Acquisition inspection when buying a house or tenant-owned apartment

What is a move-out inspection?

An inspection prior to a purchase, where an expert goes through the condition of the home for the buyer. It helps you to make the investigation that the law expects. You can also investigate the home yourself. The rest of the purchase, such as registration of title and mortgage deed for a house, is described in our guide to registration of title and mortgage deed, and all the steps are collected under buying a home.

Source: Konsumentverket: Hidden defects in houses.

What does the law say about the duty to investigate when you buy a house?

If the house does not match the contract, or what you could reasonably expect, you can demand a price reduction and, in the case of significant defects, cancel the purchase. Defects do not include what you should have discovered during an inspection. How carefully you need to inspect depends on the condition of the house, how comparable houses usually are, and the circumstances of the purchase.

A hidden defect, according to Konsumentverket, is a defect that existed at the time of purchase, which could not be detected during a thorough inspection, and which you did not need to consider given the age, condition, and construction of the house. You can complain up to ten years from the date of possession, but within a reasonable time from when you discovered the defect. Cancellation requires you to do so within one year from the date of possession.

Source: Jordabalken, 4 kap. (riksdagen.se), Konsumentverket: Hidden defects in houses. 4 kap. 19 and 19 a §§ jordabalken.

Do I need to inspect a tenant-owned apartment?

A tenant-owned apartment is considered personal property, so the Purchase Act applies and not jordabalken. The Purchase Act has no inspection obligation, but if you have inspected the apartment before purchase, or without a valid reason neglected the seller's request to do so, you cannot complain about what you should have noticed. Konsumentverket advises you to inspect anyway, yourself or with an independent inspector.

Defects in a tenant-owned apartment are reported within a reasonable time and at the latest two years from the date of possession. Also, remember who is responsible for what. You yourself keep the apartment in good condition, but the common pipes for sewage, heating, electricity, and water, and the ventilation channels are the responsibility of the association. How the association maintains the house can be seen in the annual report, see the guide on how to review the tenant-owned apartment association.

Source: Konsumentverket: Fault in tenant-owned apartment, Konsumentverket: Buying tenant-owned apartment.

What is inspected during the inspection?

For a house, Konsumentverket lists what a thorough inspection includes: land, buildings and building accessories, electricity and heating, water and sanitation, appliances, ventilation, radon, and fireplace and chimney. If you have seen something that indicates a defect, or received information about it, the inspection obligation may become greater. In a tenant-owned apartment, Konsumentverket advises you to look under carpets and behind pictures, turn faucets and flush the toilet, and find out who renovated the bathroom.

Read the inspector's terms. They state what is not included, for example, that the area under the bathtub is not inspected if the front is not dismantled.

Source: Konsumentverket: Hidden defects in houses, Konsumentverket: Buying a tenant-owned apartment

What happens if the inspector misses something?

The responsibility for the inspection is still yours. But you can claim damages from the inspector if the defect should have been discovered by a skilled and normally careful inspector, according to how Allmänna reklamationsnämnden (the National Board for Consumer Disputes) has assessed such cases. A notification to ARN (the National Board for Consumer Disputes) costs 150 kr.

Source: Konsumentverket: Hidden defects in houses.

What does a move-out inspection cost?

There is no price stated by law or authorities, and we do not report prices we have not checked. Ask two or three inspectors for a quote and compare what is included, for example, moisture measurement in wet rooms, radon, and chimneys.

What does it mean that the seller waives liability?

With a waiver in the contract, the seller does not take responsibility for hidden faults, and the price is often lower. The waiver does not apply to faults that the seller was aware of. In a tenant-owned apartment, the home is always faulty according to Konsumentverket if it is not as the seller has stated, if it is in much worse condition than you can expect, or if the seller has concealed serious faults that they were aware of.

Source: Konsumentverket: Hidden faults in house, Konsumentverket: Faults in tenant-owned apartment.

How to inspect the home in seven steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Read the property description and what the seller has written about the home. Note everything that indicates faults, such as damp stains or newly renovated wet rooms. our advice

2. 2

   Step 2: Put your questions to the seller in writing and save the answers. our advice

   Email: Questions to the seller before the purchase To: The seller, via the agentour advice

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

   Ämne: Frågor om [lägenhetens adress] före köpet Hej [säljarens namn]. Jag är intresserad av att köpa [lägenhetens adress] och vill ställa några frågor om bostadens skick innan jag bestämmer mig. 1. Känner du till några fel, skador eller fuktproblem, nu eller tidigare? 2. Vilka renoveringar har gjorts, när, och av vem? Finns kvitton, intyg eller våtrumsintyg? 3. Har det varit vattenskador eller läckor? Hur åtgärdades de? 4. Finns det en besiktning eller ett protokoll sedan tidigare som jag kan få läsa? 5. Är det något i bostaden som inte fungerar som det ska, till exempel ventilation, avlopp, el eller vitvaror? [Bostadsrätt: 6. Vet du om föreningen planerar stambyte, fasadrenovering eller en höjning av årsavgiften? Får jag en kopia av den senaste årsredovisningen och lägenhetsförteckningen?] [Hus: 6. Har det gjorts radonmätning, och finns det kända problem med dränering, tak eller skorsten?] Jag planerar också att låta en besiktningsman undersöka bostaden. Går det bra att boka en tid för det? Vänliga hälsningar [ditt namn] [telefon] [e-post]

   • When buying a house, you have a duty to investigate: you cannot complain about faults that you should have discovered during an investigation (4 kap. 19 § jordabalken). The answers do not replace the investigation.
   • For a tenant-owned apartment, there is no duty to investigate in the Purchase Act, but if you have inspected the home or ignored the seller's request to do so, you cannot complain about what you should have noticed (20 § Purchase Act). Konsumentverket advises you to investigate anyway.
   • Ask the questions in writing and save the answers. What the seller writes about the home can be important if a defect appears after the purchase (our advice).
   • Go through the annual report when you buy a tenant-owned apartment, and ask for the apartment register to see if the tenant-owned apartment is pledged (Konsumentverket).

   Copy email

   Blank template: Word · PDF

3. 3

   Step 3: Inspect the home yourself or hire a skilled inspector. If the seller or agent encourages you to inspect, do so.

   § 4 kap. 19 and 19 a §§ jordabalken (1970:994), checked 5 October 2026

   § 20 § purchase law (1990:931), verified 5 October 2026

4. 4

   Step 4: Go through the inspection report and follow up on each comment, with more questions or a more in-depth examination. our advice

5. 5

   Step 5: If you are buying a tenant-owned apartment: read the association's annual report, ask the board about planned renovations such as pipe replacement and request the apartment inventory.

6. 6

   Step 6: Read about the seller waiving liability for defects in the contract, and write down what you have agreed on. our advice

7. 7

   Step 7: If you discover a fault after moving in: complain in writing to the seller within a reasonable time.

   § 4 kap. 19 a § jordabalken (1970:994), checked 5 October 2026

   § 32 § purchase law (1990:931), verified 5 October 2026

Template: questions to the seller

Fill in, download and send the questions to the seller via the agent before you decide.

The law behind it

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