Move to or from a villa: everything that changes owner

The villa move in eight steps

1. 1

   Step 1: The buyer signs an electricity grid agreement with the network owner in the area and chooses an electricity retailer from the date of possession. The seller cancels their electricity agreements.

2. 2

   Step 2: The seller will notify the district heating company of the change of owner in good time, if the house has district heating.

3. 3

   Step 3: The buyer signs villa insurance from the date of accession.

   § 4 kap. 11 § jordabalken (1970:994), checked 5 October 2026

4. 4

   Step 4: On the move-in day: read the water meter and the electricity and heat meters together, and photograph them. our advice

5. 5

   Step 5: Report the change of owner for water, sewage and waste collection to the municipality, with the date of accession and the meter reading.

6. 6

   Step 6: Ask the seller when the chimney was last swept and the fire safety equipment was last checked, and seek new permission if you want to sweep the chimney yourself.

   § 3 chap. 4 and 6 §§ Law on Protection against Accidents (2003:778), checked 6 October 2026

7. 7

   Step 7: Has the house a private sewage system: find out its condition and when the sludge emptying takes place.

8. 8

   Step 8: Clear out storage rooms, garages and plots if you are moving out, and do flyttanmälan (notification of change of address) within a week.

   § 25 § folkbokföringslag (1991:481), checked 3 October 2026

Water, sewage and waste collection

If the house is within the municipality's area of operation for water and sewage, the property owner pays the fees. The municipality is responsible for collecting household waste, and in Gothenburg all houses must have a waste subscription. When the house is sold, you report the change of ownership for water, sewage and waste to Kretslopp och vatten, with the date of entry as the date. The seller reads the water meter on that day and states the reading in the notification, in the e-service or on form RA9039, and pays until the notification has been received.

Source: Gothenburg City: Report change of ownership of subscription, villa, Gothenburg City: Form RA9039, notification of change of ownership (pdf).

Private sewage

If the house has its own sewage, you as the owner are responsible for ensuring that the sewage water is purified. A sewage system with a flushing toilet requires a permit from the municipality, and other sewage systems must be reported, even when you change them. The sludge is collected by the municipality. In Gothenburg, a three-chamber well is emptied at least once a year and a closed tank more often, according to the schedule. Ask the seller for the permit and the emptying schedule.

Source: Gothenburg City: Requirements for purification of own sewage, Gothenburg City: About sludge suction and sludge emptying.

Chimney sweeping and fire safety inspection

The municipality is responsible for ensuring that fireplaces and chimneys are swept and inspected, and charges a fee for it. How often depends on the fireplace and how much it is used. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, for example, states three years for a heating boiler for solid fuel and six years for oil or gas, and six years for local fireplaces in holiday homes. In Gothenburg, the fire safety inspection is carried out by the Rescue Service Storgöteborg, normally every third or sixth year. A fireplace that is not used does not need to be swept.

The municipality may allow the property owner to sweep themselves. In Gothenburg, the permission is linked to both the property and the owner, so if you buy a house where the previous owner swept themselves, you need to apply again. Ask the seller when the sweeping and fire safety inspection were last done.

Source: Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency: Chimney sweeping and fire safety inspection, Rescue Service Storgöteborg: Fire safety inspection and chimney sweeping, Rescue Service Storgöteborg: Frequently asked questions about fire safety inspection and chimney sweeping.

Electricity and district heating

Electricity grid agreements and electricity trading agreements are not automatically signed when you move in. You sign the electricity grid agreement with the network owner in the area, which you cannot choose, and without your own electricity trading agreement, you get electricity from a designated electricity trader. Without an agreement, the network owner can disconnect the electricity. The seller cancels the electricity grid agreement at least one month in advance and the electricity trading agreement at least 14 days in advance, unless otherwise agreed. The network owner reads the meter when the agreement starts and ends.

A district heating agreement expires at the latest 30 days after the change of ownership, so the seller should notify the company in good time. The final invoice arrives within six weeks and is normally based on the meter readings when the agreement expired. More about electricity when moving in the guide to moving the electricity agreement.

Source: Energy Market Authority: Moving in, electricity contract, Energy Market Authority: Moving out, electricity contract, Energy Market Authority: Cancelling district heating contract.

Meter readings on the takeover day

The water meter should be read on the takeover day, and in Gothenburg, the seller reports the reading when the change of ownership is notified. The electricity meter is read by the grid owner when the contract begins and ends, and the district heating's final invoice is based on the meter readings at the end of the contract. Our advice is to read all meters together on the takeover and photograph them, so you have the same numbers if an invoice becomes incorrect.

Source: Gothenburg City: Form RA9039, notification of change of ownership (pdf), Energy Market Authority: Moving out, electricity contract, Energy Market Authority: Cancelling district heating contract.

Storage, garage and garden

Garage, warehouse, fence and plants on the plot belong to the property and accompany the house. What is in the garage and the warehouse will be taken by the seller. The plot should be left clean and the debris and construction waste removed, unless otherwise agreed. What else should be left is stated in the guide to move out before accessing, and how to get rid of what should not be included in the guide to removal.

Source: Real Estate Agency Association: Cleaning (fact sheet, pdf).

Insurance and property fee

Until the takeover, the seller is responsible for the house, then the buyer. The buyer should therefore have the house insurance ready from the takeover day. The property fee is paid by the one who owned the house on 1 January, for the whole year. More about that in the guide to property fee.

Source: Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency): Property fee and property tax.

The law behind it

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