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PROPERTY

Eight things to love about renting in Sweden

A housing crisis means that short-term sublets are the norm in major cities and rent regulation rules are frequently flouted. But this week, The Local has decided to look on the bright side of renting an apartment in Sweden.

Published: 22 October 2014 17:27 CEST
Updated: 16 January 2017 17:27 CET
Eight things to love about renting in Sweden
Newly built apartments in Solna. Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

1. Clever storage

You might end up in a tiny studio on the wrong side of the city from your office, but you can pretty much guarantee there’ll be plenty of space to store your stuff. Swedes are the masters of compact living, so expect under-the-bed storage, niftily designed flat-pack furniture or built-in wardrobes. Many apartment blocks also include basement lock-ups. You’ll be channelling minimalist Scandinavian chic in no time.

2. Industrial strength washing machines

Washing machines are a luxury item in Sweden and most apartment dwellers use communal laundry rooms. Yes it is incredibly annoying that you usually have to book a slot in advance and turn up on time. But in many places you can pick speedy cycles and put several loads on at once. Swedes love tumble dryers too, so there’s no need to spoil that minimalist vibe by hanging out washing in your living room (especially as this may also be the room you cook and sleep in).

3. Warmth

Heating is regulated in many apartment blocks. This means you can’t choose to whack your radiators on full blast in the summer, but you’ll be kept warm in winter, often for a fixed price included in your monthly rent. Useful in a country where night time temperatures regularly drop well below 10C between November and March.

4. Independence

Single? In Sweden it is the norm to live on your own and if you’re a working professional you should be able to afford it. Even if your landlord breaks rent regulations, a studio apartment in Stockholm or Malmö should still work out cheaper than in major cities in the UK, the US or Australia, where high rents force plenty of people to flat share well into their twenties and thirties, or southern European and Asian countries where family and economic pressures mean that many live with their parents until they settle down. The down side? If you’re a sociable person you might feel lonely. And it will always be your fault if the washing up doesn’t get done.

Whether you’re messy or clean, living alone isn’t everyone’s dream. Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

5. Sightseeing

So you found your dream apartment but then the person you were renting it from came home from abroad, broke up with their girlfriend, or simply had to move back in because of Swedish laws that limit the length of sublets? If you’re new to Sweden, being forced to move home more frequently than in most other countries is at least a good way to explore the city you’re living in, so you can pin down the areas you like best.

6. Maintenance

Sweden may have failed to build enough new homes in recent years, but strict regulations mean that properties of all ages are required to be well maintained. So you shouldn’t have to put up with a shower that doesn’t work or a kitchen that’s falling to pieces. As one French expat puts it: “In Paris, New York or London you usually have one choice: picking either an expensive apartment or a rubbish one. Here in Sweden – especially if you get that elusive first hand contract – you will find a flat that is decorated and maintained to a high standard”. 

Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

7. Communal areas

You don’t just get a laundry room to share with fellow apartment dwellers. In many housing blocks you’ll also find saunas, bookable games rooms, bike storage areas or communal barbecues. It’s often said that Swedes enjoy “being alone together” though, so you’re more likely to spot your neighbours sitting in silence than exchanging ‘in’ jokes.

8. Surrounded by nature

Wherever you end up based and no matter how small your apartment is, you’ll never be far from a park, lake or mountain. So if you get cabin fever, pull on a warm jacket and head out for a run, walk or cycle in the great outdoors. It’s one of the things Sweden does better than almost anywhere else in the world.

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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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