Getting a house for rent in an area of choice, close to all amenities and at an affordable price is a challenge. You need to shortlist areas based on your life priorities – do you stay in the city center or would love to be near nature for those lovely walks among the trees? The taxes also differ based on the areas you choose. Solna, preferred by Indians, has the lowest tax rate in Sweden at 29.45% while Stockholm city limits have 29.82%. Comparatively, Sunbyberg, an area close to Solna, has a tax rate of 30.98%.
Housing convention
A 2-room apartment here is actually a 1 BHK in Indian parlance. So you get one bedroom, one living room, a kitchen, and a toilet. Similarly, a 3-room apartment is actually a 2 BHK. There are also studio houses with no separate rooms, and corridor rooms (small rooms) available for students. Sizes vary dramatically with 2-room houses can range between 20 sqm (215 sq ft) to 80 sqm. So do the prices. On average, expect to pay over 10,000 SEK for even a small 2-room apartment with the ongoing inflation pushing up prices. Budget between 15,000 SEK to 20,000 SEK for a 3-room one.
Different contracts
First-hand contract (Förstahandskontrakt or Hyresrätt)
In this type of contract, the tenant signs a contract directly with the owner of the building. But you need to be on a municipality housing queue to be considered. For some areas, the queues are over a decade long. You can register yourself on websites such as Bostadsdeal.se. On the flip side, the rent is significantly cheaper than second-hand contracts. As a newcomer, you will mostly be ineligible for this kind of contract.
Second-hand contract (Andrahandskontrakt)
You will mostly be in the market for this contract where a tenant leases out the apartment to someone else. Rent is much higher than a first-hand contract and you would also have to pay a deposit. While you don’t have to queue up, a person usually receives dozens of applications for posting any apartment for renting.
What to look for while choosing a location?
- Distance from your office
- Connectivity – train, bus, tram, or subway. Always see if there are at least two options. Trains don’t run for a few months during the year.
- Taxes – local taxes vary widely. Check how much it costs in your area.
- Nearest groceries, eateries, and courier delivery locations. You would be surprised that many couriers don’t deliver to your home but to the closest pickup location.
- Access to a park, lake, or a nature reserve
- Read up on any safety issues, in case there have been shootings or other crimes in that area. Some areas have been under the scanner for increased incidents of crime.
Where to check for renting?
Facebook groups – There are a bunch of groups on Facebook that connect house owners and tenants. You can also find options for apartment sharing.
Blocket – Sweden goes to Blocket for everything. This site will have the highest number of available houses for rent. It is owned by the Norwegian media group Schibsted.
Qasa – It has a big list of available apartments for rent. It has been acquired by Blocket.
Samtrygg – This company manages apartments on behalf of owners and collects rent from tenants. Usually, it is a little costlier than other options but is easier to get one on rent.
Renthia – Similar to Samtrygg, Renthia offers services to both homeowners and tenants to get houses on rent.
Other websites for managed long-term rentals: Beautiful Apartments | Housing Target | Residensportalen |
Apart Hotels – These are long-stay hotels with small hotel-like studio apartments with most featuring a kitchenette to tide over the time you look for a more permanent residence.
Foretagsbostader | Forenom | StayCity | Apart Direct |
City areas (Stockholm)
Gamla Stan/Norrmalm/Kungsholmen – the old city and literally the center of Stockholm. If you like old 16th/17th centure houses with cobbled roads and share the neighbourhood with Swedish elites and the royalty, this is your abode. You will find the priciest apartments here.
Sodermaln/Ostermalm – Hipster areas where the rich stay. You will probably find startup founders or those rich venture capitalists as your neighbor. A bunch of high-end eateries and pubs line the area to make your nightlife shine. If fast life and fast cars are your things, this is your area.
Southern Stockholm – You will find some hidden gems here like Liljeholmein, Arstaberg, and Gulmarsplan. Well connected with pendaltag, bus, and tram, these quiet, leafy areas are ideal for families with the ability to reach the city center within 20 minutes on public transport. It takes under 10 minutes by taxi or if you have a car.
Outskirts
Kista – Many Indians prefer to stay here as many companies such as Ericsson are located here.
Solna/Vastraskogen – Close to Kista but a much better neighborhood, and also has lower taxes.
Jacobsberg – If you want to stay closer to the big shops like Ikea, along with greenery, this is your place. Many immigrants prefer to stay here as the rents are lesser too.
Vallingby/Racksta/Hasselby – It is slowly becoming a place of choice for Indians. Connected by metro and bus, it offers affordable rents.
Further away: Sollentuna, Taby, Upplands Vasby, Haninge
Crime-prone areas
Rinkeby, Hjulsta, Sodertalije, Botkyrka, Alby
Scams
Wherever there is a shortage, there is a scam. There are no dearths of scams around house rents. The common ones involve offering rents below market prices and asking for a deposit before moving in. They vanish as soon as the deposit is paid. Another common scam is showing an apartment on video and claiming the house owner is in a different country and they will send the keys over the mail after a deposit is paid. DO NOT pay any amount before a contract is signed and you have received the keys. And try to rent an apartment after reaching Sweden. Or else there is a risk of falling prey to the scams if you try to rent a house from India.
Next Page: Contracts, Moving In checking, Moving out cleaning, RUT deduction
- https://www.scb.se/en/finding-statistics/statistics-by-subject-area/public-finances/local-government-finances/local-taxes/pong/tables-and-graphs/local-tax-rates-2023-by-municipality/
- https://www.samtrygg.se/s/how-to-mini-guide-for-expats-moving-to-sweden
- https://bra.se/bra-in-english/home/crime-and-statistics/swedish-crime-survey.html
- https://polisen.se/om-polisen/polisens-arbete/utsatta-omraden/
- https://www.kth.se/polopoly_fs/1.411656.1600689288!/Avoiding%20housing%20frauds%202019.pdf
