← FFCheckWho do I contact?NO
Housing · Norway
Updated September 2026

🐀 Rats, cockroaches or bedbugs — who do I report an infestation to?

Direct answer

In a rental the landlord deals with pests that come from the building — rats, cockroaches, mice — unless you demonstrably caused them; bedbugs are argued about everywhere, but the landlord still has to act. Report in writing. Kommunen — servicetorg (norge.no) — the municipality — has a pest-control service or a duty to act on public-health grounds and handles rats in the street or in bins. Husleietvistutvalget (HTU) (22 92 70 00) inspects unhealthy housing and can order the landlord to treat. Leieboerforeningen (leieboerforeningen.no) decides rent reduction if the home is partly unusable.

Call firstKommunen — servicetorg
Report toHusleietvistutvalget (HTU)
If that failsLeieboerforeningen

🗣️ What to say

"Since [date] there are [rats / cockroaches / bedbugs] at [address], photos attached. Please arrange professional pest control by [deadline] and find the source. Until the home is pest-free I reduce the rent by [%]."

🪜 Step by step

  1. DocumentPhotos, dates, where; bedbug bites and traces on the mattress; rat droppings and holes.
  2. Report to the landlord in writingWith a deadline. Ask for a professional company and for the source (drains, waste room, neighbour) to be dealt with.
  3. Municipality: Kommunen — servicetorgFor rats outside and for landlords who do nothing; many cities treat rats for free.
  4. Inspection: Husleietvistutvalget (HTU)Environmental health can declare the home unhealthy and order treatment.
  5. Rent reduction: LeieboerforeningenBackdated to the report, proportional to the rooms you cannot use.

📇 All contacts

Kommunen — servicetorgNuisances, roads, waste, lost propertyFor anything the municipality handles🔗 www.norge.no
Husleietvistutvalget (HTU)Decides tenancy disputes without a lawyer, low feeWhen the claim is unpaid after the deadline📞 22 92 70 00🔗 www.htu.no
LeieboerforeningenAdvice and support for membersBefore you write, on deductions and deadlines🔗 www.leieboerforeningen.no
ForbrukertilsynetGuidance and mediation between you and the seller, freeWhen the shop refuses📞 23 400 600🔗 www.forbrukertilsynet.no

❓ Frequently asked

Bedbugs: who pays?

Practice varies. Most tenancy bodies make the landlord treat and only charge the tenant if the tenant clearly brought them in — which is very hard to prove.

The whole building is infested

Then it is the building's problem and the landlord must treat all flats at once; single-flat treatment fails. Tell Husleietvistutvalget (HTU) — they can order a building-wide programme.

Can I break the lease?

If the home is unfit and the landlord will not act, an inspection report supports termination without notice in most countries.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.

  • “rats in rental landlord responsibility Norway”
  • “report pest infestation municipality”
  • “bedbugs landlord or tenant pays”
  • “cockroaches apartment who to call”
  • “rent reduction pests”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

🦠Mould or damp→🔧Landlord won't repair→🔑Deposit not returned→🔊Noisy neighbours→

Your tools for Norway

Before it goes wrongCan I?What is allowed, what is not, which permit you need — with the official source.Energy · NorwayElectricity & gasThe rules that protect you as an electricity and gas customer in Norway, and who to contact. Every fact is checked on an official source.Recognise it firstIs dit veilig?Check a phone number, website or message against 47,000 scam dossiers.