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HOMES

11 amazing houses that make you long for summer

Looking to get yourself a cosy place in the countryside or by the sea? Be inspired by the finest cabins in Sweden and Denmark.

Published: 21 April 2016 10:58 CEST
11 amazing houses that make you long for summer

With the heat and light slowly arriving, it's time to start thinking about where you want to spend your holiday weeks during the summer. Doesn’t your very own summer cottage sound enticing? We have collected 11 different, but oh so lovely, summer homes that can inspire you to find your relaxing holiday oasis.

1. Summer idyll on Gotland

In 1862 the small Båtsmanstorpet of 40 square metres was built in the Linde area, on the southern part of Gotland. Inside the house you’ll find both beamed ceilings, charming wood floors, a fireplace and stove. In the lush garden roses grow, as well as lovely fruit trees.

2. Cabin along the coast in Denmark

On North Jutland lies one of Kassow Architects’ most beautiful projects. The cottage, which consists of three buildings, is created within the surrounding nature, with its black facade and grassy roof elegantly melting into the landscape. The large gable window lets nature float into the house, and provides lots of light from the west.

3. Stylish summer house in Marstrand

This little house is situated in Kungälv municipality, on the ”summer island” Marstrand. Malin Simson Interior redecorated the home, together with Christiane Inredning, mainly in pale shades and accents in pink and blue.

4. A couple’s dream cottage at the edge of a quarry

Bungenäs, a barren peninsula just east of Fårösund, is one of Gotland’s most dramatic places. A couple chose to build their summer cottage here, just a few meters from the edge of a quarry. The L-shaped building, which provides a protected courtyard facing the quarry and east, has been shaped to suit the couple's needs and vacation habits. In the open kitchen, where there is room for both cooking and socializing, there are large windows overlooking the quarry.

5. Lakefront with private dock

Snidare Architects has built this house, which consists of a main house, a guest cottage and a sauna. The latter two buildings are located right on the waterfront, with access to a private jetty.

6. Perfect for lazy summer days

In Burgsvik on Gotland, within walking distance of the beach, cafés and grocery store, you’ll find this charming wooden house of 50 square metres. If you want to hang out and feel like a local, you can easily check out the neighbour's flea market, listen to music from a small nearby stage, and, on a quieter day, chill in the shady garden.

7. Among grass and sand dunes

The area Kandestederne in Denmark, where this house is located, is known for its tough climate with strong winds and changing temperatures. But despite this, the architect Mads Møller of C. F. Møller chose to build his own summer house here. Nature has been very important for the design of the house, which consists of three interconnected buildings.

8. Simple luxury in a summer house in Skåne

This house, which originally was an old barn, was converted into a stylish summer home for a family. The budget was limited so they decided to use simple materials and bring back life to the farm by tearing down the walls and mixing traditional and modern elements. The result is a clean, minimalist, yet luxurious property.

9. A transformed summer cottage

The decorators at Loft Stockholm were commissioned to transform this little red cottage in Älvsala. They created a rural summer dream with beautiful materials and colours.

10. The house on top of the mountain

Rehnberg Geigant architects, who made this project, found inspiration from the landscape at Värmdö when they created the building. The house is built of pinewood, stone, glass and concrete, and is a beautiful addition to the mountainous surroundings.

11. Created with nature and history in mind

During seven years, an architect designed and built this summer house in Hälsingland for himself. Since both sketching and designing were developed at the same time, he has used and tried several experimental ideas, including a floor that is heated by hot air from the fireplace, passive solar heating and a new form of roofing in wood.

 

Find more information at houzz.se

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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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