Vacation Rental in Copenhagen: The Complete Guide to Earning Money from Your Property

Vacation rental is when you rent out your property, or part of it, to tourists and travellers for short periods. This typically happens through platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo, where guests can find and book your home directly.

In Copenhagen, the market for short-term rental has grown significantly in recent years. The city is one of Europe's most visited, with over 12 million overnight stays per year, and a large share of travellers prefer apartments and private homes over hotels. This creates a major opportunity for property owners.

However, vacation rental is also regulated in Denmark. There are rules governing how many days you may rent out, and there are tax rules you need to be aware of. This guide gives you the full picture.

In Denmark, you may rent out your primary residence for up to 70 days per year as a default. Some municipalities, however, have opted for an extended limit of up to 100 days, so it's worth checking what applies in your area.

It's important to keep track of the number, as exceeding the limit can result in fines. A co-host like Doorstep automatically tracks your days and ensures you never exceed the limit.

When you rent out via a platform that reports to SKAT (the Danish Tax Authority), such as Airbnb and Booking.com, you receive an annual tax-free allowance (bundfradrag) of 35,100 kr. (2026 level). This means you are only taxed on income above this amount.

Of the remaining 14,940 kr. you pay your marginal tax rate. For most people, this means the effective tax on 60,000 kr. in vacation rental income is only around 5,500 kr. — less than 10% of total earnings.

Please note that the tax-free allowance requires automatic reporting by the platform. If you rent out without an approved platform, the allowance is significantly lower (only 12,200 kr. in 2026).

Your earnings depend on several factors: location, property type, number of rooms, season and — not least — your pricing strategy. Here is a realistic estimate for Copenhagen in 2026:

With 70 days of rental and an average nightly rate of 1,200 kr., a typical two-bedroom apartment in Copenhagen can bring in roughly 50,000–70,000 kr. annually after tax and fees. That can cover a significant portion of your housing costs.

The most important factor, however, is having the right strategy. Many property owners set a fixed nightly rate and lose thousands of kroner by failing to adjust for season and demand.

Copenhagen has a clear seasonal profile for vacation rental. If you understand it, you can time your rental days to extract maximum value from every single night.

Dynamic pricing means your nightly rate is adjusted daily based on season, day of the week, local events, competitor prices and overall demand. This is what professional hosts do, and it is at the core of Doorstep's pricing engine.

The difference between a fixed nightly rate and dynamic pricing can be 20–30% higher annual income. During Distortion week in June alone, nightly rates in the Inner City and Vesterbro can rise by up to 60%.

Most property owners start with Airbnb, and it's a fine place to begin. But if you're only on one platform, you're missing bookings from travellers searching elsewhere.

Multi-platform listing requires a channel manager to avoid double bookings. This is one of the biggest advantages of using a co-host like Doorstep. We ensure your calendar is synchronised across all platforms.

First impressions are everything in vacation rental. Guests make up their minds within the first 20 seconds of a listing, and professional photos are by far the most important factor for click-through rates.

Investing in the right basics pays for itself many times over in the form of higher ratings, more bookings and better prices. Superhosts on Airbnb receive a higher placement in search results on average.

You can certainly rent out your property yourself. But it's important to be realistic about the time commitment. Here's an honest comparison:

For many property owners, a co-host makes sense because the higher nightly rate and better occupancy outweigh the commission. Most importantly, though, you get your time back.

Doorstep charges 20–23% commission on your rental income, depending on your plan. You only pay when you earn.