When rent is due in a rented home, by country
The five statutes that set a payment day give very different defaults: Germany by the third working day, Austria on the 5th, Spain in the first seven days, Sweden by the last weekday before the month starts, and Norway only in advance for each month. Spain and Norway both stop a landlord asking for more than one month in advance, and Norway alone moves a due date that falls on a weekend or holiday. Four of the five apply only where the parties have not agreed otherwise, and none of the quoted sections gives a grace period.
| Country | Default due date | Limit on paying in advance | Weekend or holiday rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | The 5th of each calendar month, in advance, unless a later date is agreed | ||
| Germany | At the start of each rental period, and no later than the third working day of it | ||
| Spain | Monthly, within the first seven days of the month, unless agreed otherwise | No more than one month’s rent may be demanded in advance | |
| Norway | In advance for each month or other agreed payment period, if the landlord requires it and nothing else is agreed | No agreement for advance payment for longer than one month | A due date on a weekend, public holiday, 1 May or 17 May moves to the next working day |
| Sweden | No later than the last weekday before the start of each calendar month, if no payment time is agreed | For a home, rent for a month after the first cannot be required earlier than the last weekday before that month, even if an earlier date is agreed |
Country by country
Austria
- Rule
- Mietrechtsgesetz § 15(3); ABGB § 1100
- The Mietrechtsgesetz rule is for main tenancies it covers. The ABGB sets the same 5th of the month for room rentals where nothing else is agreed or customary.
Der Mieter hat den Mietzins, sofern kein späterer Zahlungstermin vereinbart ist, am Fünften eines jeden Kalendermonats im Vorhinein zu entrichten. Bei der Raummiete ist der Zins monatlich, und zwar jeweils am Fünften des Monats, zu entrichten. Germany
- Rule
- BGB § 556b(1)
- The rule is stated as a rule of the Mietrecht chapter on residential tenancies; the quoted text does not say that the parties may agree another date.
- A tenant may set off or withhold rent for certain claims if notice is given in text form at least one month before the rent falls due (§ 556b(2)).
Die Miete ist zu Beginn, spätestens bis zum dritten Werktag der einzelnen Zeitabschnitte zu entrichten, nach denen sie bemessen ist. Spain
- Rule
- Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos, art. 17(2)
- The first seven days are the default for housing leases under the Act; the parties may agree otherwise.
- Payment is made by electronic means, with cash only as an exception (art. 17(3)).
Salvo pacto en contrario, el pago de la renta será mensual y habrá de efectuarse en los siete primeros días del mes.En ningún caso podrá el arrendador exigir el pago anticipado de más de una mensualidad de renta. Norway
- Rule
- Husleieloven § 3-2
- The due date also moves for as long as payment is blocked by a halt in transport or payment services or another matter outside the tenant’s control.
- The statute sets no fixed calendar day; it sets payment in advance for each period.
Er ikke annet avtalt, kan utleieren kreve at leien betales forskuddsvis for hver måned eller annen avtalt betalingstermin.Det kan ikke avtales forskuddsbetaling for lengre tid enn én måned.Forfaller leien på en lørdag eller søndag, en helligdag, eller den 1. eller 17. mai, utskytes forfallsdagen til den nærmest påfølgende virkedag. Sweden
- Rule
- Jordabalk 12 kap. 20 §
- The default applies to rent in money where no agreement on payment time exists; the limit on earlier agreed dates is for homes only.
- Rent paid at a bank counter counts as received at once; a payment order counts as received when the bank receives it.
ska hyran betalas senast sista vardagen före varje kalendermånads börjanFör bostadslägenhet får dock den hyra som avser en annan kalendermånad än den första betalas senast sista vardagen före månadens början, även om tidigare förfallodag har avtalats. Countries not in this table yet
The Netherlands, Ontario, Japan and the United Kingdom are not shown: the ingested Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7 (huur), Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, Shakuchi-Shakuya-ho and Housing Act 2004 set no default rent due date.
How this table was built
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The table shows the statutory minimum only. Collective agreements, awards and individual contracts often give more than the statute, and some countries let a collective agreement set different terms.
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LawAsked, “When rent is due in a rented home, by country”, https://lawasked.com/guides/rent-due-date (reviewed October 25, 2026).
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