What does a new roof cost?
400-2,500 kr per sqm depending on roofing material. Roofing felt from about 500, fibre cement 550-950, clay tile 1,200-1,600, thatch 1,400-2,200. For a 100 sqm house, roughly 50,000-160,000 kr in total.
Are tradespeople more expensive in Copenhagen than in Jutland?
Yes, typically by 15-25%. A carpenter costs 500-600 kr an hour in Copenhagen against 400-500 kr in West Jutland. But travel costs in sparsely populated areas offset part of the difference.