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HEALTH

Swedish homeowners’ radon concerns rise ahead of new rules

Home owners in Stockholm are rushing to apply for government subsidies to tackle radon problems in their houses. Health concerns and Sweden's pending adoption of European Union energy declaration directives lie behind the trend.

Published: 30 July 2008 10:28 CEST
Swedish homeowners' radon concerns rise ahead of new rules

The Energy Declaration of Buildings Act was passed by the Swedish parliament and came into force in 2006.

It stipulates that all buildings in Sweden must have an energy declaration from January 1st 2009.

The new legislation harmonized domestic Swedish legislation with EU law and implemented Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and the Council on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD).

One of the factors covered by the declaration is the harmful inert gas radon, common in Swedish homes – especially those built from 1929 to 1978 when the use of radon in construction ceased.

Aside from the new legislation, there is good reason for tackling high radon levels as it is the most common cause of lung cancer, after smoking, in Sweden.

Every year, 500 people die as a direct result of exposure to high levels of radon, according to Dagens Nyheter.

The pending regulations, and greater awareness of the health risks posed by radon, has sent home owners in Stockholm and other counties in Sweden rushing to apply for subsidies to tackle their radon problems.

“We have never had so many applications as we have now,” said Gerd Norrman at Stockholm county housing office to Dagens Nyheter.

In Stockholm alone 196 home owners have applied for subsidies in the first six months of 2008 in comparison with 98 in the corresponding period of 2007.

The subsidies cover up to half the cost of decontaminating homes from radon, with a limit of 15,000 kronor ($2,479). Subsidies are available for the purchase of energy-efficient windows, biomass boilers and other indoor environment measures.

Radon is an inert gas that is found in the ground and ground water. It can enter homes through leaks in the foundations or the walls of the house, or from wells.

The Energy Declaration of Buildings Act which will come into force on January 1st 2009 will apply to all newly built homes and buildings and when a building is sold or rented out.

Before an energy declaration can be drawn up for an existing building the owner must ensure than the building is inspected by an independent expert. The owner must also make sure that one copy of the energy declaration is filed with the National Board of Housing (Boverket) which will be responsible for an energy declaration register.

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PROPERTY

INTERVIEW: ‘Most foreigners in Sweden don’t know they can get back excess rent’

In Sweden, people subletting apartments are not allowed to charge more in rent than they themselves pay. But foreign subtenants don't always know this. We asked Roland Sjölin, lawyer at the Swedish Tenants' Association, about how to get back excess rent.

Published: 18 April 2024 15:19 CEST
Updated: 21 April 2024 08:12 CEST
INTERVIEW: 'Most foreigners in Sweden don't know they can get back excess rent'

More and more of the people asking the Swedish Tenants’ Association, Hyresgästföreningen in Swedish, for help with excess rent are foreigners, Sjölin told The Local in an interview.

“The problem is that if you’re coming from another country, and you’re subletting an apartment, you’re probably not familiar with the rules in Sweden, because in other countries, it might be okay to overcharge your tenants.” 

He said that clients from India in particular seeking help from the association were now “very common”. 

“Many people come here to work as engineers in the IT sector and then have to rent somewhere,” he said, adding that as a group Indians appeared to be “very aware of their rights.”

Sweden’s rental sector is heavily regulated, with first hand contracts negotiated between landlords and the Tenants’ Association, and the rent that can be charged for second-hand contracts limited to only a small fraction above what the first-hand renter pays. 

“You’re not allowed to make any profit subletting an apartment in Sweden,” Sjölin explains. “You can only charge the subletting tenant the same rent as you [the first-hand tenant] are paying to your landlord, and then you can add the costs for internet and electricity, and perhaps a parking lot, if that is included.” 

Tenants’ Association lawyer Roland Sjölin. Photo: supplied.

You can also add a påslag or “markup”, if you are renting out the apartment fully furnished, but this cannot exceed more than 15 percent of the rent. 

That doesn’t mean that most landlords follow the law. The competition for rental apartments, especially in Stockholm, is so intense, that unscrupulous sublet landlords often try to get away with charging well over the legal amount, charging what is known in Sweden as ockerhyra, or “excess rent” and hoping that their tenants are too desperate to complain.  

What many foreigners do not realise is that even after the rental period is over, they can still get back any excess rent they have paid by applying to the Rental Board or Hyresnämnden, which functions like a court judging rental disputes. 

“If you have the evidence then it’s fairly easy,” Sjölin said. “I get a new case every second week on repayment of unfair rent, and I think that I win most of them.” 

“Nowadays, you can get paid back excess rent up to 24 months back in time, so people tend to get more money,” he added. “In some cases, they can get 200,000 kronor. In other cases, perhaps it’s only 30,000 kronor or 60,000 kronor. It depends on how long you have rented the apartment, and how excessive the rent you’ve been paying has been.”

The first step is to establish what would have been a fair rent, either by asking your landlord what they themselves pay directly or by checking with the Tenants’ Association.

“Because we negotiate most rents in Sweden, we normally know what the firsthand rent is,” Sjölin explained.

Then you need to collect together your evidence.

“It’s a good thing to have a written contract and also papers from your bank showing that you paid rent every month, and perhaps photographs of the apartment, so the rental board can get an idea of the apartment you were renting and what would be a fair rent, and also the termination for the contract so you can show the court how long you’ve been living in the apartment.” 

But Sjölin underlined that since Sweden has free burden of evidence, none of this is essential. 

“Even if you’ve been paying in cash, if you have witnesses who can testify what you were paying each month, you still have a chance of getting your money back. It’s a bit more tricky, but I’ve won two cases like that this year.” 

People in Sweden, he explained, tend to wait until the rental period is over before seeking to get paid back excess rent rather than challenging their landlord while they are still living in the apartment. 

“You don’t have any legal protection for your home for the first two years, so if you bring the matter up with the person you’re renting the apartment from you risk losing your contract and having to move out, so most people wait until they’re supposed to move anyway,” he said.

If you apply to the rental board for a refund close to the day you move out, you can then make your landlord pay back all excess rent paid in the 24 months leading up to the date you contacted the rental board.

If you are a member of the Tenants’ Association, you can contact them and ask for help with your application, but there are also specialist companies, like Orimlig Hyra AB who will buy your case off you and give you a refund within 48 hours, saving you a long wait in exchange for a cut of the money reclaimed. 

Sjölin said that the rental board normally took about 8 months to come to a judgement, but that if the person with the first hand contract appeals, that could extend the waiting time by between six months and a year.

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