A season in Sweden means a second-hand flat, and Swedish law protects a subtenant more than most visitors expect. The rules changed in July 2026. Here is who you’re really renting from, what they may charge, and how to spot a fake listing.
When you need this
You’re planning one to six months in Sweden and want a kitchen, not a hotel room. Maybe you’ve been offered a flat i andra hand (second-hand) and wonder whether it’s legal. Or the landlord wants three months’ rent and a big deposit before you’ve seen the place. Or you’re already living there and the rent looks far above what the neighbors pay.
Why a queue won’t help within a season
Sweden’s first-hand rental flats (förstahandskontrakt) are mostly handed out through housing queues (bostadskö) in order of queue time. A municipal queue may charge a yearly queue fee set by the municipality. The system rewards years of waiting, not need, so it can’t produce a flat for a three-month stay.
The shortage is also uneven. Boverket, the National Board of Housing, found in its 2026 survey that 130 municipalities had a balanced housing market and 102 a shortage. That is the first time in 25 years that balance outnumbered shortage. But more than half the population still lives in shortage municipalities, and Greater Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö remain in clear shortage. Outside the big cities, first-hand flats can come more quickly.
Which law protects you
The first question for any listing is: what kind of home is it? The answer decides your rights.
| Home | Who lets it | Law that applies |
|---|---|---|
| Rental flat (hyresrätt) | The tenant, subletting | Land Code (jordabalken) chapter 12; the tenant becomes your landlord |
| Cooperative flat (bostadsrätt) | The owner, with the housing association board’s consent | Private Letting Act |
| Owned flat, house or room | A private owner | Private Letting Act |
| Holiday cabin | Owner or agency | Outside the Private Letting Act — see renting a stuga |
A sublet needs permission. A tenant may not sublet a rental flat for independent use without the building owner’s consent or the rent tribunal’s permission. The tribunal grants it for reasons like temporary work or study elsewhere, or a long stay abroad, and only for a set period. A cooperative-flat owner needs the association board’s consent, and a private owner’s own tenant needs the owner’s consent.
This matters to you directly. An unauthorised sublet lets the building owner end the tenant’s lease early, and your home goes with it. Ask to see the written consent before you pay anything.
The 2026 Private Letting Act
On 1 July 2026 the Private Letting Act (privatuthyrningslagen, SFS 2026:772) replaced the 2012 act on letting one’s own home. Many English guides still describe the old rules. Two changes matter most for a season renter:
- Rent test: the rent tribunal can now cut a private-let rent that is substantially higher than rents generally charged for similar private lets. The old test capped rent near the owner’s capital and running costs.
- Notice: a tenant can always give three months’ notice to a month-end, even on a fixed-term contract. Under the old act it was one month.
The act covers private persons and estates letting a home, but not landlords who regularly let more than two flats. Terms worse for the tenant than the act are void. Either side can demand a written contract. Contracts signed before July 2026 keep the old rules.
What a sublet may cost
For a sublet rental flat, the law sets a hard ceiling. The rent may never exceed:
- the tenant’s own rent, plus
- at most 15% of that rent for furniture and equipment, plus
- utilities such as electricity or internet at the tenant’s actual cost.
Ask the tenant for the first-hand rent in writing. It is the benchmark for everything.
If you’ve paid too much, you can get it back. The regional rent tribunal (hyresnämnden) can order the excess repaid for up to two years back. The tribunals charge no fees, and each side pays its own costs. The deadline is strict: your application must arrive within three months of moving out.
The 15% cap and the repayment right apply to rental flats and their sublets, not to a private owner’s home. Holiday lets are outside both. For a private let, the test is the comparison with similar private lets.
Deposits and paying up front
No statute caps deposits in Sweden. Neither the Private Letting Act nor the Land Code’s rental chapter has a rule on security deposits. The national tenants’ union, Hyresgästföreningen, describes a couple of months’ rent as the usual level. It says the deposit should be written into the contract and returned after move-out if nothing is damaged.
The default payment rhythm is set by law: rent is due monthly in advance, by the last weekday before the month, through a bank unless you agree otherwise. Paying the whole stay up front is not required. It is also the pattern the police link to rental fraud.
Never pay for the contract itself. Asking for or taking key money for a rental flat can mean up to two years in prison. Paying it is a crime too, with fines or up to two years, and minor cases are exempt. Only a professional housing agency may charge a home-seeker a fee. It is capped at one tenth of the yearly price base amount and payable only if a contract is signed.
Notice and leaving
| Situation | Your notice as tenant |
|---|---|
| Private let, open-ended or fixed-term | Three months to a month-end |
| Sublet rental flat, open-ended | Three months to a month-end |
| Sublet rental flat, fixed term of nine months or less | Ends on its end date; three months’ notice still possible |
| Private let signed before 1 July 2026 (2012 act) | One month |
A fixed-term private let also protects you: the landlord can end it early only on grounds such as unpaid rent more than two weeks late, an unauthorised sublet, or neglect. Neither a private-let tenant nor a subtenant has a right to renewal. A subtenant gains protection only after two years in a row. Photograph the flat and list the furniture on the day you move in. The same record helps settle the deposit when you leave.
Scams and the BankID wall
The police describe rental fraud as a fixed pattern: an attractive flat at a good price, an owner who is abroad or can’t meet, and a demand for rent or a deposit in advance. See the flat and the person before paying, and check the name against the lease or ownership papers. Pay traceably, never in cash or with anonymous payment services. If you’ve paid a fraudster, call your bank first, then the police. More patterns are in scams in Sweden.
Expect ID checks built for residents. Many landlords and listing services lean on BankID, which needs a Swedish personnummer, and a coordination number is not enough. See BankID for visitors and coordination numbers and bank accounts.
Step by step
- Identify the contract type: rental, cooperative, owned flat or house, or a room.
- See the written consent from the building owner, tribunal or association board.
- Get the first-hand rent in writing and check the 15% cap.
- Meet the person at the flat and check the lease or ownership papers.
- Sign a written, fixed-term contract with the rent, period, deposit and what’s included.
- Pay monthly by bank transfer, never cash.
- Photograph the flat and list the furniture on day one.
- If overcharged, apply to the rent tribunal within three months of leaving.
Practical information
| Item | Amount / rule |
|---|---|
| Rent tribunal application | Free; each party pays its own costs |
| Sublet rent cap, rental flat | Tenant’s own rent + max 15% for furniture + utilities at cost |
| Private-let rent | Not substantially above similar private lets |
| Overcharge claim | Up to two years back; apply within three months of moving out |
| Deposit | No statutory cap; usually a couple of months’ rent (tenants’ union) |
| Municipal queue fee | Set by each municipality, charged at most one year at a time |
| Housing-agency fee | Max 1/10 of the price base amount, only if a contract is signed |
| Tenant’s notice | Three months to a month-end (one month on pre-July-2026 private contracts) |
| Rent levels | Not published here: they vary by city, size and furnishing |
Checked 2026-09-25.
FAQ
Can I rent an apartment in Sweden for three months?
Yes, usually as a second-hand tenant. First-hand flats are allocated by queue time, and the big-city regions remain in clear shortage, so a queue rarely helps within a season. You rent either from a tenant subletting with the landlord’s consent, or from a private owner under the Private Letting Act. Ask for a written, fixed-term contract, see the flat and the person first, and never pay before viewing.
Is subletting an apartment legal in Sweden?
Yes, with permission. A tenant needs the building owner’s consent or the rent tribunal’s permission to sublet a rental flat, and a cooperative-flat owner needs the association board’s consent. Without it the tenant’s lease can be forfeited and you can lose the home. Ask to see the written consent before paying anything.
How much deposit can a landlord ask for in Sweden?
No statute caps it: neither the Private Letting Act nor the Land Code’s rental chapter regulates security deposits. The tenants’ union describes a couple of months’ rent as the usual level, says the deposit should be written into the contract, and says it comes back after move-out if nothing is damaged. A demand for much more is a warning sign.
What can I do if my sublet rent is too high?
Apply to the regional rent tribunal, which charges no fee. For a sublet rental flat, rent above the tenant’s own rent plus at most 15% for furniture and utilities at cost is never reasonable, and you can reclaim the excess for up to two years back. The application must arrive within three months of moving out.
How much notice do I have to give when I leave?
Three months to a month-end is the rule in both main cases. Under the Private Letting Act the tenant may always give that notice, even on a fixed-term contract. A sublet rental flat has the same three-month right. A fixed-term sublet of nine months or less simply ends on its end date.
How do I avoid rental scams in Sweden?
Watch for the police’s pattern: an attractive flat at a good price, an owner abroad or unable to meet, and a demand for rent or a deposit in advance. See the flat and the person before paying, check the lease or ownership papers, and pay by traceable bank transfer. If you have paid, call your bank first, then report it to the police.
Did the Private Letting Act change in 2026?
Yes. On 1 July 2026 the Private Letting Act (SFS 2026:772) replaced the 2012 act on letting one’s own home. Rent is now tested against similar private lets instead of the owner’s costs, and a tenant’s notice is three months instead of one. Contracts signed before July 2026 keep the old rules.
Related guides
- Sweden for digital nomads: permits and tax come before the flat
- Scams in Sweden: the full list of frauds aimed at visitors
- BankID for visitors: why so many Swedish logins stay closed to you
- Coordination numbers and bank accounts: the paperwork behind a longer stay
- Renting a stuga: holiday cabins follow different rules
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Private Letting Act, Land Code, Cooperative Housing Act, housing-supply act), Konsumentverket, Sveriges Domstolar, Boverket, Polismyndigheten and Hyresgästföreningen — full register in this topic’s source file. This page explains the rules and is not legal advice. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.