Rental listings Sweden

What types of residences are there in Sweden?

In Sweden there are mainly four types of different residences and this can be of importance for you who rent an apartment. These four are:

• Bostadsrätt (Condominum, normally apartements or townhouses) 
• Hyresrätt (Rented apartment) 
• Ägarlägenhet (Fully owned apartment) 
• Fastighet (Property, normally houses)

If you rent a Bostadsrätt or a Hyresrätt from someone in Sweden they need to get this approved either from the association of the condominiums or from the original landlord (this is not needed if there is a Ägarlägenhet or Fastighet). They will then determine if the one who you rent the apartment from are allowed to do this, for how long and also approve you as a tenant.  If they do not approve of this they can appeal against this through the Rent Tribunal (Hyresnämnden). If they rent the apartment out to you without getting it approved you can be asked to leave in a very short notice and the one who has rented it to you can lose the right to their home. The approval is normally for 6 months - 1 year at the time and is normally up to a couple of years with a new aproval every six months or year. All apartments have a four digit number that is registered with the Tax office (Skatteverket) and that you need when you change your adress.

In general the standard in Swedish apartments and houses are good. The interior is in general minimalistik, simplistik and funtional. Even if it is unfurnished they always have kitchen appliances such as freezer, oven and fridge, and you should always have access to a washer, either in the apartment or in a laundry room. The laundry room in general has a good standard with several washing machines, dryer and so on that you can book free of charge. If you rent an apartment or a house in Sweden it is important to ask what utilities that are included in the rent. The houses are often rented with cold rent which means that all the utilities are payed by you as a tenant and apartments in general have at least water, heating and garbage disposal included in the rent.

Smoking is in general prohibited in all apartments and houses and also in the public areas on the property. You as a tenant can be obligated to pay for sanitation if smoking in these areas. Sometimes you as a tenant can be obligated to attend cleaning days, but in general the stairway and other public areas are being cleaned on a regular basis.

What is important to know about the Swedish housing market?

The Swedish rental market is a hard regulated market if you do an international comparison. It has been regulated how much rent you can take, under what circumstances you can sublease an apartment, for how long and it has been highly taxed. This has created a much smaller supply of rental apartments than the current demand and to some extent a not so reliable market when subleasing apartments. Therefore there are a shortage of apartments in all the largest cities and most people find it really difficult to find an apartment, especially if you are not from Sweden. 

When renting in Sweden there are some pitfalls that you as a foreigner should be aware of and try to avoid. We have therefore listed some things that you can do to avoid being tricked in the Swedish rental market:

• See the apartment - when renting in Sweden you should always make sure to see the apartment either in person or if you have a friend or family that can visit it for you. If that does not work ask the landlord to show it through skype. You will then be able to see the apartment and meet with the landlord. It is important as you can see that the apartment actually exists and that is suites your criteria.
• Do not pay before getting the keys - every year there are a number of examples of tenants that have been tricked into believing that there is an actual apartment and payed the deposit and rent before receiving the keys. You should therefore never pay the rent or deposit before getting the keys, if you are not going through a well reputed company.
• Sign a contract - you should always make sure that you have a contract that clearly states the terms of the rental and follows the Swedish rules in the area.

What is considered normal wear and tear during a lease?

We are often asked by our customers what is considered normal wear and tear during a lease and what degree of wear would make the tenant(s) liable to compensate the landlord for the damage caused. This is not an easy question and it depends on several factors; generally, however normal wear and tear is damage that naturally is associated with living in a property. For example, smaller scratches on the floor from e.g. a bed or some lighter wear on the carpeting.

It is when the damages done to the property are caused by e.g. negligence or other factors which have been caused by the tenant(s), that the tenant(s) will be liable to compensate for the damages made. Ripped or marked up wallpaper, broken or missing locks, and gouged floors are all examples of damage on the property which generally exceed what is considered normal wear. This also applies to such damage caused by visitors, for example friends or colleagues. It is also required that the tenant(s) properly take care of the apartment during the lease through measures such as cleaning and proper reporting of damages such as water leaks or the like the landlord.

Although the balance of what exactly is considered normal or excessive wear depend on several factors such as how long you have lived, the extent of the damage and the conditions of the housing in general, we have given some further examples of what generally is considered normal wear and tear as well as unnormal damage below:

Normal

• Smaller holes in the walls for setting up e.g. pictures
• Smaller scratches in the floor from e.g. a bed
• Worn out keys
• Scuffed handles
• Faded paint on the walls

Unnormal

• A window that has been broken from the inside pane
• Cracks in the sink(s), bathtub(s) or toilet seat(s)
• Smoking in the housing
• Marks with pens on the floor, ceiling, or walls
• Grease stains on wall
• Inadequate move-out cleaning

To read more, please visit 24 § 12 kap. Jordabalken at https://lagen.nu/1970:994

Moving to Sweden

Here we have some useful links if you are planing or already have moved to Sweden:

Tips about Sweden and Swedes 

https://sweden.se/society/20-things-to-know-before-moving-to-sweden/

Swedish Tax office

http://www.skatteverket.se/

Swedish migration agency

http://www.migrationsverket.se/

Ministry of Foreign affairs:

http://www.swedenabroad.com/

General information about Sweden

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy and has been so since the 1500s. The head of state is King Carl XVI who has only ceremonial and representative functions, but no political power. The four largest cities from the biggest to the forth largest are Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö and Uppsala. The population is just over 10 million and the surface area is 450 000 sq km so it has a low population density and approximately 85 % live in the urban areas. Approximately 18% of the population has an immigrant background or has at least one non-swedish parent.