Therese Johaug får beholde garasje

Oslo kommune had long claimed that parts of Therese Johaug's garage and access road to their villa in Holmenkollen were municipal property. Earlier this year, the municipality warned the couple that they would have to stop using the garage and that parts of it and a supporting wall could be demolished if they did not purchase the land at market price.

Now, however, the municipality has turned around, according to TV 2. The property and urban renewal department (EBY) believes Johaug and her partner Nils Jakob Hoff have acquired property rights to the area through the use of Norwegian law, which allows for long-term use in good faith to become ownership of real estate or fixtures, even if the individual was not initially the owner.

TV 2 reports that the couple hired attorney Martin Støren from Advokatfirmaet Schjødt earlier this year, after EBY set a four-week deadline to clear up the case in April. The attorney presented historical aerial photographs that documented the garage and supporting wall as standing unchanged for years. The claim for 20 years of good faith use had thus been fulfilled before the municipality warned of the situation in 2023.

After a "holistic assessment," EBY has now approved that Johaug and Hoff have asserted their right to the area, granting the couple property rights over the 19 square meter area. The couple will not have to pay for the land and have now entered an agreement with Oslo municipality regarding property rights, which includes their commitment to cover costs for surveying, registration, registration, and any document fees.