Hyreslagen (12 kap. jordabalken) for you as a tenant

What is hyreslagen?

Hyreslagen is the common name for Chapter 12 of jordabalken (1970:994). The chapter applies to agreements where a house or part of a house is rented out for payment, and the law calls what is rented out a rental apartment, regardless of whether it is a home or a local. Most of the rules are mandatory in your favour: a condition in the contract that contradicts the chapter usually does not apply to you.

This chapter does not apply to agreements covered by the private rental law. If you rent from a private person who owns the home, you may therefore have other rules, see do you rent from a private person? further down.

Source: Jordabalken, 12 chap. (riksdagen.se). 12 chap. 1, 1 c and 1 d §§.

The paragraphs in the order you encounter them

Summaries, not legislation. Each paragraph is at the bottom with a link to riksdagen.se.

Does the rental agreement have to be in writing?

Only if you or the landlord request it. A verbal agreement also applies. The agreement applies for an indefinite period if you have not agreed on a fixed period, and an agreement for an indefinite period must be terminated to cease. A time-limited agreement expires when the time runs out, but if you have lived there for more than nine months in a row, it must also be terminated.

Source: Jordabalken, 12 chap. (riksdagen.se). 12 chap. 2 and 3 §§.

What is reasonable rent and how is it determined?

The rent for a home should be determined to an amount in the agreement or in a negotiation agreement between the landlord and the tenant organization. If you disagree, hyresnämnden will determine whether the rent is reasonable. It is not reasonable if it is significantly higher than the rent for apartments with the same utility value, and the board compares mainly with negotiated rents.

The utility value is the apartment's practical value for tenants in general: size, modernity, floor plan, location in the building, standard and sound insulation, and such things as a lift, laundry room and location in general. The landlord's costs are not included, according to Sveriges Domstolar.

If you want to have the rent reviewed, write to the landlord first. If you do not agree, you can apply to hyresnämnden at the earliest one month after the letter. The steps are found below.

Source: Jordabalken, 12 chap. (riksdagen.se), Swedish Courts: Utility value, Swedish Courts: Reasonable rent when renting a residence. 12 chap. 19, 54 and 55 §§.

How is the agreement terminated according to hyreslagen?

As a tenant, you can always give notice of a rental apartment to the end of a month, at the earliest three months after the notice. The notice must be in writing if you have lived there for more than three months. If the landlord gives you notice, the protection against eviction applies, see below. How to calculate the end date and send the notice is stated in the guide to saying up the rental apartment.

Source: Jordabalken, 12 kap. (riksdagen.se). 12 kap. 4, 5 and 8 §§.

Who is responsible for the condition and for damages?

The landlord shall hand over the apartment in a condition that is considered fully usable in the area and keep it in that condition throughout the rental period. In a home, the landlord shall, at reasonable intervals, wallpaper, paint and make other ordinary repairs that are necessary due to age and use.

If there are defects that the landlord does not rectify after being told to do so, you have several options: rectify the defect at the landlord's expense, get a reasonable reduction in rent, get compensation for damage, and, if the defect is significant, terminate the contract. Hyresnämnden can also order the landlord to rectify the defect within a certain time, with a penalty.

You should take good care of the apartment and replace any damage caused by you, someone in your household or your guests through negligence or carelessness. This is the issue that is decided during the move-out inspection.

Source: Jordabalken, 12 chap. (riksdagen.se). 12 chap. 9, 11, 15, 16 and 24 §§.

Can I sublet?

Only with the landlord's consent or the Hyresnämnden's permission. The board grants permission if you have valid reasons, such as work or studies in another location, and the landlord lacks a valid reason to say no. The permission applies for a certain period. The rent must not be higher than your own, plus a maximum of 15 percent for furniture and the self-cost for example electricity. If you rent out without permission, you can lose the contract. Everything about the application and contract can be found in the guide to subletting.

Source: Jordabalken, 12 kap. (riksdagen.se), Swedish Courts: Subletting a home. 12 kap. 39, 40, 42 and 55 §§.

Can I swap or hand over the apartment?

You may not transfer the rental apartment without the landlord's consent. There are two exceptions where hyresnämnden can give permission. One is an exchange for another rental apartment, if you have reasonable grounds and the exchange is not a significant inconvenience for the landlord. If any of you have lived for less than a year, special reasons are required. The other is transfer to a close relative who has permanently lived with you, if the landlord can reasonably accept it. It is forbidden to take or give money for an exchange or a contract, and it can cost you the rental apartment. More in the guide to exchanging an apartment.

Source: Jordabalken, 12 chap. (riksdagen.se), Swedish Courts: Changing residence. 12 chap. 32, 34, 35, 42 and 65 §§.

What is tenant protection?

Possession protection is the right to stay when the landlord terminates the contract. The law calls it the right to extension. If the landlord terminates your contract, you have the right to stay, except in cases specified by law: including when the rental apartment is forfeited, when you have seriously misbehaved, when the house is to be demolished or rebuilt, or when it is not unreasonable for the rental relationship to end. If you want to stay, the landlord must bring the dispute to hyresnämnden at the latest one month after the rental period has expired. Otherwise, the termination is without effect.

Not everyone has protection against eviction. It is lacking for someone who rents for a short period, for a furnished room for less than nine months, for someone who lives in part of the landlord's own home and when you have validly agreed to waive it.

Source: Jordabalken, 12 kap. (riksdagen.se). 12 kap. 45, 45 a, 46 and 49 §§

Can you waive the protection of tenure?

Yes, but only in a special document, i.e. a separate document and not a line in the rental contract. The waiver applies if hyresnämnden has approved it. Without the committee's approval, it only applies in three cases. The first is when you write the waiver after the rental relationship has begun. The second is when the waiver applies for a maximum of four years from moving in and the landlord is going to move in themselves or sell: this applies to the person renting out in a one- or two-family house or an owner-occupied apartment without running a rental business, and the person renting out in a subletting. The third applies for a maximum of one year when subletting an apartment that has been rented out with block rent.

Did your spouse, wife or husband live in the apartment when the waiver was written, and does that person have no part in the rental apartment, the waiver applies to them only if they have accepted it. For waivers of up to four years, the government or the authority determined by the government sets a form.

Source: Jordabalken, 12 kap. (riksdagen.se). 12 kap. 45 a § jordabalken in the version according to SFS 2026:773.

When can the rental apartment be forfeited?

The landlord can terminate the contract prematurely, and you will lack protection of tenure, if the rental apartment is forfeited. This applies, among other things, if the rent is paid more than a week late, if you sublet without permission, if you charge for the contract, in case of disturbances or neglect that are not corrected after a warning, and if you refuse the landlord access without a valid reason. What is attributed to you must not be of minor importance.

If you have been terminated because the rent came too late, you can get the rental apartment back by paying within three weeks of receiving a notice about it. The landlord must also notify the social services committee.

Source: Jordabalken, chapter 12 (riksdagen.se). Chapter 12, sections 42 and 44.

What does hyresnämnden do?

Hyresnämnden mediates in rental disputes and examines the issues that hyreslagen (the Swedish Tenancy Act) submits to it, such as permission for subletting and exchange, extension disputes and changed rental terms. It can also order a landlord to rectify deficiencies. There is one board per county or area of operation, and you apply to the board where the residence is located. The boards belong to Sveriges Domstolar.

The application must be in writing and is free of charge. The board does not obtain any investigation itself, so what you want it to consider you must send in. In most cases, you and the counterparty are called to a meeting, where the board consists of a rental council, which is a judge, and two interest representatives. The board does not represent any of you and provides no legal advice.

Many decisions can be appealed to Svea hovrätt within three weeks. Decisions on apartment exchange and subletting are usually not appealable, and Svea hovrätt's decision is final. Contact information for the eight committees and a template for the application can be found in the guide on hyresnämnden.

Source: Jordabalken, 12 kap. (riksdagen.se), Sveriges Domstolar: Rent, tenant-owned apartment and lease, Sveriges Domstolar: How to apply to the rent and lease tribunal, Sveriges Domstolar: What happens in the tribunal when you have applied, Sveriges Domstolar: How to appeal the tribunal's decision. 12 kap. 68 to 71 §§.

How to dispute the rent or notice

1. 1

   Step 1: Find out which paragraph the dispute concerns: the rent (54 and 55 §§), a termination (46 and 49 §§) or defects in the apartment (11 and 16 §§).

2. 2

   Step 2: Concerns the rent or another condition: write to the landlord what change you want and from when.

   § 12 kap. 54 § jordabalken (1970:994), checked 5 October 2026

   Letter: Request for change of rental to the landlord To: Your landlordour advice

   The template is in Swedish because it goes to a Swedish recipient.

   Ämne: Begäran om ändrad hyra, [lägenhetens adress], lägenhet [lägenhetsnummer] [hyresvärdens namn] [hyresvärdens adress] Begäran om ändring av hyresvillkor enligt 12 kap. 54 § jordabalken Jag hyr lägenheten på [lägenhetens adress], lägenhetsnummer [lägenhetsnummer]. Hyran är i dag [hyra] kronor per månad. Jag begär att hyran ändras till [hyran du begär per månad] kronor per månad från och med [datum ändringen ska gälla från]. Skäl: [varför, till exempel brister eller jämförbara lägenheter med lägre hyra]. Kan vi inte komma överens kommer jag att ansöka hos hyresnämnden, tidigast en månad efter att du har fått det här brevet. Jag ber om skriftligt svar. Jag nås på [telefon] och [e-post]. [ort], [datum] ______________________ [ditt namn]

   • The notification must be in writing, and you can apply to hyresnämnden at the earliest one month after the landlord received it (12 kap. 54 § jordabalken).
   • Save a copy and proof that the landlord has received the letter, for example, an email response or a receipt for a registered letter. Hyresnämnden wants both (Sveriges Domstolar).
   • If the rental agreement has a negotiation clause, the landlord and tenant organisation negotiate the rent. State in the application if the agreement has such a clause.

   Copy text Print the letter

   Blank template: Word · PDF

3. 3

   Step 3: If the landlord has terminated your contract and you want to stay: don't move. The landlord must bring the dispute to hyresnämnden no later than one month after the rental period has expired, otherwise the termination is without effect.

   § 12 kap. 49 § jordabalken (1970:994), checked 5 October 2026

4. 4

   Step 4: Apply in writing to hyresnämnden where the apartment is located, preferably on form HN1. If it concerns the rent, you can apply at the earliest one month after your letter. The application is free of charge.

   § 12 kap. 54 § jordabalken (1970:994), checked 5 October 2026

5. 5

   Step 5: Send copies of the rental agreement, letters between you and the landlord and other written evidence.

6. 6

   Step 6: Attend the meeting. The committee first tries to get you to agree, and a settlement can be confirmed so that it applies as a verdict.

7. 7

   Step 7: If you are not satisfied with the decision, you can appeal to the Svea Court of Appeal within three weeks in most cases.

   § 12 kap. 70 and 71 §§ jordabalken (1970:994), checked 5 October 2026

Steps 3 and 4 follow 12 chap. 49 and 54 §§. Application, documents and meeting according to Sveriges Domstolar.

Source: Courts of Sweden: How to apply to the rent and lease tribunal, Courts of Sweden: Apply, condition dispute, Courts of Sweden: What happens in the tribunal when you have applied, Form HN1: Application to the rent and lease tribunal (pdf).

Renting from a private individual?

If you rent from a private person who owns the home, such as a tenant-owned apartment or a villa, the Private Rental Act (2026:772) applies to agreements entered into from 1 July 2026. The law does not apply if the person you rent from themselves has a rental apartment, regularly rents out more than two apartments in addition to their own home, or rents out for recreational purposes. Then hyreslagen applies.

The private rental law has no right to extension. A time-limited agreement expires when the time runs out, and you can always cancel to a month change at the earliest three months after the cancellation. Agreements entered into before 1 July 2026 still follow the law (2012:978) on rental of own housing, where you do not have the right to extension unless you have agreed on it.

Source: Private Rental Law (2026:772) (riksdagen.se), Law (2012:978) on rental of own home (riksdagen.se). Chapter 1, sections 1 and 3, and chapter 6, sections 1 and 2, of the Private Rental Law, the transitional provisions, section 3 of the Law (2012:978).

Template for request for changed rent

Fill it in and download it as Word or PDF. All templates are under templates for the move.

The law behind it

The sections summarised, with a link to the legal text on riksdagen.se.