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PROPERTY

Could Oslo’s rental market finally be about to cool off? 

Rents in Norway's biggest cities have surged over the past few years. However, recent figures show that rent increases in Oslo may be about to flatten out. 

Pictured is the Oslo city scape.
Rental prices in Norway are rising, however there are signs of slower increases in Oslo. Pictured is the Oslo city scape. Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

The average cost of renting in Norway during the first quarter of 2024 was 12,323 kroner per month, according to the latest figures from the rental agency Husleie.no.

As has been the case over the past few years, Norway’s biggest cities have seen some of the fastest-growing rent prices. 

Rent increases in Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger were all in excess of eight percent between the first quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year. 

The cost of renting in Trondheim was 12,613 kroner per month, compared to 12,429 kroner in Stavanger and 11,875 kroner in Bergen. 

However, things were slightly different in Oslo. While it remained the most expensive place in Norway to rent at 15,468 kroner per month, rents only increased by 2.8 percent. 

The slower rent increase could signal good news for the rest of Norway’s property market. 

“Rent prices in Oslo affect the entire Norwegian market, and that is often where we see the trends first,” Kjetil J. Olsen, general manager of Husleie, told the Norwegian newswire NTB. 

Rising demand and decreased supply have been pointed to as factors behind steep rental increases in Oslo. 

However, the bottleneck on the supply side may still be an issue, as Olsen said that more people were looking to rent outside of the city centre and that many ended up moving to commuter towns. 

READ MORE: How much does it cost to rent in Oslo’s commuter towns?

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OSLO

Norwegian prosecutor wants maximum sentence for Oslo Pride shooter

Norway's public prosecutor on Tuesday asked that the maximum penalty of potentially life behind bars be handed down to the alleged perpetrator of the fatal shooting at Oslo's 2022 Pride festival.

Norwegian prosecutor wants maximum sentence for Oslo Pride shooter

Zaniar Matapour, a 44-year-old Norwegian of Iranian origin, has been on trial since mid-March and is accused of an “aggravated act of terror”.

Matapour is accused of opening fire outside two bars in central Oslo, including the gay club London Pub, on the night of June 25th, just hours before the Oslo Pride Parade was to be held.

Two men, aged 54 and 60, were killed and nine others were wounded.

“There is no reason as to why the maximum sentence cannot be used in a case like this,” prosecutor Aud Kinsarvik Gravas said.

The maximum sentence is 30 years but can be extended indefinitely.

“He has shown no remorse or reflection. We have seen no change in him” over the last two years, Kinsarvik Gravas said.

Matapour, who was restrained by passersby after the shooting, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and has never revealed his motives. He pleaded not guilty.

Psychiatric experts have been divided over his mental health, and thereby his legal responsibility, but the public prosecutor deemed him criminally responsible at the time of the events and that he deliberately targeted the gay community.

The sentence sought against him, which includes a minimum of 20 years, would in practice keep him in detention for as long as he is deemed a danger to society.

The alleged mastermind behind the attack, Arfan Bhatti, a 46-year-old Islamist well-known in Norway, was extradited on May 3rd from Pakistan, where he had taken up residence before the shooting.

He will be tried at a later date.

The final part of the trial, due to last until Thursday, will be devoted to the defence case.

A verdict is not expected for several weeks.

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