Housing in Sweden – queues, sublets, scams and buying under the 2026 rules
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Finding somewhere to live is often the hardest part of moving to Sweden. The queues are long, sublets have new rules from 1 July 2026, and scammers know how urgently you need a key. Here is how the system works – and how to stay safe in it.
Two changes in 2026 shape the market you are moving into. Since 1 July 2026, a new privatuthyrningslag (Private Letting Act, 2026:772) covers private owners who let a house, a bostadsrätt (tenant-owned flat) or an ägarlägenhet (owner-occupied flat). And since 1 April 2026 the mortgage cap has been 90 per cent of the home’s value, up from 85 – so the minimum deposit has fallen from 15 to 10 per cent.
A förstahandskontrakt (first-hand contract) is signed directly with the landlord. An andrahandskontrakt (sublet) means you rent from the tenant or owner.
First-hand contracts: join the queue on day one
In the big cities, housing agencies run queues for rental flats. In Stockholm, anyone 18 or over with a personnummer or samordningsnummer can register with Bostadsförmedlingen, wherever they live in Sweden. It costs 200 kronor a year, paid by Swish or card. If your payment has not arrived five months after the due date, you are removed – and lose your queue time.
| Area | Housing agency | What to know | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stockholm | Bostadsförmedlingen i Stockholm, part of the City of Stockholm | 200 kronor a year; from age 18 | 08-785 88 30 |
| Gothenburg | Boplats Väst, formerly Boplats Göteborg, owned by the City of Gothenburg | Open to all landlords, public and private | 031-100 250 |
| Malmö and Skåne | Boplats Syd, formerly BoPoolen | Skåne’s largest; Malmö, Lund, Trelleborg and about twenty more municipalities | 010-20 22 500 |
Source: Bostadsförmedlingen i Stockholm, Boplats Väst and Boplats Syd, read 22 September 2026.
Now the numbers to plan around. Bostadsförmedlingen let 20,861 homes in 2025, and 894,592 people were registered on 31 December 2025. The average queue time was 9.0 years, 0.2 years longer than in 2024.
| Stockholm queue, 2025 | Average queue time |
|---|---|
| All homes let by Bostadsförmedlingen | 9.0 years |
| City of Stockholm | 12.4 years |
| Inner city | 21 years |
| Short-term contracts | About 12.5 years |
| Student housing | About 4.5 years |
| Södertälje, Sigtuna, Salem, Österåker, Tyresö, Upplands-Bro, Sollentuna | Under 5 years |
Source: Bostadsförmedlingen i Stockholm, read 22 September 2026.
So join the day you have a personnummer or samordningsnummer, look beyond the inner city and find somewhere else to live meanwhile. Registering is easiest with an e-ID – see part 4.
What rent costs
According to SCB (Statistics Sweden), the average monthly rent for a three-room flat was 9,118 kronor in 2025, 4.6 per cent more than in 2024. In Sweden the kitchen is not counted as a room.
| Flat and area, 2025 | Average monthly rent |
|---|---|
| One room, whole country | 5,389 kronor |
| Three rooms, whole country | 9,118 kronor |
| Three rooms, Greater Stockholm | 10,139 kronor |
| Three rooms, Greater Gothenburg | 8,907 kronor |
| Three rooms, Greater Malmö | 10,432 kronor |
| Four rooms or more, whole country | 11,621 kronor |
Source: SCB, rents in residential flats 2025, read 22 September 2026.
Sublets and the new Private Letting Act
While you queue, you will be looking second-hand. If you sublet a hyresrätt (rental flat) from its tenant, the tenant needs the landlord’s permission – usually for 6–12 months at a time, according to Hyresgästföreningen (the Swedish Union of Tenants). For an unfurnished flat you should not pay more than the tenant pays, and nothing on top of the rent to get the contract. After two years you have security of tenure against the first-hand tenant.
A bostadsrätt may only be sublet with the housing association’s approval or the permission of the hyresnämnden (rent tribunal); without it, the owner risks losing the flat.
For contracts signed from 1 July 2026, the Private Letting Act applies. Only private individuals and estates can let under it, and not landlords who regularly let more than two flats. The old calculation of a reasonable rent from the home’s market value and interest rates is gone: the rent tribunal can now change a rent that is substantially higher than what is generally charged for other private lets. Contracts signed before 1 July 2026 stay under the old law (2012:978).
| What you rent | Permission needed | Rent rules |
|---|---|---|
| Rental flat from its tenant | The landlord’s, usually 6–12 months at a time | Unfurnished: no more than the tenant pays |
| Bostadsrätt from its owner | The association’s or the rent tribunal’s | Private Letting Act for contracts from 1 July 2026 |
| House or ägarlägenhet from a private owner | The owner lets it directly | Private Letting Act from 1 July 2026; older contracts under the 2012:978 law |
Source: Hyresgästföreningen and Sveriges Domstolar (the Swedish courts), read 22 September 2026.
Two checks before you sign. When you register your address, it must include the lägenhetsnummer (flat number), and if someone else is registered there, Skatteverket may ask them to confirm that you live there – so agree with your landlord that you will register. And get your own hemförsäkring (home insurance): as a subtenant or lodger you are normally not covered by your landlord’s, according to Konsumenternas Försäkringsbyrå (see part 13).
Bringing your family over? Housing is part of Migrationsverket’s maintenance requirement: for two adults and two children who share a bedroom, the home needs at least two rooms and a kitchen, and living as a lodger or with your parents does not count. See part 2.
Rental scams: the red flags
Polisen (the Swedish Police) warns that fraudsters behind fake flat adverts usually demand several months’ rent in advance or as a deposit, and urges you to check that the flat actually exists.
| Warning sign | What to do |
|---|---|
| Several months’ rent or a deposit up front, before a viewing | Do not pay. Check that the flat exists and that the person may let it |
| A fee on top of the rent for the contract | Say no |
| A bostadsrätt owner with no approval from the association | Ask to see it before you sign |
| You think you have been cheated | Call your bank to try to stop the payment, then the police on 114 14 – or 112 if it is happening now |
Source: Polisen and Hyresgästföreningen, read 22 September 2026.
From abroad, the police non-emergency number is +46 77 114 14 00; 114 14 is not free of charge. Those who answer 112 and 114 14 speak Swedish and English.
Buying: 10 per cent down since April 2026
If you plan to stay, buying is the other route. Since 1 April 2026 you can borrow up to 90 per cent of the market value, under a government proposal the Riksdag’s finance committee backed in March 2026. The stricter amortisation requirement – an extra percentage point for loans above 4.5 times gross annual income – went at the same time; the basic 1–2 per cent requirement remains.
| Cost | What applies |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | 10 per cent of the market value |
| Amortisation | 1–2 per cent, depending on the loan-to-value ratio |
| Lagfart (title registration) fee | 825 kronor, always |
| Stamp duty, private individuals | 1.5 per cent of the price or the assessed value, whichever is higher |
| Stamp duty, companies | 4.25 per cent |
| Estate agent’s commission | No fixed level – agreed between seller and agent |
Source: Sveriges riksdag, Lantmäteriet and Fastighetsmäklarinspektionen, read 22 September 2026.
Lagfart is handled by Lantmäteriet, the land registration authority, and buyer and seller are jointly liable for the stamp duty. Disputes over an agent’s commission go to Fastighetsmarknadens reklamationsnämnd (FRN), according to Fastighetsmäklarinspektionen (the Swedish Estate Agents Inspectorate).
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Register with your city’s housing queue | As soon as you have a personnummer or samordningsnummer |
| 2 | Pay the queue fee – 200 kronor a year in Stockholm | Every year, on time |
| 3 | Check the sublet: permission, rent level, written contract | Before you pay anything |
| 4 | Confirm that the flat exists | Before any money changes hands |
| 5 | Make sure you can register at the address | When you sign |
| 6 | Take out your own home insurance | Before you move in |
| 7 | If buying: budget for 10 per cent down, 1.5 per cent stamp duty and 825 kronor for lagfart | Before you bid |
Source: Bostadsförmedlingen i Stockholm, Polisen and Lantmäteriet, read 22 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 22 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Bostadsförmedlingen i Stockholm – Betala köavgiften · bostad.stockholm.se
- Bostadsförmedlingen i Stockholm – Registrera dig hos Bostadsförmedlingen · bostad.stockholm.se
- Bostadsförmedlingen i Stockholm – Summering av året 2025 · bostad.stockholm.se
- Bostadsförmedlingen i Stockholm – Hur lång tid tar det att få en bostad genom oss? · bostad.stockholm.se
- Boplats Väst – boplats.se · boplats.se
- Boplats Syd – boplatssyd.se · boplatssyd.se
- Sveriges Domstolar – Hyra ut bostadsrätt i andra hand · domstol.se
- Hyresgästföreningen – Hyra lägenhet i andra hand - vad gäller? · hyresgastforeningen.se
- Sveriges Domstolar – Nya regler för hyra och bostadsrätt sommaren 2026 · domstol.se
- Polisen – Annonsbedrägeri · polisen.se
- SCB – Hyror i bostadslägenheter 2025 (9 100 kr i hyra för en trerumslägenhet) · scb.se
- Sveriges riksdag – Utskott ställer sig bakom förslag om nya bolåneregler · riksdagen.se
- Lantmäteriet – Stämpelskatt och avgifter · lantmateriet.se
- Fastighetsmäklarinspektionen (FMI) – Provision · fmi.se
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.