The Private Rental Act (privatuthyrningslagen) is the law that applies when you, as a private person, rent out your tenant-owned apartment (bostadsrätt), house, freehold apartment (ägarlägenhet) or part of your own home, and it applies to leases signed from 1 July 2026. You and the tenant agree on the rent yourselves, but it must not be significantly higher than what similar homes normally cost. A lease that runs until further notice can be terminated by either of you with three months’ notice, and the tenant has no right to stay once the lease has ended correctly.

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What is the new Private Rental Act?

The new Private Rental Act is the law that, since 1 July 2026, governs how private people rent out homes they own themselves. Among other things, it sets out how the rent is agreed, how the lease is terminated and what happens when the rental period ends. So you and the tenant know the ground rules from the start.

If your lease was signed before 1 July 2026, it still follows the old Act on Renting Out One’s Own Home (lagen om uthyrning av egen bostad). In other words, the date the lease was signed decides which law applies. New rules for renting out a tenant-owned apartment came in at the same time, and you will find them further down.

When does the Private Rental Act apply?

The Private Rental Act applies when you, as a private person, rent out your tenant-owned apartment, house, freehold apartment or part of the home you live in yourself. You can also rent out up to two homes that are not part of your own home and still follow the act. But if you regularly rent out more than two homes that are not part of your own home, the Rent Act in the Swedish Land Code (jordabalken) applies instead, and it has different rules.

There are two more exceptions worth knowing. If you rent your own home as a rental apartment (hyresrätt) and sublet it, the Private Rental Act does not apply, and the Swedish Land Code does. You can read more about that in the guide renting out an apartment second-hand. Nor does the act apply when you rent out for leisure purposes, for example a holiday home let as holiday accommodation. There is more on that in the guide renting out a holiday home.

If you rent out a room while you still live there yourself, you have a lodger. That does not count as a second-hand rental and needs no permission, as long as there are not more lodgers than the association or landlord can reasonably be expected to accept. Read more in the guide renting out a room to a lodger.

Rent under the Private Rental Act

Under the Private Rental Act, you and the tenant decide the rent together. It must be a fixed amount, but electricity and heating may be charged according to actual consumption. The rent may also be indexed, if you have written that into the lease.

That freedom has a limit. If the rent is significantly higher than what similar homes normally cost, the tenant can apply to the Rent Tribunal (hyresnämnden), which settles disputes about rent and leases. The tribunal can then lower the rent from the day the application was received, and you repay what the tenant has overpaid, with interest.

So it pays to set a reasonable rent from the start. With the rent calculator you can see what similar homes have been rented out for. It is based on completed rentals of similar homes through Samtrygg, and only those that are relevant to today’s rent levels. The calculator gives you a suggestion, not a ruling on how a review would turn out. We go through how to work out the rent for different types of homes in the guide how much rent can I charge?

Terminating a lease under the Private Rental Act

A lease that runs until further notice can be terminated by both you and the tenant with three months’ notice, to the turn of a month. A fixed-term lease ends by itself when the rental period is over, without anyone having to give notice. The tenant can still always terminate a fixed-term lease with three months’ notice, so do not count on the tenant staying for the whole period.

Notice must be given in writing. The tenant may give notice verbally, but then you need to confirm it in writing. The act sets no maximum rental period. How long you can rent out depends instead on the type of home and the consent you have, and we go through that in the guide how long can you sublet?

What happens when the lease ends?

Once the lease has ended correctly, the tenant has no right to stay. The tenant has no security of tenure (besittningsskydd), meaning the right to stay that many tenants in rental apartments have. For you, that means you can plan for when you want your home back.

You can also terminate the lease early if the tenant seriously breaches it. That applies, for example, if the rent is more than two weeks late, if the tenant sublets the home without permission or if there are serious disturbances. If you disagree, the Rent Tribunal can review the dispute, and when you rent out through Samtrygg you can get legal advice along the way.

New rules for subletting a tenant-owned apartment

New rules since 1 July 2026 make it easier to rent out a tenant-owned apartment for longer periods. Earlier rentals only count against you if they have been extensive. So the fact that you have rented out before is not in itself a reason for the association to say no.

You still need the housing association’s consent. If the board says no, the Rent Tribunal can grant permission if you have reasons for renting out and the association has no justified reason to refuse. If you rent out without consent or permission, you risk losing your tenant-owned apartment, so always apply before the tenant moves in.

If its statutes allow it, the association may charge an annual fee when you sublet, and you are the one who pays it. The fee may be at most 10 percent of the price base amount (prisbasbelopp), which in 2026 means at most SEK 5,920 per year. If you own a house or a freehold apartment, on the other hand, no association or landlord needs to approve the rental.

Why rent out through Samtrygg

You should not need to know the law by heart to rent out. When you rent out through Samtrygg, you and the tenant sign a standardised lease, written by Samtrygg’s lawyers, and sign it digitally. You work out a reasonable rent with the rent calculator, create a free listing and always choose who gets to rent. Home seekers are verified and credit-checked before the lease is signed, so you know who you are signing with.

The Safety Package is included free of charge for landlords.

• Rent guarantee for up to 12 months
• Rental insurance that covers damage a standard home insurance does not cover
• Verified home seekers and credit checks of tenants
• Standardised lease, written by Samtrygg’s lawyers
• Inspection report at move-in and move-out
• Legal advice
• Free marketing
• Personal service and help throughout the process

Samtrygg is the marketplace where you and the tenant meet, and you sign the lease directly with each other. Behind the service is experience from more than 25,000 rentals, and if you wonder what the law means for your particular rental, legal advice is there to help.

Frequently asked questions about the Private Rental Act

What are the most important rental rules from 2026?

The most important is that private people who rent out their tenant-owned apartment, house or freehold apartment follow the Private Rental Act for leases from 1 July 2026. You set the rent yourselves as long as it is not significantly higher than for similar homes, and the notice period is three months for both of you. If you own a tenant-owned apartment, earlier rentals also only count against you if they have been extensive.

What does the new act mean for leases that are already signed?

A lease signed before 1 July 2026 still follows the old Act on Renting Out One’s Own Home. The new act applies to leases signed from 1 July 2026. If you are unsure which applies to you, you can check with a lawyer or the Rent Tribunal.

Does the Private Rental Act apply when I sublet my rental apartment?

No, the Private Rental Act does not apply when you rent your own home as a rental apartment. The rental then follows the Swedish Land Code, and you need your landlord’s consent. The rent must be reasonable, which in practice is based on the rent you pay yourself, with a reasonable addition if the home is furnished, for example.

Can I rent out two homes under the Private Rental Act?

Yes, you can rent out up to two homes that are not part of your own home and still follow the Private Rental Act. That could be a tenant-owned apartment and a house, for example. If you regularly rent out more than two, the Swedish Land Code applies instead.

Does the Private Rental Act apply to holiday accommodation?

No, the act does not apply when you rent out for leisure purposes, for example a holiday home that someone rents for a holiday. If you rent out a house that someone will live in permanently, the act applies as usual. So it is the purpose of the rental that decides.

Summary

The Private Rental Act applies when you, as a private person, rent out your tenant-owned apartment, house, freehold apartment or part of your home, for leases signed from 1 July 2026. You and the tenant decide the rent, but it must not be significantly higher than for similar homes, and the notice period is three months for both of you. If you own a tenant-owned apartment, the new rules make it easier to rent out for longer periods, but you still need the association’s consent.

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Last updated 16 October 2026