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How does Sweden’s housing queue work, and is it worth joining?

Finding a place to live is simultaneously one of the most important steps for newcomers to Sweden and one of the most complex to get to grips with. Sweden's housing queues provide access to rental homes, where the monthly price is capped, but is it worth joining the queue, and will you ever reach the front?

Published: 2 February 2021 11:42 CET
Updated: 8 February 2024 15:44 CET
How does Sweden's housing queue work, and is it worth joining?
Is joining one of Sweden's many housing queues a good way to find your home? Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

Why does Sweden have a housing queue?

The housing queue, or really ‘queues’ since there are many across the country, is exactly what it sounds like: a queue for housing. The longer you are in the queue, the more points you accumulate, which you can use to get priority for renting an apartment.

The benefits of these ‘first-hand’ rentals are numerous. As well as the capped rent, tenants usually have the option to stay in the home for life, in comparison to private rentals which are strictly regulated and often have a maximum limit of one or two years.

The first queue was set up in the early 20th century, and the system was expanded during the First World War due to disruption on the housing market, when the government passed legislation that said all towns over 5,000 residents should operate a queue system.

The goal is to increase security for people who cannot or choose not to buy their homes, by giving them a stable place to live at stable prices. Unfortunately, a rising population combined with stagnation in construction of affordable construction means that the queues for the apartments have grown long in many places. 

What different kinds of queues are there?

Some queues are run by municipalities, and others by private companies, which however have to agree to certain conditions including the rent cap.

In some cases you pay a yearly fee to keep your place in the queue (this is especially common in the most sought-after locations) while others are free.

You should also be aware of some housing queues that are for specific groups, including students, young people (often defined as being under 27), and pensioners.

To find housing agencies (bostadsförmedlingar) in your area, you could search online or check your municipality’s website.

How long will it take to get an apartment through the queue?

This depends mostly on where in the country you are and what kind of queue you join, as that determines the level of competition for each apartment.

In some places, you will be eligible for apartments as they become available, whereas in Stockholm it can take more than ten years to be able to get a first-hand contract. A less densely populated area doesn’t necessarily mean a shorter queue time as it also depends on the interest in living there and availability of housing; on the island of Gotland, the main housing queue had an average waiting time of 13 years in 2020.

How does it work?

Once you have joined the queue, you can search for available apartments on the housing agency’s website, and register your interest in any you like the look of.

Then the company that owns the housing will choose some applicants to attend a viewing, and will then check your eligibility. For example, you usually need proof of your annual income (to show you can afford to pay rent and bills), references from previous landlords, and you may need a credit check. They will also check that you don’t already have a first-hand apartment.

How can I boost my chances of getting an apartment through the queue?

You gain ‘points’ based on how long you have been in the queue, which means more properties are available to you, so the sooner you sign up, the greater your chance of being allocated a place.

You can also boost your chances by joining multiple queues, or being clever about the ones you join. For example, the queues in Stockholm are the longest in the country, so by joining queues in neighbouring municipalities if you’re prepared to commute, you might increase your chances.

Beyond that, it’s crucial to monitor the sites regularly and carefully, because you might get an apartment by being quick. This is especially true if you can be active at times when other people are less likely to be looking, such as during summer holidays.

What are my other options?

Unless you are ready to buy property in Sweden, you will likely need to sublet, called second-hand renting in Sweden, either from someone who rents via the housing queue or from someone who owns their home.

The other alternative is to find a private landlord who rents outside the housing queue. Some landlords allocate apartments based on time of application (first come, first served or först till kvarn in Swedish) or through a lottery.

So, should I join the queue?

There’s no right or wrong answer, as it depends on factors like how long you want to live in Sweden, whether you can afford to buy property or feel confident finding a reasonably priced sublet, and how long the queue times in your area are.

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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
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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