Several Swedish cities are preparing for major events that will attract large numbers of visitors, for example the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö and Taylor Swift’s tour visit in Stockholm. With that comes a screaming demand for holiday accommodation, and many feel attracted to renting out their home to tourists. But there are risks.
– With the great desire for “festival accommodation” right now, it is easy to understand the attraction of renting out your home and earning a penny from tourism, not least now when many are struggling with the high rent increases. Many are prepared to pay big bucks for accommodation during these events. But if you plan to rent out, it is very important to be aware of the pitfalls. If you do it wrong, at worst you can lose your lease, says Roger Höög, federal lawyer at the Tenants’ Association.
– It is important to remember that your home is intended for living in and not something you should make money from. It may feel like easy money, but if you step wrong, it can have big consequences. It can also create insecurity for the neighbors if there are many unknown people moving around in the stairwell, the relationship with your neighbors is also something I think is worth putting in the balance when you are considering renting out, says Roger Höög.
This is important to consider when subletting:
- You must have the landlord’s approval. You must have the landlord’s written approval – otherwise you may lose the contract. And make sure you have home insurance in case something breaks. If you want to sublet your condominium, you must first apply for permission from your housing association. If you live in a villa, you decide yourself how to rent it out.
- Write a lease. If you rent out via a platform service, the agreement that is signed is sufficient as the apartment is rented out via the platform. If you rent out yourself, you need to draw up your own agreement. If you want to rent out a room to residents while you live in the apartment yourself, you usually do not need permission from your landlord.
- Don’t charge too much rent. If you charge too much rent, you may be forced to pay it back and risk being fired. For a furnished apartment, you may not add more than 15 percent to the rent when subletting. You may charge for costs such as electricity, water and broadband. Remember that it may be a criminal offense to request or receive compensation in addition to the rent. If you live in a villa or condominium, you may charge a rent that covers your costs. There are no refund policies for villa and condominium so you can set the rent fairly freely.
- You may not operate a hotel business. A tenancy must be used as a residence. If you use the tenancy right to rent out the home or rooms to such an extent that it is comparable to hotel operations, you risk losing your lease. Some condominium associations are also restrictive with how the residents have the right to rent out their home.
You can read more about subletting on our website.
