The short answer
Subletting in Sweden requires permission. The person letting to you must have the landlord's approval, or the approval of the rent tribunal, hyresnämnden, and their own page states it plainly: du måste först få det godkänt av hyresvärden eller hyresnämnden. They also need beaktansvärda skäl, a substantial reason such as temporary work or studies elsewhere, illness, or trying out living with a partner. The rent may not exceed skälig hyra under chapter 12, section 55 of the jordabalken. Ask for the written permission before you pay anything, because a sublet without it can end with the first-hand tenant losing the flat, and you leaving with it.
First hand, second hand, and what you are actually being offered
A förstahandskontrakt is a direct contract with the landlord, and it is the thing the housing queues exist to hand out. An andrahandskontrakt is a sublet: somebody who holds the flat lets it to you for a while. A korttidskontrakt or a room in a shared flat is a variation on the same idea.
Almost everybody arriving in Sweden starts in the second category, because the first one takes years in the big cities. That is normal and not a warning sign. What matters is whether the sublet is permitted, and whether the price is defensible.
The queue is still worth joining on day one even while you sublet, because the wait only starts counting when you register. We wrote about that separately in the article on the bostadskö.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Är det ett andrahandskontrakt? | Is this a sublet contract? | The first question, before the viewing. |
| Har du tillstånd från hyresvärden? | Do you have permission from the landlord? | The second question. Ask it plainly. |
| Kan jag få se tillståndet? | Can I see the permission? | It is a document. Asking for it is normal. |
| Hur länge gäller kontraktet? | How long does the contract run? | Permissions are usually granted a year at a time. |
Permission is not a formality
The rule is the same for a rental flat and, with its own wording, for a bostadsrätt owned through a housing association: the person letting to you needs consent. Sveriges Domstolar, the authority that runs the rent tribunals, puts it as du måste först få det godkänt av hyresvärden eller hyresnämnden, and adds om du hyr ut lägenheten utan lov riskerar du att förlora den.
The reason has to be a real one. The term is beaktansvärda skäl, and the examples given are temporary absence for work or studies elsewhere, illness, or living with a partner on trial. Wanting the income is not one of them.
Permission is normally granted for up to a year at a time, with longer periods possible for something like a posting abroad. That is why a sublet advertised as open-ended deserves a question rather than enthusiasm.
The consequence lands on the person subletting, and then on you. If they lose the flat, your contract goes with it, and you will be looking for somewhere to live at short notice in a city where that is the whole problem.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Har hyresnämnden godkänt uthyrningen? | Has the rent tribunal approved the sublet? | When the landlord said no and the tenant went to the tribunal. |
| Vad är skälet till att du hyr ut? | What's your reason for subletting? | A fair question, and the answer tells you whether permission was likely. |
| Är det en hyresrätt eller en bostadsrätt? | Is it a rental or a co-op flat? | Different rules, different permission. |
| Får jag folkbokföra mig på adressen? | May I register as resident at this address? | This decides your post, your ID and half your admin. |
The rent, and the word skälig
A sublet rent is not free to set. The rule is that it may not exceed skälig hyra, a reasonable rent, under chapter 12, section 55 of the jordabalken. In a rental flat, that is anchored on what the first-hand tenant pays.
A furnished sublet may carry a supplement for the furniture, and access to things like a parking space or a storage room can be charged for. A vague premium because the market is tight is not a supplement, and a tenant who has overcharged can be ordered to repay.
This is worth knowing not so that you go to a tribunal on day one, but so that you can recognise a price that has no basis. If the flat is a rental, asking what the first-hand rent is tells you almost everything, and a landlord who will not say is telling you something else.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Vad är förstahandshyran? | What is the first-hand rent? | The question that grounds the price. |
| Ingår möbler i hyran? | Is furniture included in the rent? | A furnished sublet can carry a supplement. |
| Ingår el och bredband? | Are electricity and broadband included? | Often yes in a sublet, often not. Get it in writing. |
| Hur stor är depositionen? | How large is the deposit? | Deposits are common in sublets. Get a receipt. |
The contract, and the four lines people forget
A written contract is not legally required for every situation, and you should still insist on one. Four lines decide most later arguments.
The notice period. Say who can end it and with how much notice, in months, and put both sides in writing.
What is included. Electricity, broadband, a washing machine slot, a storage room, a parking space. Each one is either in the rent or it is not.
The condition at handover. Photographs on the day you move in, attached to the contract, settle every deposit dispute that would otherwise be one person's memory against another's.
Registration. A landlord or an agency asking for proof of income wants payslips, which is why reading a lönespecifikation is worth doing before the first viewing. Whether you may register at the address with Skatteverket, which decides where your official post goes, and which matters for everything from a personnummer to the digital mailbox.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Vilken uppsägningstid gäller? | What notice period applies? | Three months is common, but it must be written. |
| Kan vi skriva ett kontrakt? | Can we write a contract? | If the answer is no, that is your answer. |
| Vi tar bilder vid inflyttning. | We'll take photos at move-in. | Say it as a normal step, because it is one. |
| Kvitto på depositionen, tack. | A receipt for the deposit, please. | Always. Cash with no receipt is how deposits disappear. |
How to spot the sublet that will cost you
There is a recognisable pattern. Pressure to decide today, a request to pay a deposit before viewing, a refusal to show permission, a contract that cannot be signed because the person is abroad, and a rent well above what the flat could be worth. Any two of those together are enough to walk away.
The healthy version is boring. You view the flat, you meet the person, you see the permission, you sign a contract, you pay by bank transfer and you keep the receipt.
Payment by transfer also matters because it creates a record. Sweden runs on traceable payments anyway, which is a habit worth adopting quickly, and a deposit paid in cash without a receipt is the one thing you cannot prove later. Before move-in, check home insurance, both electricity agreements and the tvättstuga rules.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Jag vill se lägenheten först. | I want to see the flat first. | Never pay before a viewing. Ever. |
| Jag betalar via banköverföring. | I'll pay by bank transfer. | Creates the record you may need. |
| Kan jag få kontraktet i förväg? | Can I have the contract in advance? | Read it before you are standing in the hallway. |
| Jag återkommer i morgon. | I'll get back to you tomorrow. | The sentence that defuses pressure to sign now. |
Sources
- Hyra ut bostad i andra hand - Sveriges Domstolar2023-09-15
- Hyra ut bostadsrätt i andra hand - Sveriges Domstolar2023-09-15
Rules and processing times change. Check the official page for your own case before acting on anything here.
Questions people ask
- Is subletting legal in Sweden?
- Yes, with permission. Sveriges Domstolar states that you must first have it approved by the landlord or by the rent tribunal, and that letting without permission risks losing the flat. For a co-op flat the approval comes from the housing association, or from the tribunal if it refuses.
- What counts as a valid reason to sublet?
- The legal term is beaktansvärda skäl, a substantial reason. The examples given by the tribunals are temporary absence for work or studies elsewhere, illness, or trying out living with a partner. Wanting rental income is not by itself such a reason.
- How much can a sublet cost?
- It may not exceed skälig hyra, a reasonable rent, under chapter 12, section 55 of the jordabalken. In a rental flat that is anchored on the first-hand rent, with a possible supplement for furniture or extras such as a parking space. A tenant who overcharges can be ordered to repay the excess.
- How long can a sublet permission last?
- Permissions are normally given for up to a year at a time, with longer periods possible in specific cases such as a posting abroad. If a sublet is presented as indefinite, ask to see the permission and its end date.
- Can I register at the address of a sublet?
- Usually yes if you live there, and it needs to be agreed in the contract, because registration with Skatteverket decides where your official post goes. Do not accept a sublet that forbids registration without understanding what it will cost you administratively.
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