How to rent a house in Sweden. Finding a home in Sweden can frankly be difficult. A lot more people are looking for housing than there are available places. But don’t worry, with the right plan you can find somewhere to live and we are here to help you.
The larger cities like Stockholm, Uppsala, Malmö and Gothenburg have gotten very crowded in recent years. But not enough new apartments have been built. So the supply of housing is low compared to the demand. And even though there is a rental cap the demand is just too high for the number of actual apartments available. However, with the right strategies and resources, it is possible to find a place to call home.
Great places to look for listings in Sweden
Renting an apartment in Sweden is tricky but we won’t leave you all to yourself. Here we list a good number of options to look for housing all over Sweden which should cover most needs, wants and wallets.
Samtrygg
Samtrygg*is a safe marketplaces for subleasing in Sweden. They help you find a place to rent OR to sublease your own accommodation in a smooth and hassle-free way.
- Possible to apply and sign rental agreements without a Swedish Personal Identity Number.
- Home insurance included for 30 days (also without a Swedish Personal Identity Number.
- Free to search for housing, book viewings or create an ad as a landlord.
- They are confident enough in their product to say it is 100 % free from fraud. And you will never have to pay deposits to strangers.
- They offer personal service throughout the rental process.
- All tenants and landlords take part of their sublease insurance and safe agreements.
- With a free profile at Samtrygg you can book viewings on current objects but you’ll also receive notifications when new housing that fill your requirements become available – new ads are published daily.
- All information is available in English.
Blocket.se
Blocket.seis the biggest classified ads website in Sweden with a lot of rentals posted every day, but also the place that most people use, so the competition here is high. However, it does come with some down-sides for Newbies:
- most ads are in Swedish (see insider tip below)
- competitive: landlords receive a huge amount of inquiries so it’s difficult to get an answer. So make sure to write a good rental application.Learn more here.
- There is a high risk of fraudulent ads on Blocket so be very careful not to pay for anything that seems to good to be true. Check out our “how to avoid rental fraud guide” that is part of our course Preparing your move to Sweden if you want to learn about the most common types of fraud.
Tips aboutblocket.se
Translate the ads from Swedish: Use the browser Google Chrome and right click to select “Translate to English” to read a translation of the ad in English. The translation is not perfect but it’s good enough to make a decision.
BostadDirekt.com
BostadDirekt.comis a website where you can find a lot of rooms and apartments. The website has an English version (for the menus and help pages) but the available rentals are usually in Swedish. You can search their website for free but if you want access to the landlords’ contact information you can subscribe for 695 SEK for 30 days. The downsides are:
- a bit pricey
- there is no easy way to spot new listings, so you will spend a lot of time trying to spot the new apartments posted after your previousvisit.
Tips about BostadDirekt.com
Once you’ve made a first filter, use thechrome translate thispage feature and it will translate all the ads at once (until you make another search)
When you pay, you create apersonal profile whichthe landlords have access to. Some landlords prefer to pick tenants manually instead of placing a listing, so if you add plenty of information to your profile you can be contacted by them.
Facebook Groups
There are plenty of Facebook groups for people looking for accommodation in Sweden. The most common posts are shared rooms or individual flats (1 room) but even if you are looking for a bigger apartment it’s always worth a try. A plus is that you can meet people who already live in the city.
The biggest English speaking groups for Stockholm are:
- Looking for accommodation in Stockholm
- Rooms/Housing Stockholm
- People looking for a flatshare in Stockholm!
Tips about Facebook groups
Facebook groups are usually closed groups. Apply to join and then check them daily because when a property is posted there the landlords get PMs quite fast.There is a high risk of fraudulent ads on Blocket so be very careful not to pay for anything that seems to good to be true. Check out our “how to avoid rental fraud guide” that is part of our course Preparing your move to Sweden if you want to learn about the most common types of fraud.
Tips for your housing search
Keep at it. Be sure to consistently check listings on the above sites as well as notice boards in cafes/laundromats, at your place of work or where you study.
Short-term contracts are maybe not your preferred rental solution but it can get your foot in the door while you seek long-term housing.
Consider locations outside city centers. Swedish cities are usually small. For instance Stockholm has neighborhoods just 10-20 minutes away by public transportation. And the perk is that Sweden has a great transportation system. It’s reliable and fast to connect cities to nearby communities. So if you live in a suburb you get both city and nature.
Stand out when applying for housing in Sweden
Landlords receive loads of applications from the first minute they put their apartment up for rent. So you need to stand out. Write an irresistible bio highlighting your qualifications like income stability, positive references, and care of the property. It is good to ad some Swedish phrases to bond with potential landlords.
We have created a rental application template both in English and Swedish to simplify things for you.
What is a Bostadskö in Sweden and how does it work?
Bostadskö is Swedish for “housing queue” and t refers to a a waiting list system operated by municipalities and housing cooperatives. Most Swedes join the bostadskö as soon as they turn 18. Waiting times can vary from a few years to decades depending on where you are living.
Your place in the queue is determined by a point-based system which factors in elements like existing residency, family status, income level, special needs etc. People in greater need get higher priority.
If you are offered a rental and chose not to take it, you still stay in the queue. Once you have accepted a listing, you lose your place in the queue and need to start over again.
Sign up early, update contact details, and have realistic preferences. Patience and flexibility are key with this particular system.
How do I find and sign up for a Bostadskö?
- Decide where you want to live. The Bostadskö is organized at the municipal level, so you need to sign up with the city/region you plan to reside in.
- Search online for your local municipality name + “bostadskö” or “bostadsförmedling”. This will give you the official website.
Example: “Stockholm bostadskö” or “Göteborg bostadsförmedling”.
- On their website, find the link/form to register for the queue. You’ll need to fill in name, address, occupation, income, family situation etc.
- Select your housing preferences such as apartment size, maximum rent and preferred areas.
- Provide contact details like phone number and email so they can reach you about openings.
- Submit the registration form online or print and mail it in. You’ll then receive a confirmation.
- Update your info if anything changes like household size or income level.
- When an apartment matches your criteria, you can apply. If you are among the top applicants, you will be invited for a viewing.
- Once the viewing happens, they bostadskö will call each applicant in point order, you will have a very short time to respond.
- Make sure you have proof of employment, income etc ready.
Contract types and how to avoid rental fraud
Rental fraud is unfortunately getting rather common in Sweden. And younger people and newcomers to Sweden tend to be targeted as they are expected to know a bit less of local rental processes and rights.
Our online course Preparing your move to Sweden has a section on how to avid rental fraud which you really should check out.
And make sure you check out our other articles on the topic:
- What is a reasonable rent in Sweden?
- How do I know if a housing contract is legitimate?
- What do I do if the landlord refuses to return my deposit?
