Buying in Oslo: the back story

About Buying in Oslo: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Oslo Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Oslo’s housing runs from the old apartment blocks of Frogner and the west end to the new waterfront of Bjørvika and Tjuvholmen, the wooden villas of the hills around Holmenkollen and the lively east side of Grünerløkka. In Norway a sale is registered (tinglyst) with Kartverket, the Norwegian Mapping Authority, and a document duty of 2.5 per cent of the property’s value is paid on registration; shares in housing cooperatives (borettslag) pay no document duty.

The neighbourhoods

See our property guide for Frogner, the waterfront, Grünerløkka and the hills.

How buying works

Most homes are sold by a licensed agent (eiendomsmegler), often through a bidding round; the sale is registered with Kartverket.

We never publish prices or yields: ask a registered agent and a lawyer.

The duty

Document duty is 2.5 per cent of the value at registration; there is none on cooperative shares (Skatteetaten, Kartverket).

Our advice: take your own legal advice before you bid.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Buying in Oslo: the back story before you go.