A transparent breakdown of how LifeX's model complies with the Danish Tenancy Act by renting entire apartments to tenant communities rather than individual rooms. It clarifies the legal distinction between standard rent and voluntary service agreements, providing peace of mind to prospective renters.

Understanding Co-Living Legalities: How Tenant Communities Work in Denmark

A transparent breakdown of how LifeX's model complies with the Danish Tenancy Act by renting entire apartments to tenant communities rather than individual rooms. It clarifies the legal distinction between standard rent and voluntary service.

LifeX operates as a fully compliant residential housing provider under Danish law, renting entire apartments to tenant communities rather than individual rooms. This FAQ clarifies the legal framework governing our co-living model, the distinction between rental agreements and voluntary service agreements, and how our approach aligns with the Danish Tenancy Act and Housing Regulation Act. Whether you're a prospective tenant or a municipal authority, this guide provides transparent answers to common questions about our legal structure.


Does LifeX rent individual rooms or entire apartments?



LifeX rents entire residential apartments to tenant communities (shared households), not individual rooms. Each apartment is leased to a group of co-tenants who collectively form a tenant community with joint and several liability for the entire tenancy. This creates a standard landlord-tenant relationship under the Danish Tenancy Act, where all tenants share equal rights and obligations for the whole apartment. The tenant community then internally decides how to allocate rooms among themselves, which is their legal right and not subject to landlord interference.


Is LifeX's business model compliant with Danish housing law?


Yes. LifeX ApS operates in full compliance with the Danish Tenancy Act (Lejeloven) and the Danish Housing Regulation Act (Boligforhold). The company rents entire residential apartments using authorised standard lease agreements, establishing conventional landlord-tenant relationships. LifeX does not conduct business in breach of section 4(2) of the Housing Regulation Act, which governs room rentals, because entire apartments are leased to tenant communities. This legal structure has been reviewed by legal counsel and confirmed through correspondence with Danish authorities, including a formal response to Frederiksberg Municipality's inquiries.


Why doesn't LifeX apply for permission to rent individual rooms?


LifeX does not apply for room rental permits because the company does not rent individual rooms. Applying for permission for an activity that is not conducted would be illogical and unnecessary. The company rents entire residential apartments to tenant communities, which is a standard practice under Danish tenancy law and does not require special permits. It is not that LifeX is unwilling to obtain necessary permits; rather, no application is made because the lettings are not conducted on a room-by-room basis, and therefore no such permission is required.


Has LifeX always operated under this model?


No. In its initial phase, LifeX rented out individual rooms based on a misunderstanding of the rules in the Tenancy Act and Housing Conditions Act. Following a Copenhagen Rent Board decision in May 2022 concerning a room rental case, LifeX transitioned its business model in 2021 to rent entire apartments to tenant communities, bringing all operations into full compliance with Danish law. The earlier court case is not relevant to current operations, as LifeX no longer rents on a room-by-room basis but exclusively leases entire residential apartments in accordance with the law.


What is a tenant community and how does it work legally?


A tenant community is a group of co-tenants who jointly rent an entire apartment under a single lease agreement. All members of the community are in "necessary joint proceeding" (nødvendigt fællesskab), meaning they share collective responsibility for the tenancy. The entire tenant community must agree to terminate the lease, and conversely, the entire community can be terminated if rent payments fail. All co-tenants are jointly and severally liable for the full rent and any eviction claims. No individual co-tenant can unilaterally release themselves from the tenancy obligations without exercising their right of assignment to find a replacement tenant.


Can individual tenants in a community terminate their lease independently?


No. Because the tenant community operates under necessary joint proceeding, the tenancy can only be terminated if all tenants in the community agree to terminate together. If an individual co-tenant wants to leave, they must exercise their right of assignment under the lease agreement and find a new co-tenant to take over their obligations. This is standard practice for joint tenancies under Danish law. The entire tenant community remains liable for the lease until it is properly terminated by all parties or until a valid assignment occurs.


Who decides how rooms are allocated within an apartment?


The tenant community itself decides how rooms are distributed among co-tenants. This is their legal right under Danish tenancy law, and LifeX as the landlord has no authority to interfere with or dictate room allocation. The tenant community can change the distribution of rooms at any time without requiring landlord approval. LifeX cannot object to the tenant community modifying room assignments, as this is an internal matter for the tenants to resolve among themselves. The landlord is not obliged to resolve internal disputes regarding room distribution.


Why does LifeX require notification when a co-tenant transfers their tenancy to someone new?


LifeX requires notification of tenant assignments for two legitimate legal reasons. First, it ensures that LifeX knows who currently lives in the tenancy and can properly register residents at the address, fulfilling administrative obligations. Second, it allows LifeX to comply with its obligation under section 14(1) of the Danish Tenancy Act regarding the maximum number of occupants permitted in the dwelling. These notification requirements are standard landlord practices and do not constitute interference with the tenant community's right to assign their tenancy.


Rental Agreements vs. Service Agreements


What is the difference between the rental agreement and the service agreement?


The rental agreement is a standard residential lease (using authorised standard forms) between LifeX ApS and the tenant community, governed by the Danish Tenancy Act. It establishes the landlord-tenant relationship, rent obligations, and tenancy rights. The service agreement is a separate, voluntary contract between the tenant community and LifeX Services ApS (a different legal entity) that provides additional services such as cleaning, bed linen changes, weekly grocery shopping, streaming services access, and assistance with finding replacement co-tenants when someone wants to leave. The service agreement is not covered by the Tenancy Act and can be freely refused or terminated at any time.


Is the service agreement mandatory for tenants?


No. The service agreement is entirely voluntary and is presented as an offer to tenant communities. It is not a condition for entering into a lease with LifeX ApS. Tenant communities are free to decline the service agreement when signing their lease, and they can terminate it at any time via an online form without affecting their tenancy. At least one tenant community in Frederiksberg has terminated their service agreement, demonstrating its voluntary nature, and later chose to re-enter the agreement. The tenancy remains valid and unchanged regardless of whether the service agreement is active.


Why does LifeX offer the service agreement?


The service agreement is a sought-after product that provides convenience, financial security, and flexibility to tenant communities. It functions similarly to an insurance agreement, offering peace of mind by covering the departing tenant's portion of rent if LifeX cannot find a replacement tenant by the exit date. This removes the financial burden from remaining co-tenants who would otherwise be jointly liable for the full rent. The agreement also includes practical services like cleaning and maintenance that many professionals value. Because it can be freely refused and terminated, offering the service agreement does not violate section 15(1) of the Tenancy Act.


Does the service agreement make LifeX Services ApS the landlord?


No. LifeX Services ApS is never the landlord in any tenancy. The landlord is always LifeX ApS, which holds the lease agreement with the tenant community. LifeX Services ApS is a separate legal entity that provides optional services to tenant communities who choose to purchase them. Because the service agreement is voluntary and can be terminated at any time, there is no question of circumvention of the law or of identifying LifeX Services ApS as the landlord. No charges can be brought against LifeX Services ApS under section 12(1)(iii), cf. section 4(2), of the Housing Regulation Act, as it is not the landlord.


How does the service agreement affect rent payments?


When a tenant community enters into the service agreement, LifeX ApS may, upon request, allow the total rent to be paid proportionally by each co-tenant according to an internal tenant agreement that allocates rent based on room size or other factors. This is purely an administrative convenience for tenants who wish to avoid maintaining a shared bank account. The rent portion of payments corresponds to the legal rent for the lease, while the service fee is a separate payment for the voluntary services provided by LifeX Services ApS. The municipality's characterization of total payments as "rent" is incorrect, as it conflates two distinct agreements.


How does LifeX advertise available apartments?


LifeX advertises in two distinct ways depending on the situation. When an entire apartment is available for a new tenant community, LifeX advertises the complete home as a rental opportunity. When an existing tenant community with a service agreement has a vacant room due to a departing co-tenant, LifeX advertises the available room on behalf of that tenant community as part of its service obligations. In the latter case, LifeX is not renting out rooms but rather fulfilling its contractual duty to help the tenant community find a replacement co-tenant, thereby preventing the remaining tenants from covering the departing tenant's rent share.


Why does LifeX advertise individual rooms if it doesn't rent them?


When LifeX advertises individual rooms, it does so as an agent for an existing tenant community that has signed the service agreement and needs to find a replacement co-tenant. The tenant community is the principal, and LifeX is fulfilling its service agreement obligation to assist them. This is not LifeX renting out rooms; it is the tenant community exercising their legal right to assign part of their tenancy to a new co-tenant, with LifeX providing the service of finding that person. As part of the service agreement, LifeX covers the partial rent payment until a replacement is found, giving it a legitimate interest in efficiently filling the vacancy.


Is LifeX transparent about the distinction between rent and service fees?


Yes. LifeX has thoroughly informed municipal authorities about its concept and how total payments are divided between rent and service fees. To enhance clarity, LifeX is implementing additional measures on its website to specify payments more explicitly, making it even clearer whether advertised prices include service agreement expenses or represent rent alone. This transparency ensures that prospective tenants understand they are entering into two separate agreements—a mandatory rental agreement and an optional service agreement—and can make informed decisions about which services they wish to purchase.


Do other Danish municipalities accept LifeX's business model?


Yes. LifeX operates lettings in Aarhus, Copenhagen, and Frederiksberg Municipality, and only Frederiksberg Municipality has questioned whether the lettings comply with the law. Neither Aarhus Municipality nor the City of Copenhagen has raised objections to LifeX's letting model. This demonstrates that multiple Danish jurisdictions recognize the legality of renting entire apartments to tenant communities with optional service agreements. The legal structure is neither new nor complex—tenant communities have always existed under Danish law, and LifeX uses this established model in accordance with legal requirements.


Has LifeX received recognition for its housing concept?


Yes. In 2019, LifeX was awarded the Copenhagen Business Award for its concept. While this recognition occurred when the company still operated room rentals (prior to the 2021 transition to tenant communities), it demonstrates that Copenhagen authorities viewed LifeX as a valuable contributor to the city's housing ecosystem. Since transitioning to the legally compliant tenant community model, LifeX has continued to operate successfully in Copenhagen without objections from municipal authorities, further validating the current business structure.


What rights do tenants have under LifeX's rental agreements?


Tenants in LifeX apartments have all standard rights under the Danish Tenancy Act. The lease creates a conventional landlord-tenant relationship with the usual rights and obligations. Each tenant has a right of assignment (substitution), allowing them to transfer their share of the tenancy to a replacement co-tenant. The tenant community collectively controls room allocation, can negotiate with the landlord on tenancy matters, and has protection against unlawful termination. These rights exist independently of whether the tenant community chooses to enter into the optional service agreement with LifeX Services ApS.


Are tenants at risk of eviction due to legal disputes?


No. LifeX's business model is fully compliant with Danish law, and tenants are not at risk of eviction due to the legal structure of their tenancies. While Frederiksberg Municipality filed a police report in January 2026, LifeX's legal counsel has provided comprehensive documentation demonstrating compliance with the Tenancy Act and Housing Regulation Act. No stakeholders—including tenants or landlords from whom LifeX leases apartments—have lodged complaints against LifeX. Tenants should be aware that their tenancies are legally sound and protected under standard Danish tenancy law.


What happens if a tenant community terminates the service agreement?


If a tenant community terminates the service agreement, their rental agreement remains completely unaffected. The tenancy continues under the same terms with the same rights and obligations under the Danish Tenancy Act. The only change is that the tenant community no longer receives the additional services (cleaning, grocery shopping, assistance finding replacement co-tenants, etc.) and no longer pays the service fee. The legal position cannot fluctuate between lawful and unlawful based on whether a service agreement is active—the tenancy structure remains legally compliant regardless of the service agreement status.


How does joint and several liability protect and obligate tenants?


Joint and several liability means each tenant in the community is responsible for the full rent and all tenancy obligations, not just their proportional share. This provides landlords with security but also creates mutual accountability among co-tenants. If one tenant fails to pay their share, the remaining tenants are legally obligated to cover the full rent to avoid eviction of the entire community. This structure would not exist in a room-by-room letting arrangement, where each tenant would have individual liability only. The joint liability is a defining characteristic of tenant communities and confirms that LifeX rents entire apartments, not individual rooms.

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LifeX was born to solve a problem which the founders had when moving to a new country and keeps striving on helping people with solving this challenge of moving abroad

How LifeX started and what we strive for

It All Started With An International Move



Even in this age where information is so readily available, moving to a new country and a city can be challenging. As an American, I have personally made a few moves in my life. In 2015, I moved to Copenhagen from San Francisco at the request of my past employer, Tradeshift. The idea of doing a stint in Europe, where I had only travelled for a handful of days in the past, intrigued me. Not only was it a great career step, but I was also personally in a place where I needed a change. So, why not and how hard could it be?




Finding A Home And Settling In Was Harder Than Expected 

Well, I was surprised to find out that it was not as easy as I had expected. First and foremost, my partner and I needed to find a home, a flexible setting where we could feel comfortable while exploring this new city. Most millennials, like ourselves, don’t need to own a place or accumulate physical things to make a home. We just need a place where we can belong in a new land, without having to make permanent commitments. For us, we needed some flexibility so we could figure out if we wanted to make this our long-term base. The challenge is that the standard housing model today does not accommodate for the needs of a moving population. Corporate housing used to fill that gap, but only for the top executives traveling with large corporations. The only options most people have is to either sign long-term leases (often with hefty deposits) or attempt to buy something in a city you hardly know. On top of that, all the up front costs around furnishings and the time it takes to get setup is not something we want to prioritize anymore. A hotel or Airbnb can be a stop-gap measure for a few weeks, but then what? Why wasn’t there an easier way for me to move to a new city to test it out with lower risk?

Second, we underestimated the time involved in taking care of all the practicalities involved in a move. This included everything from visa processing, work registration, to understanding health care, taxes, phone, even getting a new bank account can be a difficult if you don’t understand the system or the language. When we moved here, I spent almost the first four months in a transitionary state, trying to get all the practical things sorted out. There was hardly any time left in the first few months to enjoy the city or even try to find hints of the friendships that I missed so dearly from my past.

We Weren't The Only Ones Facing This Challenge

When we looked around us, we realized that this challenge was not unique to us or to Copenhagen. My partner faced the same struggles when he first moved to San Francisco a few years prior to that and we also heard the same stories of struggles from all the new employees we were hiring while in our product roles. These stories echo from San Francisco to London, Berlin, Paris - all the major metropolis’. More and more of the world population is on the move, some moving to urban areas and others moving countries altogether. According to the UN Urbanization report, around 52% of the population is now living in urban cities and it is supposed to grow to 70% by 2050. In Europe, urban cities house up to 75% of the population already based on the World Bank’s Urban Population Report. On top of that around 225 million people  (excluding refugees) are living in a foreign country of their own will, up 10% from 2010. As a global workforce, we have seen an increase in the movement of skilled labor and that movement is going to increase.

What we realized is that moving doesn’t have to be this stressful. There should be easier options to move to a country, have flexible housing, and kickstart a new life. We millennials want the flexibility of making a home wherever we want, and the ability to move to another home if we wish to do so.

Have a look at the different coliving units offered by LifeX. All of them are fully furnished and include utilities, wifi & cleaning service in the rent price

Are you also looking for a more convenient way to move to Copenhagen

We Knew There Must Be A Solution

This is what inspired LifeX. We are challenging the way we think about living by providing a modern co-living - essentially a turnkey home in a new city that is flexible, all-inclusive, and provides a community on arrival. You can arrive with your suitcase and be settled in right away. Our goal is to take away the stress of transition and provide our members with a happy first experience in a new city. We love to create hygge (cozy) homes and inspire the community to connect with one another through events and initiatives such as welcome dinners for all new members.


Find A Home And Feel At Home With LifeX

We launched LifeX in June 2017 in Copenhagen and have grown a lot in the past three years. We have crossed borders and opened up co-living homes in Berlin, Paris, London, Munich, and Vienna; with over 70 co-living homes and 350+ members. It is amazing to be building something that solves our original problem, and to see it help so many others relocate and get their journey started in the smoothest way possible!

It has been so rewarding to watch the LifeX community grow and new friendships form. As a team, we have also grown a lot and have been learning so much along the way. I’m really looking forward to the future as we continue to grow on our mission to make anyone feel at home, anywhere in the world!

LifeX update on situation in Frederiksberg municipality

An update on the current political situation in Denmark

This blog post is for all our current members and our future potential tenants of Denmark, as we wanted to keep you updated on the current media attention to LifeX. We understand the recent articles have raised questions about LifeX and our housing model, and we’d like to provide some clarity.

Our concept was created to help address a structural challenge in the Danish housing market — the shortage of quality housing options for singles and couples, the high deposits and upfront payments required when relocating, and the difficulty of finding a genuine sense of community in a new city. I started LifeX 8 years ago when I moved to Copenhagen from San Francisco and found it super hard to find housing and I lived at LifeX myself as a member for 3+ years. 

Unfortunately we have been getting a lot of media attention as Frederiksberg municipality’s political leadership has recently taken the position that LifeX’s model constitutes that of room letting and therefore requires a permit.

This is from a misunderstanding on how our contracts are structured; our members sign onto the entire apartment along with their housemates. While we are naturally disappointed by this interpretation, we fully respect their right to hold a different view. It is important to emphasize that LifeX has not engaged in any illegal activity and that we are working closely with the municipality to resolve this matter.

We are also not afraid to take this to court if it goes that far, as it will help establish a clearer framework for coliving housing providing modern, flexible, community-driven solutions in Denmark. To give further context, this old laws about "room letting" was created in 1970's like klubværelse to prevent unsafe housing. In the modern era of bofællesskab, or Co-living, Sweden recently proposed housing legislation to formally recognize and create a framework for how to operate Coliving and other forms of flexible housing solutions that can be one of the tools to help in the shortage of housing. We believe there is a better way forward by following what's happened in Sweden.

We are aware that the articles mentioned a possible police report. Please rest assured that we are collaborating with the help of our legal counsel who firmly believe we are in full compliance (you can read their statement of support) and are taking all necessary actions to ensure there is no risk for our members. It is also only in Frederiksberg Municipality, not Copenhagen nor Aarhus.

We understand that being in a situation, as a member, seeing what is being said about LifeX in the media, can make you feel uneasy. We take this matter very seriously and our top priority remains your comfort, security, and peace of mind during this process.

To explain LifeX, we have been sharing this explanatory presentation with media and politicians to create more awareness of what problems LifeX is solving - please check out the link if you'd like to learn yourself.

LifeX is not the only solution to the housing shortage of Denmark and we have never claimed to be. But we believe it's time for a better way of discussing regulation and frameworks. 

You can always reach out to our support if you have any questions or are in need of assistance ❤️

Message to current and future tenants regarding the situation of LifeX apartments in Frederiksberg

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