House rules in a housing cooperative are rules your building has decided on itself, not a law from Parliament. Here's who decides them, what the board can require of you, and what happens if you break them.
House rules in housing cooperatives are your building's own rules
House rules are local rules for one building. They apply to everyone who lives there – owners, tenants, and your guests. The law itself says little that is concrete.
The Housing Cooperative Act (law on housing cooperatives) § 5-11 first paragraph says you must treat your home and common areas properly, and that use must not be harmful or a nuisance to others in an unreasonable or unnecessary way. The Co-owner Section Act § 25 second paragraph says the same for co-owner sections. The standard in the law is thus "unreasonable or unnecessary". It is a matter of judgment, not a specific time and not a decibel limit.
The specific numbers – when you can drill, where you can put your bicycle – are in the house rules for your particular building. Always ask for the rules in writing from the board or the building administrator. The minutes from the meeting should also be kept available for residents (brl. § 7-9 second paragraph, esl. § 53).
Who decides the house rules – the board or the residents?
It depends on the form of ownership. In a housing cooperative, the board can set ordinary house rules on its own (brl. § 5-11 fourth paragraph). In a co-owner section, it is the annual meeting – that is, the residents – who decide them (esl. § 28 first paragraph).
The board in a housing cooperative is not sovereign, however. The general assembly has the highest authority in the cooperative (brl. § 7-1), and the board must follow the law, bylaws, and decisions from there (brl. § 8-8). The board can only set ordinary house rules. Anything more extensive belongs in the bylaws.
| Question | Housing cooperative | Co-owner section |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides the house rules | The board (brl. § 5-11) | The annual meeting (esl. § 28) |
| Who decides the bylaws | The general assembly, 2/3 majority (brl. § 7-11) | The annual meeting, 2/3 majority (esl. § 27) |
| Starting point for pet ownership | No main rule in the law (brl. § 5-11) | "Pet ownership is allowed" (esl. § 28) |
| Deadline in sale order | At least 3 months from receipt (brl. § 5-22) | At least 6 months from receipt (esl. § 38) |
Where the rule is located determines how many votes you need to change it. If a pet ban is in the house rules in a co-owner section, a simple majority at the annual meeting is enough (esl. § 49). If it is in the bylaws, you need two-thirds of the votes (esl. § 27 second paragraph). SamfunnPrep has a separate guide on the difference between housing cooperatives and individual ownership.
Is there a fixed quiet hour from 23 to 07 in Norwegian law?
No. Neither the Housing Cooperative Act nor the Co-owner Section Act mentions a single time of day. We read through the entire text of both laws on July 29, 2026: the words "quiet hour", "night rest" and "house rules" gave zero results.
The quiet hour "23–07" comes from the house rules your neighbors have decided on. That is why it is different from building to building, and why it can also be voted on again. You find the same pattern between neighboring properties – see our article on neighbor law and conflict between neighboring properties.
Many municipalities have police regulations on peace and order. But the Police Act § 14 first paragraph no. 1 applies to "places that are commonly frequented", that is, public places. A police regulation does not determine the quiet hour inside your apartment.
Can the board forbid you to have a dog or cat?
A ban on pet ownership can be decided, but it is never absolute. All three housing laws have the same exception: you can still keep pets if good reasons support it, and the pet ownership is not a nuisance to other users of the property.
- Housing cooperative: brl. § 5-11 fourth paragraph.
- Co-owner section: esl. § 28 second paragraph, which starts with the main rule "Pet ownership is allowed."
- Rental housing: Rental Act § 5-2 second paragraph.
What counts as "good reasons" is assessed case by case. The laws do not say what reasons are good enough, and no one gets an automatic yes. Apply in writing, describe the animal, and ask for a written response. More rules for dogs and cats in Norway are in a separate article.
What happens if you break the rules?
A note on your door has no legal effect in itself. The law has a ladder with several steps, written requirements, and deadlines of months.
- Complaint from neighbor or board. No formal requirements and no legal effect. Respond, talk with them, and write down what happened.
- Written warning. It must be in writing and inform you that substantial breach gives the right to require the home to be sold (brl. § 5-22, esl. § 38). Without that sentence, it does not count as a step in the law.
- Sale order – from the cooperative in a housing cooperative, from the board in a co-owner section. Requires substantial breach despite warning. The deadline must be at least three months in a housing cooperative and at least six months in a co-owner section – counted from the date you received the order, not from the date on the letter.
- Forced sale or eviction. A claim for eviction is brought before the district court (brl. § 5-23, esl. § 39). If you raise objections within the deadline that are not "clearly unfounded", the claim cannot be granted without a full court case.
Eviction without warning is reserved for danger of destruction or "serious annoyance or nuisance". You and your closest relations cannot vote in a case about sale or eviction that concerns you (brl. § 7-10 second paragraph, esl. § 48 letter d).
Can the board fine you for breaking the house rules?
No. We searched through the entire Housing Cooperative Act and the entire Co-owner Section Act on July 29, 2026. Neither of them gives the board authority to fine a resident for breaking the house rules. The fee provisions in the two laws deal with ownership changes, sectioning, and registration. The sanctions the laws actually provide are warning, sale order, and eviction.
Two things are, however, something else: penalty charge for improper parking on private parking space is based on parking regulations and agreement, and compensation for damage you have caused follows separate rules.
How to change a rule you think is unreasonable
You do not have to accept a rule you think is unreasonable, but you must use the proper channel.
- Ask the board to justify the rule in writing.
- Send your proposal to the board before the deadline the board has announced. An ordinary meeting is held by the end of June each year (brl. § 7-4, esl. § 41).
- Notice of the meeting comes at least 8 and at most 20 days before the meeting. The meeting cannot vote on matters that are not on the agenda (brl. § 7-8, esl. § 45).
- Attend the meeting. You have the right to make proposals, speak, and vote, and can bring one advisor (brl. § 7-2, § 7-3).
- Is it urgent? Two owners with at least ten percent of the votes can demand an extraordinary meeting (brl. § 7-5, esl. § 42).
Remember the limit against abuse of power: neither the general assembly, the annual meeting, nor the board can decide anything that gives someone an unreasonable advantage at the expense of others (brl. § 7-13 and § 8-15, esl. § 40).
Are you renting an apartment in the building?
The house rules also apply to you as a tenant. The Rental Act § 5-2 first paragraph says that the landlord must maintain ordinary peace and order in the property. You must follow ordinary house rules and reasonable orders from the landlord.
In a housing cooperative, there is a shorter route to a tenant than to an owner. According to brl. § 5-9, the cooperative can order the user to move and demand eviction, without going through a sale order. Esl. § 39 second paragraph gives the same option against a user who is not a co-owner. In return, brl. § 5-7 gives you a protection few know about: if the cooperative does not answer a written application for approval within one month, you are considered approved.
If the conflict is between you and the landlord, the Rental Dispute Committee is the appeals route, and the rules on notice of eviction from rental housing are worth knowing. If you are a cooperative member in conflict with the housing cooperative, the route goes through mediation and the district court.
Rules on housing cooperatives, co-owner sections, and participation are also part of the curriculum for the social studies test. You can practice free on SamfunnPrep.
