Renting a home in Sweden

The kinds of contract you will meet

Most rentals in Sweden are a hyresrätt: a rental apartment, usually in a building owned by a landlord who rents out many homes. Do not mix it up with a bostadsrätt, where someone owns a share in a housing association and has the right to live in the apartment. This guide is only about renting.

Type	What it is	What to know
Förstahandskontrakt (first-hand)	A contract directly with the landlord of a hyresrätt.	Usually reached through the housing queues. The most secure, but with the longest waits in big cities.
Andrahandskontrakt (second-hand)	A tenant sublets their hyresrätt to you.	The most common way to start. The sublet must be approved by the landlord or by the Hyresnämnden. Fixed rules apply to the rent (see below).
Renting from a private owner	You rent a house, a bostadsrätt, an owned apartment or a room from a private individual.	A dedicated law applies from 1 July 2026 (see below).
A room in someone's home	You rent a room in the home of the owner or another tenant.	Counts as renting from a private person. Agree kitchen, bathroom, guests and costs in writing.

The Hyresnämnden (the rent tribunal) settles disputes between tenants and landlords about rent. You will see it mentioned several times here.

Housing queues (bostadskö)

Many public and private landlords hand out first-hand apartments through a bostadskö, a queue you join online. Joining costs a small yearly fee, and what counts is how long you have been registered, not how urgently you need a home.

In big cities the wait is years. The practical rule is: sign up now, even if you think you will stay a short time, and before you have any apartment in mind. Every year without a registration is a year lost. Check each queue's website for its conditions and for how to keep your registration active: if you do not renew it, you may lose your place.

The new private-rental law (from 1 July 2026)

From 1 July 2026 a new law on private rentals (privatuthyrningslag, SFS 2026

) applies when you rent a house, a bostadsrätt, an owned apartment or a room from a private person. In short:

• The rent must be reasonable compared with similar homes. If it looks too high, you can turn to the Hyresnämnden.
• 3 months' notice for you as the tenant if you want to leave.
• No right to renewal: the landlord can choose not to renew the contract when it ends.

The last point matters: a private contract gives you less security than a first-hand contract. If you have a family or a job that depends on the home, think about it before signing and ask for the length and the conditions to be written into the contract.

Subletting a hyresrätt: the rent rules

When you sublet a hyresrätt, the tenant who sublets may ask at most for a reasonable rent, starting from their own. According to the Swedish courts (domstol.se):

• if the home is furnished, the tenant may add at most 15 %;
• extra costs (electricity, internet, parking) are charged at actual cost, with no mark-up;
• if you paid too much, you can ask the Hyresnämnden to get the excess back for up to 2 years (for contracts made after 1 October 2019);
• you must do this within 3 months of the end of the contract: after that the right is lost.

Deposits and a written contract

A deposit is common. No legal maximum has been verified, so do not trust figures you hear on the street: have the amount written in the contract, get a receipt, and agree in writing how and when it will be returned. A very large deposit demanded before you have a contract is a warning sign (see the scam section).

Always insist on a written contract with the owner's name, address, rent, length, what is included and the notice period. A verbal agreement leaves you with nothing to stand on if something goes wrong.

How to recognise rental scams

So the first viewing should be in person, or at least a video call where the owner really shows you the home. A home that looks too good and too cheap is almost always a trap.

Before and after the move

• Registration: once you have an address you need it for folkbokföring if you stay at least a year.
• For non-EU citizens the residence permit is another step to handle in parallel: uppehållstillstånd.
• To open an account and use online services you will need BankID: many banks ask for a personnummer.

Common mistakes

• Paying before seeing the home or signing. The most frequent case, and the hardest to recover from.
• Joining the queue late. Time is what counts: the later you sign up, the longer the wait.
• Accepting a sublet rent without knowing what the tenant pays. Remember the 15 % limit for furnished homes.
• Not getting the landlord's approval when subletting: without it you risk being asked to leave.
• Forgetting the 3 months. To reclaim excess rent you have three months from the end of the contract.
• Signing a private contract without reading the length. There is no right to renewal.