Home insurance and other policies

Do you need it if it isn't compulsory?

The law does not require it. But Konsumenternas, the independent consumer advice organisation, is clear:

«Du behöver en hemförsäkring, oavsett om du bor i hyresrätt, bostadsrätt eller villa.» (You need home insurance whether you live in a rental flat, a tenant-owned flat or a house.)

The reason is practical. Without a policy you pay yourself after a burglary, a water leak, or damage you cause to a neighbour. For anyone newly arrived it is one of the first things to sort out, along with the rental contract (see Finding a home).

What a hemförsäkring contains

According to Konsumenternas, every hemförsäkring is a package policy (paketförsäkring). It contains four parts, plus assault cover (överfallsskydd) that pays a fixed sum.

Part	What it covers	Good to know
Property cover (egendomsskydd)	Belongings (lösöre) you own, borrow or rent	Outside the home, items that are easy to steal are normally covered only in case of robbery, bag-snatching or assault
Liability cover (ansvarsskydd)	Damage you cause to others through negligence, also outside your home	Limits vary: read the terms
Legal protection (rättsskydd)	Legal costs in a dispute	Usually you must have held the home insurance for 2 years in a row; the excess is usually 20–25 %
Travel cover (reseskydd)	Mishaps while travelling	Usually for trips up to 45 days (60 in some policies)
Assault cover (överfallsskydd)	A fixed sum after an assault

What you need for your type of home

Konsumenternas sets it out like this:

• Hyresrätt (rental flat): you always need your own hemförsäkring.
• Subletting (andrahandshyra): see the warning below.
• Bostadsrätt (flat in a housing co-operative): the policy must be adapted. Sometimes the co-operative has a bostadsrättstillägg, a supplement covering your part of the property. Ask the co-operative.
• Villa (a house you own): you take out a combined villa-hemförsäkring.

If you are thinking of buying, the policy is part of the cost picture: see Buying a home in Sweden.

The allrisk add-on

Allrisk (sometimes called drulle, "clumsy") covers sudden and unforeseen damage, for example a phone that falls on the floor. It is usually not included in the basic policy: it is an add-on. Weigh what you own against what it would cost to replace.

Other policies, one line each

None of these is compulsory. According to Konsumenternas:

• Accident insurance (olycksfallsförsäkring): pays a sum if you are left disabled after an accident; "bra att ha" (good to have).
• Child insurance (barnförsäkring): "De flesta föräldrar väljer att teckna en barnförsäkring" (most parents choose to take out child insurance). For healthcare and children, see also Healthcare.
• Life insurance (livförsäkring): for a single person without children it is usually not needed.
• Private health insurance (sjukvårdsförsäkring): depends on how satisfied you are with public healthcare; often already provided by your employer. Check before paying twice.

Car: motor third-party insurance is compulsory

If you have a car, there is one insurance the law requires: the trafikförsäkring. It is compulsory for a vehicle in traffic, from day one. Halvförsäkring and helförsäkring (wider cover) are optional.

If you bring a car from another country, the trafikförsäkring is one of the steps. Everything else (driving licence, import, winter tyres) is in Driving licence and car.

How to compare, and where to turn

• Compare several offers. Excesses, limits and prices differ between insurers. Read the terms, not just the price.
• Konsumenternas gives independent advice: phone 0200-22 58 00, weekdays 9–12.
• If the insurer refuses your claim and you disagree, you can go to ARN (Allmänna reklamationsnämnden, the National Board for Consumer Disputes). You must first have received a refusal from the insurer. The fee is 150 kr, and for insurance the minimum value of the claim is 3,000 kr (from 1 August 2025).

Common mistakes

• Assuming you don't need it because it isn't compulsory. Konsumenternas says the opposite, whatever your type of home.
• Relying on the main tenant's policy when subletting. It usually does not cover you.
• Counting on legal protection from day one. It usually takes 2 years in a row.
• Thinking a broken phone is covered. Accidental damage is in allrisk, which is usually an add-on.
• Forgetting the bostadsrättstillägg if you live in a bostadsrätt.
• Expecting travel cover on long trips. It usually runs up to 45 days.
• Driving without trafikförsäkring. It is compulsory from the first day the car is in traffic.
• Going to ARN before the insurer has refused your claim.