Housing unit

A housing unit (Norwegian: bruksenhet) is a building or floor area sequence that is functionally self-contained: its own entrance, its own main functions such as kitchen and bathroom, and its own address. It is the smallest dwelling unit in the matrikkel and what everyday speech calls a flat or a home. A detached house normally consists of one housing unit, a block of flats of many.

The housing unit is defined in matrikkelforskriften § 2 (the cadastre regulations), under the authority of matrikkelloven (the Cadastre Act), as a registration object in the matrikkel. Each housing unit in the matrikkel gets its own housing unit number, normally in the format H0101, where the letter indicates the floor type (H for main floor, U for lower floor, K for basement, L for attic) and the four-digit number points to the floor plus the flat number on that floor. H0101 is then the first flat on the first floor. The housing unit number is what you find on the front door in a block of flats, and what identifies the individual home in public registers, with Skatteetaten (the Norwegian Tax Administration), the National Population Register and with the municipality.

To count as a separate housing unit, the unit must meet the self-containment requirements in the building technical regulations TEK17: its own main entrance, its own kitchen, its own bathroom and its own sanitary solution, and a layout that is functionally separated from the rest of the home. A basement flat (sokkelleilighet) in a detached house meets this and becomes a separate housing unit (see basement flat). A "rental part" without its own entrance, or sharing a bathroom with the main home, does not meet the requirement and is not a separate housing unit, even if it is used for renting out.

The number of housing units has consequences at several stages:

• Taxation. Skatteetaten distinguishes between a primary home (where the owner lives) and a secondary home (a rental unit) based on housing units, and the net wealth value is set per unit. A detached house with an approved basement flat is two housing units with two different tax statuses.
• Sectioning of ownership units. Self-contained housing units in a building can be sectioned as separate legal units with their own page in Grunnboken and their own legal title. This is a precondition for ordinary trade in flats.
• The Tenancy Act. Renting out a housing unit is subject to its own rules for units with their own entrance and bathroom/kitchen, as opposed to renting out a room in a shared household.
• Fire and escape. TEK17 sets separate requirements for each housing unit (alarm system, escape route, fire separation from other units), and the municipality can require upgrades in the event of a change of use.

The matrikkel registers the housing unit with UFA, floor, number of rooms and housing unit number. For residential buildings this is entered automatically when the building receives its completion certificate; for older buildings the registration is incomplete because the requirements were only tightened later. You can find buildings where the matrikkel shows one housing unit even though there are physically several dwellings, typically in older detached houses with an unregistered rental part. Such discrepancies must be corrected through an application to the municipality for a change of use or for correction of the cadastral information.

In Placepoint, all housing units for a building are listed under the building panel, with UFA, number of rooms and address for each unit. For commercial buildings, the housing unit is also used to break the building down per tenant, since each leased area in an office building is often registered as a separate housing unit in the matrikkel.

How it looks in Placepoint

In Placepoint you find this in the Building panel:

From Placepoint's dictionary: Bruksenhet

More information: Lovdata: Matrikkelforskriften § 2, Kartverket: Matrikkelen, DiBK: TEK17 § 5-4

English: Occupancy unit (matrikkel sub-unit identified by a bruksenhetsnummer).

Frequently asked questions

What is a housing unit?

The smallest registered dwelling unit in the matrikkel, typically a flat or home with its own entrance, its own kitchen and its own bathroom. Each housing unit has its own housing unit number (for example H0101).

What does the letter in the housing unit number mean?

The letter states the floor type: H for main floor, U for lower floor, K for basement, L for attic. The four digits state the floor plus the flat number.

When is a rental part a separate housing unit?

When it has its own entrance, its own kitchen and its own bathroom, and is functionally separated from the rest of the home. The requirements in TEK17 must also be met. Bedsits in a shared home do not count as separate housing units.

How many housing units does a typical detached house have?

Usually one. A detached house with an approved basement flat has two. Semi-detached houses have two housing units, but these can belong to the same or to different ownership sections.

Where do I find housing units in Placepoint?

In the building panel for each building, taken from the matrikkel. The list shows UFA, number of rooms and address for each unit.