Renting in Sweden: the rules

Rentals of houses and flats are governed by chapter 12 of Jordabalken (the Land Code), usually called hyreslagen (the Tenancy Act). A tenancy runs until further notice (tills vidare) unless a fixed term is agreed, and either side can demand a written contract (12 kap. 2–3 §§). A fixed-term tenancy ends by itself when the term runs out, but once it has lasted more than nine months in a row it must be terminated in writing, and if nobody does, it continues until further notice. The main first-hand contract is a hyresrätt (rental right) with a landlord. The tenant has besittningsskydd (security of tenure): the landlord can only end it on the grounds listed in 12 kap. 46 §, such as serious breaches, demolition or major renovation, and a disputed termination goes to the Hyresnämnden (regional rent tribunal).

A second-hand contract (andrahandskontrakt) is when someone who rents or owns a home lets it on to you. If the letter holds a hyresrätt, hyreslagen still applies, but you have no security of tenure until the arrangement has lasted two years in a row (12 kap. 45 §). A lodger (inneboende) who rents a room in the letter's own home has no security of tenure at all. Since 1 July 2026, homes let by a private person or an estate, such as a bostadsrätt (tenant-owned flat), a house or an ägarlägenhet (owner-occupied flat), are covered by the separate Privatuthyrningslag (2026:772), which gives no right to renewal. Contracts signed under the old Lag (2012:978) om uthyrning av egen bostad before that date keep the old rules (transitional provisions, SFS 2026:772). As of 2026-09.

No Swedish law caps or regulates deposits (deposition). Neither hyreslagen nor the new Privatuthyrningslag (2026:772) mentions them, so the amount and when it is repaid depend on the contract. A government memorandum (Ds 2023:32) proposed a legal cap of two months' rent, but it had not become law as of 2026-09. What the law does limit is advance rent: for a home, rent for any month after the first only has to be paid by the last weekday before that month, whatever the contract says (12 kap. 20 §).

In practice, the large first-hand landlords usually screen tenants with an income requirement, a credit check and references rather than a deposit, though some ask for a deposit or a guarantor from applicants who fall short. Second-hand and private landlords commonly ask for one to two months' rent. Hyresgästföreningen advises that a deposit is not advance rent, should be no more than a couple of months' rent, and must be written into the contract. It is returned after you move out if you have not damaged the home or its contents. Disputes about deductions go to the district court (tingsrätt), not the Hyresnämnden, and under the private letting law claims must be brought within two years of moving out (7 kap. 1 §, 2026:772). As of 2026-09.

First-hand rents follow the bruksvärde (utility value) system. If there is a dispute, the rent must be reasonable, and a rent is not reasonable if it is noticeably higher than for flats of equivalent utility value, compared first with rents set in collective negotiations (12 kap. 55 §). In practice most rents are set each year in negotiations between landlords and Hyresgästföreningen (the tenants' union) under hyresförhandlingslagen (1978:304). The 2026 round gave an average increase of about 3.4% nationally, down from over 4% a year in 2023–2025 (Hem & Hyra, March 2026). New builds can have a presumtionshyra (presumption rent), a negotiated rent that counts as reasonable for up to 15 years (hyresförhandlingslagen 19 a §). Since 1 January 2026 it can be adjusted each year in line with local rent growth, and this also applies to existing agreements.

If you sublet a hyresrätt, your rent can never be reasonable if it is above the rent the tenant pays, plus up to 15% for furniture and the actual cost of anything else included, such as electricity or internet. If you rent part of the flat, the cap is a proportional share (12 kap. 55 § fourth paragraph). The Hyresnämnden can order an excessive rent repaid, with interest, for up to two years before your application, provided you apply within three months of moving out (12 kap. 55 f §).

Privately owned homes follow the new Privatuthyrningslag from 1 July 2026. Landlord and tenant agree the rent freely. The Hyresnämnden only lowers it if it is substantially higher (väsentligt högre) than what is generally charged for similar private lets, and a lower rent applies from the date of your application (2 kap. 5–6 §§, 2026:772). Under the old law (2012:978) rent could be cut to roughly the owner's capital and running costs, so the new rules allow higher rents. Private contracts may include index-linked increases, at most once a year (2 kap. 4 §). As of 2026-09.

Under hyreslagen, a tenancy that runs until further notice can be ended with three months' notice by either side, to the end of a month (12 kap. 4 §), and a tenant of a home can always leave on three months' notice, even from a fixed term (12 kap. 5 §). Notice from the landlord must be in writing and state the reason. For a first-hand tenant, the landlord's notice only ends the tenancy if a ground in 12 kap. 46 § applies or the Hyresnämnden agrees. Otherwise the tenant has the right to stay. A second-hand tenant who has been there less than two years, or a lodger, has to leave when the notice or fixed term runs out. For fixed terms that must be terminated, the notice needed is one day for terms up to two weeks, one week for terms up to three months and three months for longer terms, unless a longer period was agreed (12 kap. 4 § second paragraph).

Under the Privatuthyrningslag (from 1 July 2026), an open-ended private let can be ended by either side with three months' notice. A fixed term simply ends, but the tenant can always leave early on three months' notice. The landlord can no longer end a fixed term early without a reason (2026:772, 6 kap. 1–3 §§). Under the old law a tenant needed only one month's notice. For both kinds of tenancy, the landlord can end the tenancy immediately (förverkande) for serious breaches such as unpaid rent, an unauthorised sublet, disturbance or criminal use. A first-hand tenant who is behind with rent can usually keep the home by paying within three weeks of being formally told, and the social services are notified (12 kap. 42 and 44 §§). As of 2026-09.

The landlord must keep the home in the condition agreed or that can generally be expected, and fix defects. If they do not, the tenant can ask for a rent reduction, have the defect repaired at the landlord's cost or, if it is serious, end the contract. The tenant must look after the home, report damage promptly and pays for damage they or their household or guests cause (hyreslagen 12 kap.; the same structure in 2026:772, chapters 3–4). The rent must be a fixed amount. Heating, hot water, electricity and water may only be charged separately by actual use in certain cases, for example with individual metering (12 kap. 19 §; 2 kap. 1 §, 2026:772). First-hand rents usually include heating. Household electricity and home insurance (hemförsäkring) are normally the tenant's, and many landlords require insurance in the contract.

Brokerage fees charged to tenants are mostly illegal. Only a professional letting agent may charge a tenant, only if a contract is actually signed, and at most one tenth of the prisbasbelopp (price base amount) for a flat or house, or one twentieth for a room. That is about 5 920 kr and 2 960 kr in 2026, based on a prisbasbelopp of 59 200 kr. The cap was raised on 1 July 2026 (12 kap. 65 a §). Queue fees for municipal housing queues are allowed separately. Any other payment for getting or passing on a contract is a crime (see Subletting). As of 2026-09.

If you move to Sweden and plan to live here for at least one year, you must in most cases be registered in the population register (folkbokföring) with Skatteverket, the tax agency. EU/EEA citizens need proof of a right of residence (work, study or self-sufficiency), and others need a valid residence permit card. You apply through the 'Flytta till Sverige' e-service and then have your identity checked in person at a service office. When you are registered you get a personnummer (personal identity number). Skatteverket says it takes about four weeks before a case is picked up. After that, every move within Sweden must be reported within a week, and for a flat you need the apartment number (lägenhetsnummer). People staying less than a year can instead apply for a samordningsnummer (coordination number). It needs a demonstrated need and link to Sweden and an in-person ID check, and it becomes inactive after five years (Skatteverket, as of 2026-09).

The numbers are the main barrier for newcomers. Municipal housing queues, BankID (the electronic ID used to sign contracts and verify yourself on rental platforms) and credit checks all normally assume a personnummer, and some queues accept a samordningsnummer. In practice newcomers usually start on the second-hand market. A second-hand tenant can and should register at the address they actually live at. Registration only records where you live and does not need the owner's approval.

A tenant with a hyresrätt may only sublet the whole flat (andrahandsuthyrning) with the landlord's consent. If the landlord refuses, the Hyresnämnden can give permission for a limited time if there are good reasons, such as temporary work or study elsewhere, family reasons, age, illness or a long stay abroad, and the rent is within the legal cap (12 kap. 39–40 §§). Taking in lodgers is allowed as long as it does not overcrowd the flat or cause the landlord real problems (12 kap. 41 §). An unauthorised sublet can cost the first-hand tenant the contract (12 kap. 42 §). Since 2019, subletting without consent and charging more than the cap is a crime, with fines or up to two years in prison (12 kap. 65 c §).

The owner of a bostadsrätt needs the housing association board's consent to sublet. If the board refuses, the Hyresnämnden gives permission when the owner has a reason and the association has no justified objection (bostadsrättslagen 7 kap. 10–11 §§). Since 1 July 2026, earlier sublets only count against a new application if they were extensive, so a year of subletting no longer blocks the next year on its own. The association may charge a sublet fee of up to 10% of the prisbasbelopp a year, about 5 920 kr in 2026 (bostadsrättslagen 9 kap. 15 §). If you rent from a private owner under the Privatuthyrningslag, you may only sublet with the owner's consent, and the Hyresnämnden cannot overrule them (2026:772, 5 kap. 2 §).

Buying or selling a rental contract (svarthandel, black-market trading) is a crime. Asking for or taking money to let a flat or hand over a contract carries up to two years in prison, or four years if the offence is gross. Paying for a contract has also been a crime since 1 October 2019, with fines or up to two years, and up to four if gross (12 kap. 65 and 65 b §§). A tenant who buys or sells a contract also risks losing it (12 kap. 42 §).

A private person can let up to two homes under the Privatuthyrningslag (2026:772). If you regularly let more than two homes that are not part of your own home, or if you are letting a hyresrätt, the full hyreslagen applies instead, including security of tenure and utility-value rents (2026:772, 1 kap. 3 §). A bostadsrätt owner needs the association's consent before letting (see Subletting). If you let a house or ägarlägenhet you own, it must have a valid energy declaration (energideklaration), and its energy performance figure must appear in the advert (Lag 2006:985 om energideklaration för byggnader, as amended 2026). For a bostadsrätt the association, as building owner, is responsible for the declaration. No landlord registration or licence is required.

Tax (Skatteverket, as of 2026-09): income from letting your own home is capital income, and the surplus is taxed at 30%. From the rent received you may deduct a standard allowance (schablonavdrag) of 40 000 kr a year per home, split between co-owners. On top of that you can deduct 20% of the rental income for a house or ägarlägenhet, or, for a bostadsrätt, the association fee for the let part and period (excluding capital contributions). If you sublet a hyresrätt, you can deduct the rent you pay yourself. Actual costs cannot be deducted instead, and the surplus is declared in the tax return at point 7.3.

A first-hand tenant who sublets may never charge more than their own rent plus up to 15% for furniture (12 kap. 55 §). Asking for key money or a fee for the contract is a crime (12 kap. 65 §).

The Hyres- och arrendenämnden (Hyresnämnden, the regional rent and tenancy tribunals) mediate and decide disputes about rent, repayment of excessive second-hand rent, permission to sublet, repairs and whether a tenancy continues. Applying costs nothing, but each side pays its own costs such as a lawyer (Sveriges Domstolar). Decisions on rent can be appealed to Svea hovrätt (Svea Court of Appeal) within three weeks. Since 1 July 2026, appeals in rent repayment cases need leave to appeal, and new evidence is limited. Money claims such as an unreturned deposit go to the district court (tingsrätt).

Hyresgästföreningen, the national tenants' union, negotiates first-hand rents and gives members advice and legal help. Fastighetsägarna is the main landlords' association. Konsumentverket (the Swedish Consumer Agency) runs free guidance for consumers. It dropped the name Hallå konsument in February 2025, and its pages explain second-hand and private letting rules. To evict, a landlord needs a decision from the Hyresnämnden or a court, or a summary order from Kronofogden (the Swedish Enforcement Authority). Kronofogden then carries out the eviction (avhysning), and the social services must have been told first.