Tenants
Private landlords in Sweden: how to rent from an individual
Private landlords in Sweden are individuals renting out their tenant-owned apartment, house, rental apartment or a room in their home. You rent directly from the person, often as a sublet, and the landlord decides who gets to move in. You can find private landlords on marketplaces like Samtrygg, where you search the listings and book a viewing directly.
Search homes from private landlords
What is a private landlord?
A private landlord is an individual renting out their own home, such as a tenant-owned apartment (bostadsrätt), a house, a rental apartment (hyresrätt) or a room in their home. You sign the lease directly with the person, and it’s often a matter of subletting (renting second hand, andrahand in Swedish).
That means you’re dealing with a person rather than a system. The landlord decides who gets to move in, so it comes down to the viewing and how you meet. The rules also differ depending on the type of home, which we cover further down.
How do you find a private landlord?
You find a private landlord on a marketplace for home rentals, where individuals list their homes. This is how it works when you rent through Samtrygg:
- Search the listings. Start with homes to rent or go straight to available apartments in Stockholm, Gothenburg or Malmö.
- Keep your profile updated. You’ll then get an email when homes matching your search criteria are listed.
- Book a viewing directly in the listing. Viewings are held at the home or digitally.
- Sign the lease digitally. You sign the lease directly with the landlord, so Samtrygg is never a party to it.
New homes are listed every weekday, so it pays to check in often. For more tips, read how to rent an apartment in Sweden. If you’re looking in the capital, we also have a guide to renting in Stockholm without a queue.
Which rules apply when you rent from a private landlord?
Which rules apply depends on the type of home. If you rent a tenant-owned apartment, a house, an owner-occupied apartment (ägarlägenhet) or part of someone’s home, the Private Rental Act (privatuthyrningslagen) has applied since 1 July 2026. If you sublet a rental apartment, the tenancy rules in the Swedish Land Code (jordabalken) apply instead.
The Land Code also applies if the landlord regularly rents out more than two homes that aren’t part of their own home. The Private Rental Act doesn’t cover rentals for leisure purposes either, such as a holiday home rented out for vacations. A lease signed before 1 July 2026 follows the earlier rules in most cases.
What rent do you pay to a private landlord?
With a private landlord, you pay the rent you’ve both agreed on. In a private rental, the rent must be a fixed amount, but electricity and heating can be charged by actual use, and the rent can be index-linked if you’ve agreed to that. So read the lease carefully before you sign.
If the rent is substantially higher than what similar homes normally cost, you can apply to the Rent Tribunal (hyresnämnden) for a review. The tribunal can lower the rent from the date of your application, and you then get back what you’ve overpaid from that date, with interest. Rent for the time before you applied isn’t repaid.
Different rules apply if you sublet a rental apartment. The rent must then be reasonable, and in practice the Rent Tribunal starts from what the first-hand tenant pays, with a reasonable supplement if the home is furnished or if electricity, for example, is included. You can get overpaid rent back for up to one year before your application, but if you’ve moved out, the application must be in within three months. Read more about unreasonable rent.
What should you check before renting from a private landlord?
Before renting from a private landlord, check that they’re allowed to rent out the home, what the lease says and what condition the home is in. It doesn’t take long and can save you a lot of trouble.
- Consent. Someone subletting a rental apartment needs their landlord’s consent or the Rent Tribunal’s permission. Someone renting out a tenant-owned apartment needs the housing association’s consent or the Rent Tribunal’s permission. A house or owner-occupied apartment needs no such approval.
- Rental period. Ask how long the consent lasts, since it can affect how long you can stay.
- The lease. Make sure the rent, rental period and notice are set out in writing. Read more about what a sublet contract should include.
- Condition of the home. Document the condition in an inspection report when you move in and when you move out.
- Payment. Don’t pay anything before you’ve seen the home and signed the lease.
Why find your private landlord on Samtrygg
The hard part of private rentals is often knowing whether a listing can be trusted. On Samtrygg, housing listings are checked and you have protection against advance payment fraud, so you can spend your time finding a home that suits you.
Registration is free and it’s free to search for housing. 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
You sign a standardised lease, written by Samtrygg’s lawyers, directly with the landlord. Behind the service is experience from more than 25,000 rentals, and you have a contact person to turn to if you have questions.
Frequently asked questions about private landlords in Sweden
How does a private landlord choose a tenant?
The landlord decides who gets to rent the home. When you rent through Samtrygg, you book a viewing directly in the listing, and the landlord then decides who gets to move in.
Can a private landlord give me notice?
Yes. In a private rental, a lease that runs until further notice can be ended by you or the landlord with three months’ notice, to the end of a month. A fixed-term lease ends when the rental period is over, but you can always give three months’ notice. You have no security of tenure, meaning no right to stay once the lease has ended correctly. If you sublet a rental apartment, you have no security of tenure for the first two consecutive years.
How long can I rent from a private landlord?
That’s for you and the landlord to agree in the lease, as the Private Rental Act sets no maximum rental period. Samtrygg focuses on long-term rentals of six months or more, and the shortest rental period is two months.
Who rents out homes on Samtrygg?
Samtrygg is a marketplace for private rentals, where landlords and tenants meet and sign the lease directly with each other. You’ll find private landlords renting out their homes, and they choose their own tenants. Samtrygg has no first-hand contracts, as the homes are mainly rented out by individuals.
Can I rent from a private landlord without a Swedish personal identity number?
Yes, when you rent through Samtrygg you can sign the lease and rent a home without a Swedish personal identity number. That means you can start searching for housing even if you’ve just arrived in Sweden.
Summary
With a private landlord, you rent directly from an individual who decides who gets to move in. Check the consent, read the lease and document the condition of the home, and you’ll be better prepared.
Find your next home with a private landlord
Last updated 4 November 2026
