What is Section 11?
Section 11 (§11) in the official Danish tenancy agreement form (Typeformular A10) is the only section where a landlord can add custom conditions beyond the standard contract. These are called "særlige vilkår" (special conditions).
Having content in §11 is not inherently problematic. The issue is when §11 contains conditions that give the tenant fewer rights than Danish tenancy law guarantees. Those conditions are automatically invalid — even if you signed the contract.
What is valid in §11?
Examples of commonly valid §11 terms: a ban on pets; a no-smoking clause; an agreement that the tenant takes over responsibility for internal maintenance (painting, etc.); a written, genuinely reasoned time limit on the tenancy (such as the landlord being posted abroad for a specific period).
What is invalid in §11?
Conditions that conflict with the mandatory provisions of lejeloven are automatically void. Common examples: requiring a deposit greater than 3 months' rent; a blanket prohibition on subletting; requiring the property to be fully repainted regardless of condition when returning it; granting the landlord an unrestricted right to terminate; banning children (this is illegal discrimination).
An invalid term doesn't make the whole contract invalid — it simply doesn't apply. You can complain to the Huslejenævn if a landlord tries to enforce an invalid term.
Upload your rental contract to Elify to get a plain-language analysis of what's in your §11 — valid, questionable, or void.