Replacing a damaged asbestos roof is the kind of bill that can stall a rural homeowner for years. Danske Bank and Realkredit Danmark are now offering cheaper money for exactly that sort of job.
The banks have added “healthier home renovation loans” to their existing favourable-term loans for energy improvements and climate adaptation. The Danish release came out on 21 September 2026, with the English version following on 25 September. The loans are open to personal customers anywhere in Denmark, for year-round homes and holiday homes alike, though the banks expect them to matter most in rural areas, where homes are older and a big repair weighs heavily on household finances.
The bank loan
The Danske Bank version carries the same interest rate as its energy and climate-adaptation loans, currently 2.79% variable nominal. The catch is that the whole amount has to go on work the bank has approved. Terms run up to 10 years, the ceiling is DKK 500,000, and processing fees are waived.
What counts is narrow and documentable. Damaged asbestos roofs, protection against radon, connection to public water and sewage, and replacing outdated or faulty wiring or wood-burning stoves all qualify. A new kitchen or bathroom does not. Applicants must show how every krone will be spent, for example with a tradesperson’s quote, a home condition report or similar. The banks add that an intact asbestos roof should not be torn off just because of what it is made of; the loan applies when a specific assessment finds action is needed.
The mortgage route
Bigger projects can instead be financed through a Realkredit Danmark mortgage, folded into the home’s long-term financing with maturities up to 30 years. No loan fee or processing costs are charged on that route, and other costs follow the standard terms.
Mark Wraa-Hansen, Head of Personal Banking at Danske Bank Denmark, said many rural homeowners face a major project when an asbestos roof has to go, a subject that has drawn recent political attention. He said the bank wants to give people more reason to invest in improvements that make a home healthier and protect its value.
Kamilla Hammerich Skytte, CEO of Realkredit Danmark, pointed to older rural houses built with asbestos-containing materials or still on private water and wastewater systems. In such cases the investment is hard to justify against the property’s value and marketability. These repairs, she said, are not made to fit a new kitchen or lift the sale price but to keep the home in good condition and stop it deteriorating.
A bank loan of DKK 500,000 over 10 years at 2.82% costs DKK 4,826 a month, with a 3.0% APR and DKK 579,119 payable in total, the bank’s own example shows. Loans above DKK 250,000 require a mortgage on the property as security.
