Buying a home in Sweden looks simple at first glance. A listing, a viewing (visning), bidding, a contract, keys. But the system is built so that most of the responsibility rests on the buyer. If you have already bought an apartment and only then discover damp in the bathroom, problems with the roof or old wiring, getting anything from the seller is far from guaranteed.

The seller also has things to consider. Incorrect information about the home, or staying silent about a known problem, can lead to claims even after the sale.

There are essentially three forms of housing in Sweden. An apartment is almost always a bostadsrätt (a cooperative, tenant-owned apartment). Besides that there are houses (hus or villa) and the ägarlägenhet (owner-occupied apartment), which are legally real property (fast egendom) and follow somewhat different rules. This article is about the bostadsrätt. A separate second part will cover houses and the ägarlägenhet.

What the buyer is actually buying?

This is the most important thing to understand from the start. When you buy a bostadsrätt, you do not become the owner of the apartment as a separate piece of property. The building is owned by a housing cooperative (bostadsrättsförening). The buyer becomes a member of the cooperative and gains the right to use a specific apartment.

From this follows the first rule. You have to check not only the apartment but also the cooperative's finances. You can buy a nicely renovated apartment and, a few months later, face a much higher monthly fee because of the cooperative's debts or a planned renovation of the building.

Two more practical points. For a bostadsrätt there is no title registration (lagfart) and no stamp duty (stämpelskatt), so there are no costs for registering ownership. And to sublet the apartment you normally need the cooperative board's permission.

So what are the steps when buying a cooperative apartment?

Step one: money and the lånelöfte

Before you start looking in earnest, you should obtain a lånelöfte, a preliminary decision from the bank on how much it is, in principle, willing to lend.

The bank looks at the size and stability of your income, your form of employment, existing loans and debts, credit history, household composition and regular expenses. And, above all, how much money you will have left to live on after loan payments, interest and amortisation. It makes sense to request a lånelöfte from several banks, as their assessments and terms differ.

From 1 April 2026, the maximum mortgage when buying a home is 90 percent of its market value. This means the minimum down payment (kontantinsats) has fallen from 15 to 10 percent. For a first purchase this is a big difference, since you need to save up less.

If the loan exceeds 70 percent of the home's value, you must amortise at least 2 percent of the loan amount per year. If the loan is between 50 and 70 percent, it is at least 1 percent per year. The additional amortisation requirement that previously applied when the loan exceeded 4.5 times annual income has been removed.

It is important to remember that 90 percent is a ceiling, not a promise from the bank. The bank still assesses your income, form of employment, debts and the property itself. In practice it may well approve a smaller loan and ask for a larger down payment.

A lånelöfte is not a final decision. Before the contract is signed, the bank must approve the specific apartment. It may refuse, for example because of the cooperative's finances, even if everything is fine with you personally.

Step two: bidding (budgivning)

Bidding in Sweden often surprises first-time buyers.

A bid is not a contract. As long as no written contract has been signed, the buyer can withdraw their bid, and the seller can decide not to sell at all. The seller is also not obliged to choose the highest bidder. They may prefer another buyer, for example one who does not require a further inspection or who can take possession sooner.

We strongly recommend deciding your maximum in advance and sticking to it. During active bidding it is easy to add "just another 10,000 kronor" and end up buying far more expensively than planned. The rules on bidding are explained well by Fastighetsmäklarinspektionen (the Swedish Estate Agents Inspectorate).

Step three: what to check before buying

Do not limit yourself to viewing the apartment. You have to look at two things at once: the apartment and the cooperative.

In the apartment, check the bathroom, ventilation, plumbing, wiring, windows, floors and any signs of damp. If anything seems doubtful, it is better to bring in a professional before signing.

As for the cooperative, request and read the documents before signing: the stadgar (statutes and rules), the latest årsredovisning (annual financial report), the underhållsplan (maintenance plan) and minutes from recent annual meetings, if they are made available.

Pay particular attention to the belåning per kvadratmeter, the cooperative's debt per square metre. This is usually found in the annual report. A single figure decides nothing on its own. But large debts, together with high interest rates and expensive renovations ahead, are a path to a higher monthly fee.

It is worth asking the estate agent (if it is not stated in the listing) when the stambyte (replacement of pipes) was done, whether renovation of the roof, façade, windows or balconies is planned, what is included in the monthly fee (avgift), whether the apartment has had water damage, whether radon has been measured in the building, and whether there is a permit for any alterations made.

Step four: contract and handpenning

For a bostadsrätt, an överlåtelseavtal (transfer agreement) is usually signed.

At signing you often pay a handpenning (deposit), as a rule 10 percent of the price. It should not be confused with the kontantinsats. The handpenning is part of the settlement between buyer and seller. The kontantinsats is the part of the home's value that the bank does not finance.

If the loan has not yet been finally approved, or if the buyer wants to carry out a technical inspection, this must be explicitly written into the contract. A verbal promise along the lines of "if the bank refuses, we'll cancel everything" is not enough. After signing, you can no longer withdraw from the purchase without legal and financial consequences, unless such a right is stated in the contract itself.

A further peculiarity when buying a cooperative apartment is that the cooperative's board will vet you and decide whether or not to admit you as a member.

What happens if the buyer withdraws?

Once the överlåtelseavtal is signed, the main contract is binding. There is no general right to change your mind.

The possible consequences are as follows. The buyer may lose the handpenning, usually 10 percent of the price. If the home is later sold for less, the buyer may be charged the difference. In addition, costs for the agent, marketing and a new sale may apply.

An example. Price 3,000,000 kronor, handpenning 300,000 kronor. The home was later sold for less, at 2,600,000 kronor, so a difference of 400,000 kronor, plus 40,000 kronor in additional costs. The seller's loss is 440,000 kronor. The handpenning does not cover it fully, so the buyer loses that 300,000 and pays a further 140,000. In total, the buyer's cost here is around 440,000 kronor.

What happens if the bank does not grant the loan?

A refusal by the bank does not in itself give the right to cancel the purchase, and this is important to understand before signing.

The buyer is protected only when three conditions are met. The seller has accepted a financing condition, the condition has been written into the contract, and the buyer has met the deadline and form for giving notice. Sellers do not always agree to such a condition, especially when there are other buyers.

Financing should be aligned with the bank as far as possible before the contract is signed. A lånelöfte does not always mean final approval of the loan for that specific home. You can literally call the bank right before signing and double-check.

If the buyer is not admitted to the bostadsrättsförening, the deal is normally void and the handpenning is refunded.

Step five: from contract to keys (tillträde and moving in)

Between signing the contract and the moment you can move your things in and pay the full amount for the apartment, there is still a stretch of time.

The överlåtelseavtal is the main purchase contract. Once signed, it is binding on both parties, and you can no longer simply change your mind.

Next comes membership in the cooperative. A bostadsrätt purchase is not complete at signing. The bostadsrättsförening must approve the buyer as a member. Until the board has decided on membership, the deal does not finally take effect. It is therefore wise to read the stadgar in advance, since there may be conditions that block admission, such as an age limit or a requirement of permanent residence.

Then comes tillträde (the completion, or access, day). This is the final meeting at which the deal is concluded. Buyer, seller and agent usually meet at the bank or the agent's office. The buyer makes the slutbetalning (final payment), the parties sign a likvidavräkning (settlement statement), and the buyer receives the keys. The meeting usually takes about an hour. Bring photo ID.

How much time passes between the contract and tillträde is not set by law. It can be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. The parties agree the date in advance and write it into the contract, so it can only be changed later by mutual agreement.

And finally, the move. From the day of tillträde, responsibility for the home passes to the buyer. A home insurance policy (hemförsäkring) must be in force from that day, so take it out in advance, not after moving in. The seller is obliged to empty the apartment and carry out a flyttstädning (move-out cleaning). The buyer should arrange the necessary subscriptions in good time, for example electricity, from the day of tillträde, submit a change-of-address notification (flyttanmälan) to Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency), and set up mail forwarding.

Tax if you later sell the apartment

This is not about the purchase itself, but it is good to know in advance. If a private home is sold at a profit (that is, for more than the purchase price plus improvement costs), the tax is, as a general rule, 22 percent of the gain. In the calculation, you do not count only the purchase price. Under certain conditions you may deduct, for example, the agent's fee, certain improvement and repair costs, costs directly linked to the sale, and, for a bostadsrätt, any kapitaltillskott (capital contribution) to the cooperative.

That is why it is best to keep receipts and documents from the moment you buy. Ten years later it is nearly impossible to prove the cost of a kitchen renovation without a single document.

In brief: what to check before signing

Do not rely on photos, the agent's words and the impression after the viewing alone.

Before signing, you should obtain the bank's final approval, read the cooperative's documents, assess the apartment's technical condition and calculate all additional costs.

And the main rule. Do not sign a document whose content you do not understand.

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Author: Julia Dangoor