The notice period depends on the type of property, the form of agreement and when a private letting agreement was entered into.
It is not enough to check whether the agreement is a first-hand or second-hand tenancy. You also need to know whether the property is a rented home or a privately owned home, whether the agreement runs indefinitely or until a specified end date, and when the agreement was entered into. The linked sources are in Swedish because they concern Swedish law.
Always give notice in writing and ask the landlord to confirm both receipt and the date on which the agreement ends.
Start by determining which law applies
For an ordinary first-hand tenancy, the tenancy provisions of the Swedish Land Code apply. The same rules normally apply when you sublet a rented home. In that case, the first-hand tenant is your landlord.
When a private individual lets a home that they own, the Private Letting Act may apply. This may, for example, be a tenant-owned flat, a detached house or part of a house. However, that Act does not apply when someone sublets their rented home.
The rules for private lettings changed on the first of July two thousand and twenty-six. Older agreements remain subject to the previous Act, while agreements entered into after that date are assessed under the new Act. The date of the agreement may therefore affect the notice period.
First-hand tenancies usually run indefinitely
As a tenant with an ordinary indefinite agreement, you normally have a notice period of three months. The agreement ends at the first month-end after the notice period has expired.
Full calendar months are therefore highly significant. Do not give notice on the assumption that the agreement will end exactly three months later. Instead, ask the landlord to confirm the final moving-out date in writing.
A contractual term giving you a shorter notice period may be valid where it is to your advantage. However, the landlord cannot reduce your statutory right to leave the tenancy by including a longer fixed term.
Second-hand tenancies are governed by different rules
When you sublet a rented home
When the first-hand tenant sublets their rented home to you, the tenancy provisions of the Swedish Land Code apply. As a second-hand tenant, you can normally terminate the agreement at a month-end after three months. If the agreement gives you a shorter notice period, you can use that more favourable term.
The landlord's ability to terminate a fixed-term agreement early is more limited. As a general rule, the landlord is bound for the agreed period unless there is a valid early-termination clause or the tenant has committed a serious breach of the agreement.
When you rent a privately owned home
For private letting agreements entered into under the new Act, the tenant may terminate the agreement at a month-end after three months. The same notice period applies to an indefinite agreement when the landlord gives notice.
Older private letting agreements remain subject to the previous Act. Under that Act, the tenant normally has a notice period of one month, while the landlord normally has three months. You should therefore check when your particular agreement was entered into before calculating the end date.
An end date does not always mean that you must remain
A fixed-term agreement applies until a specified date. Depending on the law, the length of the agreement and its terms, it may end automatically or may need to be terminated to prevent it from continuing. Look particularly for wording concerning notice and automatic renewal.
As a tenant, you often have the right to leave a fixed-term residential tenancy early. For agreements governed by the tenancy provisions of the Swedish Land Code, you can normally terminate the agreement at a month-end after three months, even if the end date is further in the future. A shorter and more favourable contractual term may also apply.
Under the new Private Letting Act, a fixed-term agreement ends when the rental period expires. The tenant may nevertheless terminate it earlier by giving the notice prescribed by the Act. The landlord normally cannot end the fixed rental period without support in law or the agreement.
Most listings do not specify an end date
Bojakt currently has 20,110 available homes. Of these, 11,217 are second-hand lettings, corresponding to 56 per cent of the available properties. This makes the form of agreement important as soon as you begin comparing listings.
Only 901 listings specify an end date for the letting, corresponding to 4 per cent. All listings with a specified end date are second-hand lettings. Among lettings that specify both a start and end date, the median duration is 243 days.
The absence of an end date from a listing does not automatically mean that the agreement will run indefinitely. The final contract may contain terms that differ from the listing. You should therefore ask for a draft agreement before planning your move-in, termination or next move.
Plan for the period between two homes
Do not give notice on your current home solely on the basis of a verbal assurance about a new one. A tenancy agreement may be binding even when made verbally, but its contents will be more difficult to prove. Try to obtain the new agreement in writing before ending the old one.
In Bojakt's current selection, 44 per cent are first-hand tenancies. There are 2,129 first-hand homes with no required time on a waiting list, but terms and availability vary between landlords and locations. You should therefore not assume that your next tenancy has been secured until you have received clear confirmation.
An overlap may mean paying housing costs for both homes. The median rent among the current listings is SEK 9,095, making it important to check when your liability to pay under the old agreement actually ends.
How to give notice
Read the contract and check the type of property, rental period, notice period and any automatic renewal clause.
Establish who your contracting party is. For a second-hand letting, this is usually the person you rent from, not the property owner.
State that you are terminating the tenancy agreement and provide the property's address, your name and the date on which the notice is sent.
Send the notice in a way that can be proven. Use the contact method specified in the agreement and retain a copy.
Request written confirmation stating the date on which the agreement and your liability to pay end.
Agree on the inspection, cleaning and return of keys before moving out.
If you want to move out earlier
You and the landlord can agree that the tenancy will end before the ordinary notice period expires. Such an agreement should be in writing and clearly specify the end date, final rent payment, handover of keys and other practical terms.
Do not leave the property and stop paying solely because the landlord has said verbally that everything has been arranged. Without a clear agreement, you may still be liable to pay during the notice period.
No general right to cancel after signing
There is no general right to cancel simply because you have not yet moved in. A signed tenancy agreement may need to be terminated in the usual way, and rent may need to be paid during the notice period.
If you and the landlord disagree about the meaning of the agreement, you should seek legal advice. Disputes concerning the actual contents of the agreement may need to be decided by the district court and cannot always be considered by hyresnämnden (the Rent Tribunal).
