Can You Rent a Home in Norway Without a Deposit?

Yes, it is possible to rent a home in Norway without paying a cash deposit. A deposit is not automatically required by law. The landlord has a right to security only when the tenant and landlord agree on a deposit or guarantee as part of the tenancy.

The practical difficulty is that many landlords will not accept a tenant without security. A listing described as “deposit free” may therefore mean one of two very different things: the landlord genuinely requires no security, or the tenant buys a deposit guarantee instead of placing money in a blocked account.

Sources: Husleietvistutvalget — deposit and guarantee; Husleietvistutvalget — what a landlord may require the tenant to pay; Norwegian Tenancy Act sections 3-2, 3-5, 3-6 and 3-7; Forbrukerrådet — deposit rules; NAV — financial assistance; Hybel — current deposit and guarantee prices; Hybel — ordering a guarantee without BankID; Tryg/Hybel — guarantee terms effective 1 January 2026. Checked 28 September 2026.

The four realistic arrangements

Arrangement	Money needed at the start	Is the money returned?	Does the landlord have to accept it?
No security	Nothing beyond rent	Not applicable	Yes. The contract should clearly show that no deposit or guarantee is required.
Cash deposit	Usually several months’ rent	Normally yes, if the landlord has no valid claim	The amount and account arrangement must be agreed.
Paid deposit guarantee	A smaller one-time fee	No. The fee is spent permanently	Yes, and the guarantee provider must also accept the tenant and tenancy.
Guarantee from NAV or another guarantor	Depends on the arrangement	Depends on its terms	Yes. NAV assistance also requires an individual assessment.

The key point is that a guarantee is not the same as having no financial responsibility. It gives the landlord security without requiring the tenant to lock the full amount in a deposit account.

Option 1: agree on a tenancy with no security

The landlord and tenant may simply agree that no deposit and no guarantee will be required. This should be written clearly in the tenancy agreement. The tenant must still pay the rent and remains liable for damage, unpaid rent and other valid claims under the agreement.

This arrangement is more likely when the landlord is comfortable with the tenant’s ability to pay. A tenant may improve the proposal by offering relevant evidence such as:

• a stable Norwegian employment contract and salary
• references from a previous landlord
• confirmation from an employer helping with the relocation
• a reliable payment history or other evidence the landlord considers relevant

None of these forces the landlord to waive security. The landlord can prefer another applicant or require a lawful deposit or guarantee before signing.

If the signed tenancy does not include a deposit agreement, Forbrukerrådet states that the landlord cannot later demand a deposit after the tenancy agreement has already been made.

Option 2: buy a deposit guarantee instead of paying a cash deposit

Norwegian tenancy law allows the parties to agree on a guarantee. The guarantor may be an insurance company, a bank, NAV or another person or organisation accepted by the landlord.

A commercial deposit guarantee can lower the amount the tenant needs at the beginning. Instead of placing three months’ rent in a blocked account, the tenant pays a smaller fee to the guarantee provider.

The tradeoff is important:

• a cash deposit remains the tenant’s money and is normally returned when the tenancy ends if the landlord has no valid claim
• a guarantee fee is not returned, even when the home is left in perfect condition
• if the guarantor pays a valid claim to the landlord, it can normally recover that amount from the tenant

The combined value of a guarantee and any cash deposit cannot exceed six months’ rent.

What does a paid guarantee actually cost?

One current example is the Tryg deposit guarantee offered through Hybel. As checked on 28 September 2026, Hybel lists a one-time fee of:

• 15 per cent of the agreed security amount with BankID
• 16 per cent without BankID

If the landlord wants security equal to three months’ rent, the fee works out as follows:

Monthly rent	Security amount	Fee with BankID	Fee without BankID
NOK 10,000	NOK 30,000	NOK 4,500	NOK 4,800
NOK 15,000	NOK 45,000	NOK 6,750	NOK 7,200
NOK 20,000	NOK 60,000	NOK 9,000	NOK 9,600

The tenant avoids locking away the full security amount, but the fee is permanently spent. Under the current Tryg terms, the guarantee is not tenant insurance. If Tryg pays the landlord, Tryg may demand repayment from the tenant together with interest, costs and a NOK 650 administration fee. The guarantee has a maximum duration of three years.

Prices and terms can change, so read the provider’s current guarantee certificate and conditions before accepting it. This example is not a recommendation of a particular provider.

Can you arrange a guarantee without BankID?

Yes, one current route is specifically designed for this situation. Hybel states that a Tryg deposit guarantee can be created without Norwegian BankID when:

1. the landlord creates the tenancy agreement through Hybel
2. the landlord selects the Tryg guarantee as the security arrangement
3. both parties accept the guarantee terms when signing
4. the tenant completes the required identity verification and pays the guarantee fee

The guarantee is issued only after the process is completed. The landlord must be willing to use the required Hybel arrangement; the tenant cannot impose it unilaterally.

BankID is not legally required to sign a Norwegian tenancy agreement. A valid agreement can be signed by other reliable means. The challenge without BankID is often the provider’s identity process or the opening of a normal blocked deposit account, not the validity of the lease itself.

Can NAV provide a deposit guarantee?

A person who cannot finance a deposit may apply to NAV for financial assistance. NAV says it normally provides this type of help as a deposit guarantee, although it may instead provide assistance for money placed in a blocked deposit account.

This is not an automatic entitlement or a general pre-arrival product. NAV makes an individual assessment of the person’s financial circumstances. NAV states that a person normally must have legal residence in Norway to qualify for financial assistance and is not eligible while abroad. Anyone who needs NAV assistance should clear it with their local NAV office before signing the tenancy. The landlord must also accept the guarantee.

If NAV has to pay the landlord under a guarantee, the municipality may in principle seek repayment from the tenant, subject to an individual assessment. Read the decision and guarantee terms carefully.

For a person still living abroad, a private guarantee accepted by the landlord, employer-supported housing or a genuine no-security agreement is more realistic than assuming NAV will provide the solution.

Do not replace the deposit with illegal advance payment

A landlord cannot avoid the deposit rules by asking the tenant to transfer several months of “security rent” to a personal account. For an ordinary residential tenancy, the Tenancy Act does not allow advance rent for a period longer than one month.

If the agreement requires a cash deposit, the money must be placed in a separate blocked deposit account in the tenant’s name. The landlord pays the account-opening fee, and neither party can withdraw the deposit alone during the tenancy.

Do not pay a cash deposit:

• to the landlord’s ordinary account
• in cash to the landlord
• to an agent’s private account
• to a foreign account presented as a substitute for a Norwegian deposit account

An illegal payment does not become lawful because the tenant lacks BankID or is applying from abroad.

What should the contract say?

Before signing, find the section dealing with depositum or garanti. It should state one of the following clearly:

• no deposit or guarantee is required
• the exact cash deposit and the blocked account arrangement
• the guarantee amount, provider and attached guarantee terms
• a combination of deposit and guarantee that stays within the six-month limit

Do not rely on a message saying “we will decide the deposit later.” The security arrangement should be agreed when the tenancy is made.

Also check the rent, start date, duration and notice terms. Renting without a deposit does not remove the obligation to pay rent from the agreed start date. This matters particularly when a person signs from abroad before receiving a residence-permit decision.

The practical answer

You can rent a home in Norway without a cash deposit when the landlord agrees to either:

1. rent with no security at all, or
2. accept a guarantee instead of cash in a blocked deposit account.

The second option is more common, but it is not free. Compare the non-refundable guarantee fee with the cost of temporarily locking money in a normal deposit account. If you have the cash and can open the correct account, the cash deposit is normally returned when the tenancy ends without a valid claim. If cash flow or BankID makes that impossible, a guarantee can make the tenancy possible, provided the landlord and guarantee provider both agree.

For the rest of the tenancy rules, read the complete guide to Norwegian rental contracts and deposits. If the tenancy is being arranged for a residence-permit application, also check when UDI requires housing evidence and what the contract must prove.