Tenants
Rent control in Sweden – is your second-hand rent too high?
Rent control in Sweden works differently depending on the type of home you rent. If you rent a rental apartment (hyresrätt) as a sublet (renting second hand, andrahand in Swedish), the rent can in most cases be no higher than the first-hand rent plus reasonable additions for furniture and anything included. If you rent a tenant-owned apartment (bostadsrätt), a house or another privately owned home, the rent is only too high when it is significantly higher than for similar homes, and then you can apply to the Rent Tribunal (hyresnämnden) to have it lowered.
What counts as unreasonable rent?
Unreasonable rent is not a legal term, but it is how most people describe rent that is higher than the landlord is allowed to charge. What counts as too much is decided by two different sets of rules. For a rental apartment rented as a sublet, the tenancy rules in the Swedish Land Code (jordabalken) apply, and the rent must be reasonable. For tenant-owned apartments, houses, townhouses, holiday homes and owner-occupied apartments rented out by a private person, the Private Rental Act (privatuthyrningslagen) applies instead.
So the first thing to find out is what kind of home you rent. Rent can feel high without being unreasonable in the legal sense, especially for a furnished home in a popular area. The opposite is also true, since rent that looks normal can be too high if it is a rental apartment with a low first-hand rent.
Reasonable rent for a rental apartment
Reasonable rent for a rental apartment rented as a sublet is based on what the first-hand tenant pays the building owner. That rent has usually been negotiated and is considered to match the apartment’s utility value (bruksvärde), meaning what the home is worth to the person living there based on size, standard and location. The landlord may not add anything extra to make a profit.
The landlord may, however, charge for what is included on top of the apartment itself. For a fully furnished home, the Rent Tribunal has in many cases accepted a furniture supplement of around 10–15 percent, and electricity, internet, parking and similar costs may be added at what they actually cost. If the building owner raises the rent in steps (trappning), you pay the same reduced rent as the first-hand tenant for as long as the steps last.
Here is how it can look in practice. The first-hand rent is SEK 8,000 a month, the apartment is fully furnished, and internet for SEK 200 and a parking space for SEK 900 are included. With a 15 percent furniture supplement, reasonable rent is around SEK 10,300 a month (8,000 × 1.15 + 200 + 900), so if you pay SEK 13,000 you are well above it.
How much rent can a private landlord charge?
For a tenant-owned apartment, house or other privately owned home, the landlord and tenant can largely agree on the rent freely, as long as it is not significantly higher than what is generally charged for similar homes. This follows from the Private Rental Act, which applies to leases signed from 1 July 2026. The act applies when a private person rents out their home and does not regularly rent out more than two homes.
The rent can therefore be set according to demand, and it is compared with what others pay for homes with a similar location, size, standard and furnishing. The act sets no percentage limit for when rent becomes significantly higher, so each case is assessed on its own.
If you signed your lease before 1 July 2026, the previous rules apply in most cases instead.
Am I paying too much rent? How to compare
The quickest way to find out if you pay too much rent is to compare with homes similar to yours. Look at the same type of home in the same area, with roughly the same size, standard and furnishing, and check what is included. Rent that includes electricity, internet and furniture should not be compared directly with rent where you pay all of that yourself.
If you rent a rental apartment, you can ask the landlord to show their rent notice or lease, so you can see the first-hand rent. If you rent a privately owned home, available apartments in the same area are the best comparison. It is a good idea to save a few listings, in case you later want the rent reviewed.
What is extortionate rent?
Extortionate rent (ockerhyra) is an everyday term for rent so high it feels like exploitation, but the law has no specific limit for when rent becomes extortionate. It is assessed like any other rent that is too high, against what is reasonable for a rental apartment and against what similar homes cost for a tenant-owned apartment or house.
If you want to report extortionate rent to get it lowered or money back, the Rent Tribunal is where you turn. In serious cases, where someone exploits a difficult situation you are in to charge clearly disproportionate rent, it may be the crime of usury (ocker) under the Swedish Penal Code (brottsbalken), and you can also report it to the police.
What can I do if my rent is too high?
If your rent is too high, the best first step is to talk to the landlord. Many private landlords do not know the rules in detail, and if you show that the rent is above what applies, you can often agree on a lower level. Write down what you agree on, ideally as an addendum to the lease.
If that does not work, you can apply to the Rent Tribunal to have the rent reviewed, and you can do that while you still live in the home. The Rent Tribunal first tries to help you reach an agreement, and if that fails it decides what rent applies. Read more about your rights when renting a sublet in our guide.
Getting overpaid rent refunded
Overpaid rent is the part of the rent above what is allowed, and how much you can get back depends on the type of home. If you rent a rental apartment as a sublet, the Rent Tribunal can decide that you get back what you overpaid for up to one year before the day you applied. You can apply even after moving out, but your application must then arrive within three months of leaving the apartment.
An example: you have paid SEK 11,000 a month for eight months and the reasonable rent is SEK 9,000. Then the refund can be SEK 16,000, which is SEK 2,000 times eight months.
For a tenant-owned apartment, house or other privately owned home, the lower rent applies from the day you apply to the Rent Tribunal, and the landlord then repays what you have overpaid since that day, with interest. You do not get back rent for the time before you applied. If you suspect the rent is too high, it pays to act early.
Why you rent safely through Samtrygg
With Samtrygg, housing listings are checked and you have protection against advance payment fraud, so you can focus on finding the right home instead of worrying about fake listings. Landlords can work out a reasonable rent with our rent calculator, which is based on completed rentals of similar homes through Samtrygg. You and the landlord sign a standardised lease, written by Samtrygg’s lawyers, so the rent and terms are clear from the start.
We have experience from more than 25,000 rentals, and the Safety Package is included in every rental:
- Option to rent without a deposit
- Protection against advance payment fraud
- Safe and secure payments
- Home insurance included for the first 30 days
- Checked housing listings
- Inspection report at move-in and move-out
- Legal advice
- Personal service and help throughout the process
Samtrygg is the trusted marketplace for home rentals.
Frequently asked questions about rent control in Sweden
How do I know if my rent is too high?
First find out whether you rent a rental apartment or a privately owned home, since the rules differ. For a rental apartment, compare with the first-hand rent plus additions for furniture and what is included. For a tenant-owned apartment or house, compare with what similar homes in the same area cost.
How high can the rent be for a sublet apartment?
It depends on the type of home. For a rental apartment rented as a sublet, the rent must be reasonable, which in practice means the first-hand rent plus a reasonable supplement for furniture and anything included. For a tenant-owned apartment or house rented out by a private person, the rent must not be significantly higher than what similar homes are rented out for.
Can I get money back if I have paid too much rent?
Yes, in some cases. If you have overpaid for a rental apartment rented as a sublet, you can get the difference back for up to one year before your application. For privately owned homes, a lowered rent applies from the day you apply, so do not wait to apply.
Does the Private Rental Act apply to my lease?
The Private Rental Act applies when you rent a tenant-owned apartment, house, holiday home or other privately owned home from a private person and the lease was signed on or after 1 July 2026. Reasonable rent then means rent in line with what similar homes cost. If you rent a rental apartment as a sublet, the tenancy rules in the Swedish Land Code apply, and if your lease was signed earlier, the older Act on Renting Out Your Own Home applies.
Can the landlord raise the rent during the tenancy?
For a privately owned home, the rent can in most cases only change during the tenancy if you have agreed on it, for example that it follows an index. For a rental apartment rented as a sublet, the rent follows the first-hand rent, so if the building owner raises it, the increase can be passed on to you.
What counts as an unreasonable rent?
An unreasonable rent is a rent that is higher than the law allows for the home you rent. If you sublet a rental apartment (hyresrätt), the rent is unreasonable if it is above the first-hand rent plus reasonable additions for furniture and what is included. If you rent a tenant-owned apartment or a house from a private person, it is instead a rent that is substantially higher than for similar homes, and then you can apply to the Rent Tribunal (hyresnämnden) to have it lowered.
Summary
Whether your rent is too high depends on the home you rent. For a rental apartment rented as a sublet, the rent can in most cases be no higher than the first-hand rent plus reasonable additions, and you can get overpaid rent back for up to one year. For a tenant-owned apartment, house or other privately owned home, the rent can be set according to demand but must not be significantly higher than for similar homes. Talk to the landlord first and apply to the Rent Tribunal if you cannot agree.
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Last updated 26 October 2026
