Buying a new home and moving in

From preliminary agreement to move-in in seven steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Read the association's binding offer and use the reflection period of at least seven days before you sign the pre-agreement.

   § 5 kap. 2 och 5 §§ bostadsrättslag (1991:614), checked 6 October 2026

2. 2

   Step 2: Review the cost calculation: the association's loans, interest rates and the estimated fees.

3. 3

   Step 3: Pay advance only to an association that has the Company Authorization to receive it.

   § 5 kap. 8 and 9 §§ bostadsrättslagen (1991:614), checked 6 October 2026

4. 4

   Step 4: Do not wait to terminate your current accommodation until the move-in day is confirmed. The estimated time can be an interval of three months. our advice

5. 5

   Step 5: Write the lease agreement when the financial plan is registered, with the stake and annual fee.

   § 3 chap. 1 § and 4 chap. 2 and 4 §§ tenant-owned apartment law (1991:614), checked 6 October 2026

6. 6

   Step 6: Go through the apartment when you move in, photograph any defects and report them in writing to the association. our advice

   § 7 kap. 1 to 3 §§ bostadsrättslag (1991:614), checked 6 October 2026

7. 7

   Step 7: Continue to report faults in writing during the guarantee period, and save all emails and responses. our advice

Preliminary agreement

The pre-agreement obliges the association to lease the apartment to you later. The agreement is signed with the association, even if the construction company provides it. Before the agreement, the association must provide a binding offer with all terms and information about, among other things, your right to withdraw, and you must have at least seven days to consider. The agreement must state the estimated time for the lease, at most an interval of three months, and the estimated fees, which must be based on a cost calculation certified by two certifiers.

The association may only accept a deposit with the permission of Bolagsverket (the Swedish Companies Registration Office) and at most corresponding to the estimated contribution. The agreement is binding, and if you cancel it without valid reason, you may be liable for compensation exceeding the deposit you have paid.

Source: Konsumentverket: Buying a new tenant-owned apartment, tips, Konsumentverket: Good to know before buying a new tenant-owned apartment.

The lease and the economic plan

The apartments may be leased with tenant-owned apartment rights only when the final cost is included in an economic plan that Bolagsverket has registered. It is the cost calculation that is not registered. In the plan's financing plan, you can see the association's loans with amounts, terms, and interest rates. The lease agreement must be in writing and state the contribution, annual fee, and any lease fee. Konsumentverket writes that when leasing, you often pay a deposit of around ten percent of the price, minus what you have already paid.

Source: Konsumentverket: Good to know before buying a new tenant-owned apartment, Konsumentverket: Buying a new tenant-owned apartment, tips.

Moving in and defects in the apartment

When you first move in, the apartment must be fully usable. If you find defects, report them in writing to the association, for example by email, so that you can prove that you have complained. If the board does not rectify the defects after being notified, you may rectify them at the association's expense. While the defect exists, you are entitled to a reasonable reduction in the annual fee, and if it is significant, you may withdraw, but not after it has been rectified.

Source: Konsumentverket: Problems with new tenant-owned apartments.

Final inspection and guarantee inspection

If a company builds a house for you, a final inspection is carried out if either of you requests it. You appoint the inspector, who must be impartial and provide a written statement. You may withhold ten percent of the price until the contract has been approved, and pay the inspector unless otherwise agreed. Final inspection is not a legal requirement, but the protocol becomes important evidence in a dispute.

A fault that appears within two years after the approved final inspection is considered a fault, unless the company shows that it is due to, for example, neglect. If you complain within two months of noticing the fault, it is always on time, and the ultimate limit is ten years for work on buildings. Boverket (the Swedish National Board of Housing) describes that the liability period for a construction company is normally ten years and starts with a guarantee period of five years, and that a guarantee inspection is carried out by an independent inspector who goes through the entire building.

Source: Konsumentverket: Build a house, Konsumentverket: Complain about faults in a new-built house, Boverket: A building's life, management phase.

Final certificate and completion protection

A house may not be occupied before the building committee has issued a final certificate, unless the committee decides otherwise. Therefore, do not move in before the certificate is available: if a one- or two-dwelling house is occupied too early, it will result in a construction penalty fee. When a company builds a one- or two-dwelling house for you, there must be a completion protection, an insurance or bank guarantee of at least ten percent of the price, which covers additional costs to complete the construction and rectify faults from the final inspection.

Source: Boverket: Final certificate (PBL knowledge bank), Planning and Building Ordinance (2011:338), 9 chap. 18 § (riksdagen.se), Act (2014:227) on completion protection (riksdagen.se).

If the move-in is delayed

For a tenant-owned apartment, you can withdraw from the pre-agreement if the apartment is not made available by the time of move-in or within a reasonable time after the estimated time, and it is not due to you. You must cancel the agreement within three months of finding out, and then get the deposit back with interest. If you cannot take possession on time after the apartment is made available, you are entitled to a reasonable reduction in the annual fee, can withdraw if the obstacle is significant, and may receive damages if the association has been negligent.

If a company builds a house for you and there is a delay, you can withhold payment, demand that the work be completed, cancel the contract if the delay is significant and receive compensation. Konsumentverket states that the company must compensate for costs caused by the delay, and that a delay penalty only applies if it has been agreed. Save receipts for the costs of the delay, such as double housing costs or storage.

Source: Konsumentverket: Delayed house construction.

The move to the new home

If you live in a rental apartment, the notice period is three months to a month change, so count backwards from a confirmed date. The move then follows the same seven steps as otherwise. Make a plan with dates in Your move plan and make flyttanmälan (notification of change of address) to Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency) no later than one week after the move.

The law behind it

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