The keys are yours and the cabin is empty until next summer. Now what? Most of the work falls on you as owner, several charges keep running while you’re away, and the one job that decides whether the cabin survives winter is getting the water out of the pipes.
When you need this
You’ve just taken over a fritidshus (holiday house), you’re closing it for its first winter, or a bill has arrived for a service you didn’t use. This page covers running the house. What each charge comes to is in what a Swedish summer house really costs, and the purchase is in buying a summer house in Sweden as a foreigner.
What keeps running while you’re away
Most duties sit with the owner, not with a public body:
| Duty | Who carries it | Runs when the cabin is empty? |
|---|---|---|
| Property fee (kommunal fastighetsavgift) | Owner on 1 January, via the tax return | Yes, annual |
| Electricity grid subscription | Owner, to the local grid company | Yes, fixed part |
| Private well (egen brunn) | Owner is responsible for water quality | Testing is up to you |
| Private sewage (enskilt avlopp) | Owner; permit from the municipality | Scheduled emptying continues |
| Waste collection | Municipal service | Base fee is annual |
| Private road (enskild väg) | The properties that use it | Annual dues, including winter work |
| Frost protection | Owner | The main winter task |
| Sweeping and fire-safety inspection | Municipality arranges; owner pays | Yes, fixed intervals |
A cabin counts as a småhus (small house) for tax, just like a villa, so the property fee applies in full. The fee and the cap are in the practical table below. Non-residents pay it too. If you live abroad and owe the fee, or let the house, you file a Swedish income tax return each spring under a special GD-nummer.
Water and sewage: the owner’s job off the network
Many cabins have neither municipal water nor municipal sewage. Then two things are yours.
The well. The owner of a private well is responsible for the water in it. Livsmedelsverket, the Swedish Food Agency, advises testing at least every three years, and every year if small children drink the water or more than two properties share the well.
The sewage. A private system that a water closet is connected to needs a permit from the municipality, and so does connecting a WC to an existing system; other systems need a notification. WC sewage may not go into a lake or the sea after nothing more than sludge separation. Don’t assume the system that came with the house was permitted. Ask the seller for the permit, or ask the municipality.
A private tank is emptied (slamtömning) on the municipality’s schedule, and only its contracted contractor may do it. Flush nothing but toilet paper and waste: wipes, fats, chemicals and medicines disturb the biological treatment. Take old medicines back to a pharmacy.
Waste collection is a municipal service with an annual base fee. In Norrtälje, a municipality with many cottages, the full base fee applies even during a granted winter pause.
Electricity: a fixed part you pay regardless
The grid fee usually has two parts: a fixed subscription (abonnemangsavgift), based partly on the size of your main fuse, and a transfer fee (överföringsavgift) per kWh. Some grid companies also charge a capacity fee (effektavgift). Because the subscription doesn’t depend on use, it’s billed while the cabin stands empty.
You can’t change grid company; the local network owner holds a monopoly regulated by Energimarknadsinspektionen (Ei). You can choose who supplies the electricity, and Ei’s Elpriskollen compares supply contracts.
The private road and the snow
Many cabins sit on an enskild väg (private road). The rule is simple: the properties that benefit from the road are its road keeper (väghållare) and are responsible for it. In practice that usually means a road association that arranges maintenance and charges dues by share. Summer-only members often pay less than year-round residents; the split is set by the association or by a decision from Lantmäteriet, the land survey authority.
Winter is where it shows. Trafikverket gives state grants to private roads that connect about 1 km of road to permanent homes, businesses or outdoor recreation. The grant covers winter work such as ploughing (plogning) and gritting (halkbekämpning). In return the road must be kept open to public traffic. A barrier or a no-motor-traffic sign on a grant road can cost the grant, which is worth knowing before you propose one at the annual meeting.
Ask the association who ploughs and when. If most members only come in summer, winter service may be limited.
Closing the cabin for winter
Frost is the main risk to an empty cabin, and insurers expect owners to take steps against frozen pipes. A fritidshusförsäkring (holiday-home policy) also normally won’t pay for water that gets in through the roof, facade or drainage. Norrtälje’s municipal water company publishes this closing sequence:
- Close the main valve (huvudkran) on the incoming pipe, before the water meter.
- Open all outdoor taps and let them drain.
- Open all indoor taps and flush out the water in the pipes.
- Drain the water heater and shut off the water to the toilets, then flush until the cisterns are empty.
- Pour environmentally friendly antifreeze into every water trap (vattenlås): toilets, sinks, floor drains.
- Shut off the water to the dishwasher and washing machine.
If you’re on municipal water, keeping the meter location frost-free is your responsibility. Put a thermometer next to the meter. If you leave background heat on, it has to reach the whole house; open the cabinet doors under a sink on an outside wall, and check whether your insurer states a minimum temperature. Power cuts are a risk, so look in regularly or have someone do it.
Check the remote control. Telenor and Tele2 shut down both 2G and 3G in December 2025. An older remote heating switch or alarm that uses only those networks may no longer connect, so you could believe the heat is on when it isn’t. Test it before you leave.
Fire safety: sweeping is municipal and compulsory
The municipality is responsible by law for sweeping (sotning) and fire-safety inspection (brandskyddskontroll) of every fixed fireplace or stove not fired solely by gas, and it may charge for both. Holiday homes usually get longer intervals; Norrtälje, for example, sweeps a fritidshus every three years and inspects it every six. You may apply to sweep your own chimney (egensotning), which is granted only if it’s fire-safe. The inspection stays with the municipality.
Owners must also keep fire-fighting and life-saving equipment to a reasonable extent. That duty is the basis for smoke alarms.
Letting it out: two numbers
Rental income from a privately owned home is taxed at 30% of the surplus. For a house, including a holiday home, you first deduct a standard 40,000 kr per home and year plus 20% of the rental income.
- The 40,000 kr is per home, not per owner. Co-owners split it by share, and it counts only for the months you owned the house.
- If deductions exceed the rent, you have no loss to claim and report nothing.
- If the guest pays a flat charge for electricity, that’s rental income. Payment for actual consumption isn’t.
The new Private Letting Act (privatuthyrningslagen), in force since 1 July 2026, governs private persons letting a home to live in. It doesn’t cover holiday lets. Long-stay rentals in Sweden explains what it does cover.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Property fee, 2026 | 0.75% of taxable value, max 10,425 kr per residential building |
| Energy tax on electricity, 2026 | 36.0 öre/kWh; 9.6 öre deduction in certain municipalities |
| Grid fee | Fixed subscription by fuse size plus per-kWh fee; check your grid company |
| Waste base fee, example | Norrtälje 2026: 1,417 kr/year per småhus, fritidshus included |
| Well testing | At least every 3 years; yearly with small children or a shared well |
| Sweeping interval, example | Norrtälje: sweep every 3 years, inspect every 6 (fritidshus) |
| Road dues | Share-based, set by the association |
| Letting deduction, house | 40,000 kr per home and year plus 20% of rent |
| Tax on letting surplus | 30% |
FAQ
How do I winterize a Swedish summer house?
Close the main valve before the water meter, drain outdoor taps, open indoor taps to empty the pipes, drain the water heater and toilet cisterns, and pour environmentally friendly antifreeze into every water trap. Keep the meter location frost-free. If you leave background heat on, it must reach the whole house, and someone should check the cabin after power cuts.
Do I pay for electricity when my cabin is empty?
Yes, in part. The grid fee usually has a fixed subscription based partly on your main fuse size, plus a transfer fee per kWh, so the fixed part is billed whether or not you use power. You cannot switch grid company, which holds a local monopoly, but you can choose and compare your electricity supplier.
Who clears the snow on the private road to my cabin?
The properties that use a private road are responsible for it, usually through a road association that arranges ploughing and charges dues. The road keeper is the property owners, not the municipality. Roads receiving a state grant must stay open to public traffic, and the grant covers winter work such as ploughing and gritting.
Do I need a permit for a private sewage system in Sweden?
Yes, if a water closet is connected. Installing such a system, or connecting a WC to an existing one, requires a permit from the municipality; other systems need a notification. A private tank is emptied on the municipality’s schedule by its contractor. Ask the seller for the permit when you take over the house.
How often should I test the well water at my cabin?
Livsmedelsverket advises testing private well water at least every three years, and every year if small children drink it or more than two properties share the well. The owner, not the municipality, is responsible for the quality of water from a private well, so the testing and any treatment are yours to arrange.
How is rental income from a Swedish cabin taxed?
For a house, including a holiday home, you deduct 40,000 kr per home and year plus 20% of the rental income, then pay 30% tax on any surplus. The deduction is per home, split between co-owners. If deductions exceed the rent, you report nothing. Non-resident owners who let the house must file a Swedish tax return.
Who arranges chimney sweeping at a holiday home?
The municipality. By law it is responsible for sweeping and fire-safety inspection of fireplaces and stoves not fired solely by gas, and it may charge for both. Holiday homes usually get longer intervals; Norrtälje, for example, sweeps every three years and inspects every six. You may apply to sweep yourself if it is fire-safe.
Related guides
- What a Swedish summer house really costs — the amounts behind each duty on this page
- Buying a summer house in Sweden as a foreigner — the rules, title registration and stamp duty
- Coordination numbers and Swedish bank accounts — for paying Swedish bills from abroad
- Long-stay rentals in Sweden — the Private Letting Act and what it covers
- What to expect in a Swedish holiday cabin — the guest’s side, if you plan to let
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Skatteverket, Sveriges riksdag, Energimarknadsinspektionen, Livsmedelsverket, Lantmäteriet, Trafikverket, PTS, Norrtälje kommun and Norrtälje Vatten och Avfall, Konsumenternas — full register in this topic’s source file. The property fee cap and energy tax change every January; municipal figures are examples only. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.