Renting temporary housing in Sweden: rules, contracts and notice

If you want to rent temporary housing in Sweden, the most common route is a fixed-term contract: a sublet, a furnished room or a home let by a private person for a set period. The contract normally ends when the rental period runs out, and you usually have no right to stay on afterwards. Some rules in Chapter 12 of the Land Code (jordabalken) still apply, both to you and to the person letting.

Rent temporary housing: common types

• Sublet flat. The first-hand tenant or the owner of a tenant-owned flat lets their home while living elsewhere, for example for work or studies in another town.
• Furnished room or lodging. You rent a room, often in someone else's home, and share kitchen and bathroom.
• Private letting of a house or owned flat. A private person lets a home they do not need right now.
• Short stays and serviced flats. For a few days or weeks, often through booking sites, on different terms than an ordinary tenancy.

When you rent temporary housing, the type decides which rules apply. If you rent from a private person, the Private Letting Act may apply instead of the tenancy chapter of the Land Code; this follows from Chapter 12, Section 1 c.

Fixed-term contracts: when do they end?

Under Chapter 12, Section 3, a tenancy can be agreed for a fixed term, and it then ends when the term runs out unless otherwise agreed. There are two important exceptions:

1. If the tenancy has lasted more than nine months in a row, the contract must always be terminated by notice.
2. If you stay on for one month after the term has ended without the landlord asking you to move, the contract is deemed extended indefinitely.

So read the contract carefully: does it state an end date, and what happens if nobody gives notice?

Notice periods for short tenancies

When a fixed-term contract must be terminated and no longer notice period has been agreed, Chapter 12, Section 4 says:

• Term of at most two weeks: notice at least one day in advance.
• Term over two weeks but at most three months: at least one week in advance.
• Term over three months (housing): at least three months in advance.

As a tenant of a dwelling you may, under Section 5, always terminate the contract to the turn of the month falling at the earliest three months after notice. Give notice in writing and keep a copy.

Do you have the right to stay?

When you rent temporary housing, you often have no right to stay on. Security of tenure does not apply to several of the most common temporary forms. Under Chapter 12, Section 45 you lack it if, among other things:

• you sublet a flat for independent use and the tenancy ends before it has lasted more than two years in a row,
• you rent a furnished room and the tenancy ends before it has lasted more than nine months in a row,
• the flat is part of the landlord's own home.

The parties can also waive the right to renewal in writing. In some cases this needs approval from the rent tribunal, in others not (Section 45 a). Expect to move when the period ends, and start looking for your next home in good time.

Check that the letting is allowed

A first-hand tenant may not sublet without the landlord's consent or the rent tribunal's permission (Sections 39–40). Permission can be granted if the tenant has good reasons, such as temporary work or studies elsewhere, illness or a longer stay abroad. Permission is limited to a set time, and the rent may not exceed a reasonable rent.

Before you decide to rent temporary housing as a sublet, ask the person letting whether consent exists and ask to see it. If you live in an unauthorised sublet, you risk having to move at short notice if the landlord finds out.

Rent temporary housing: checklist before you sign

• A written contract with names, address, rent and the exact rental period.
• What is included: furniture, electricity, internet, laundry room.
• The landlord's consent or the rent tribunal's permission for a sublet.
• How and when the contract is terminated.
• Never pay rent or a deposit before you have seen the home and know who you are renting from.

For questions about your rights as a tenant, contact the Swedish Union of Tenants (Hyresgästföreningen).