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WEATHER

Are you legally required to shovel snow on your property in Norway?

In Norway, where winter often means streets and buildings covered in snow and ice, the question of who is responsible for shovelling snow is a common concern among homeowners, tenants, and landlords.

Published: 22 January 2024 16:02 CET
Updated: 28 January 2024 08:18 CET
Snow shovel 1
Are you obligated to shovel snow around your building? And do different rules apply to tenants and homeowners in Norway? Photo by: Robin-Ivan Capar / The Local Norway

Come winter, most people who move to Norway have to start seriously thinking about the harsh weather conditions – especially if they don’t live in the country’s southern parts.

Icy and slippery roads and passages, disrupted public transport, and a thick blanket of snow are just some of the characteristic occurrences associated with the season.

READ MORE: Five things you need to learn to love about winter in Norway

The day after your first intense snowstorm in Norway – once the idyllic feeling of landscapes covered in snow starts to fade – you’ll be faced with a grim reality – someone needs to get out in the cold and deal with the snow and ice that are obstructing passages and posing a safety risk.

But are you obligated to do it yourself? And do different rules apply to tenants and homeowners?

The rules regulating snow shovelling

The answer to these questions isn’t straightforward, but it’s not complicated. In essence, it depends on your local regulations, the type of property you reside in, and – if you’re a tenant – your lease agreements.

Homeowners

As a homeowner (huseier in Norwegian), you generally can decide whether and when you want to shovel snow around your property.

However, if your property borders a public area, such as a pavement or a road, local police regulations typically require property owners to spread and remove snow and ice.

READ MORE: How to dress for the cold weather in Norway

The primary objective of these regulations is to ensure that snow and ice do not pose a danger or inconvenience to pedestrians and motorists.

These rules and regulations regarding snow removal can be found in your local police statutes, which you should be able to find via a quick Google search.

Tenants and landlords

In rental properties, the initial responsibility for snow removal often falls on the landlord (Norwegian: utleier).

However, the Norwegian Tenancy Act allows landlords and tenants to agree on different arrangements for maintenance responsibilities, including snow removal.

If the lease agreement specifies that the tenant is responsible for shovelling snow, then the tenant (Norwegian: leietaker) becomes responsible for this task.

In cases where the landlord and tenant live in the same building, they may divide the responsibilities, such as the tenant shovelling their entrance while the landlord handles other areas.

Snow shovel 2

Few things unite or divide a Norwegian neighborhood quite like winter snow shoveling. Photo by: Robin-Ivan Capar / The Local Norway

Housing associations

For residents of housing associations (Norwegian: borettslag), the responsibility for snow removal typically falls on the board of the association, according to the Huseierne homeowner interest organisation.

Common areas such as roads, entrances, and patios fall under the board’s jurisdiction, and they are tasked with managing snow shovelling.

READ MORE: How much snow will there be in Norway in 2050?

The board can also hire a professional snow removal company or establish bylaws and house rules that assign snow removal responsibilities among residents.

In the case of housing associations consisting of single-family housing, residents might be individually responsible for shovelling outside their housing units, but this must be clearly defined in the association’s rules.

Grey area: The maintenance of the internal parts of the balcony is generally your responsibility, while the outer parts of balconies are usually considered part of the façade and treated as common areas.

Avoiding neighbourhood disputes

Regardless of who is responsible for snow removal, it is important to dispose of snow appropriately.

Dumping snow in public places or onto neighbouring properties without consent is illegal – the Norwegian Neighborhood Act prohibits actions that inconvenience neighbouring properties.

Therefore, it is best to cooperate with your neighbours to find a suitable place for snow disposal to prevent arguments.

Safety precautions

In addition to the general duty described in the Norwegian regulations (such as the Housing Association Act), local police statutes often include specific snow and ice removal provisions.

For instance, in Oslo Municipality, there are stringent rules regarding removing dangerous snow and ice from roofs to prevent accidents caused by falling icicles or snow.

Therefore, the board of housing associations should ensure compliance with these regulations to protect both residents and property because failure to do so can result in hefty fines if accidents occur due to negligence.

Who’s responsible in case of an injury?

If someone slips and gets injured due to ice or snow on your property, the property owner may be held liable for damages if it can be proven that the owner’s negligence caused the injury, according to the homeowner association BoligMentoren.

Negligence can include failing to properly clear the area, as required by the local police statutes in your area.

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For members

PROPERTY

What you need to know if you want to rent out a room or annexe in Norway

If you’ve got a spare room or annexe you might want to put it to good use, especially as the earnings could be tax-free. Still, there are several rules in Norway you’ll need to be aware of.

Published: 14 June 2024 15:28 CEST
What you need to know if you want to rent out a room or annexe in Norway

Plenty of homes in Norway, especially those that are more expensive, come with an independent annexe, and ad listings will typically list how much you can earn if you were to rent this out.

You may also have a spare room or basement you want to put to good use. Many see renting out annexes and basements as a great way to boost their income or offset the cost of their mortgage.

Long-term or short-term?

Before putting a room, annexe, or basement on the market for rent, you must have a rough idea of how long you want to rent it out.

The length of the tenancy will affect things like taxes and where you would want to list the property.

For example, Airbnb makes more sense for those wanting to rent a room or their property for a few weeks.

In Norway, rental income up to 10,000 kroner from short-term rentals is tax-free, provided each rental period is less than 30 days. After this limit has been reached, 85 percent of income is taxable at a rate of 22 percent.

READ MORE: The rules for renting out your home on Airbnb in Norway

If you have a dormitory, annexe or studio on your property that you wish to rent out for longer, then you will need to check that it meets the legal requirements to be rented out.

One of the most important distinctions is often made between whether the area you wish to rent out is an “independent unit” or part of the existing housing.

Whether the home has a separate entrance is typically one of the key distinguishers. Spaces that are considered independent units have stricter requirements, such as a private bathroom and fire safety measures.

Spaces must also have ceilings of at least two metres, with slightly different rules for sloping roofs. Certain rooms will also need to have windows and escape windows and a fire separation between the apartments.

Dormitories (hybel) are not considered independent housing, but the tenant must still have access to a bathroom and toilet, even if it isn’t their own private bathroom. The other rooms must be suitable for permanent residence under the rules of your local authority.

You can rent out a room in your home. However, the tenant must have access to a toilet in the home.

Should you choose to rent out a space, be that a room or dormitory, that doesn’t meet requirements, you could be legally liable for any incidents, or the tenant may have the right to terminate the tenancy or demand a reduction in rent.

Most Norwegians turn to Hybel.no or Finn.no to rent out a room or annexe. 

The tax rules

Renting out rooms or dormitories is so popular because the income can be tax-free in many cases.

A few requirements must be met for the income to be tax-free. You can rent out several dormitories tax-free on the same property, but there cannot be more than one “family flat/ familieleilighet” on the property. These are self-contained apartments suited for two adults and a child.

You must also collect less than half the rental value of the entire property. Alternatively, rental income is tax-free if all or part of the home is rented out for less than 20,000 kroner in the income year.

Norway’s tax administration has an online wizard that will give you an overview of whether your rental income will be tax-free.

Your responsibility as a landlord

As you will all be aware, renting out a room isn’t as easy as posting an ad and waiting for the tax-free income to roll in.

For example, you will need to have a proper contract in place, and the deposit must be paid into a separate account from the tenant or landlord.

There are also rules on when a landlord can access the property, and they will typically always need the permission of the tenant to access their space.

In addition, there are rules on when a landlord can raise the rent and how much by.

All this is as well as being aware of the rules and responsibilities for who covers what in Norway when things go wrong.

Luckily, there are plenty of organisations and resources, such as Husleie.no, that can offer landlords advice. These resources help with things like rent collection, contacts, and deposit accounts.

READ ALSO: The most common disputes between tenants and landlords

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