Learn › Buying a home in Sweden

In short: As of 2026 you need at least a 10% cash deposit, because the loan ceiling is 90% of the home’s value. On top of the price, buyers of a house pay stamp duty of 1.5% for the title deed (lagfart) plus 825 kr, and 2% for any new mortgage deeds (pantbrev) plus 375 kr. The estate agent is paid by the seller, not the buyer. Co-op flats (bostadsrätt) skip the lagfart and pantbrev costs but carry a monthly co-op fee.

Buying a home in Sweden: a plain-English guide

Kontoo editorial team · Updated 06/24/2026

Buying a home in Sweden runs on a few well-defined building blocks: a mortgage (bolån), a minimum cash deposit, registration costs (lagfart and pantbrev), an estate agent (mäklare) paid by the seller, and a yearly municipal property fee. Big rules changed on 1 April 2026, so older guides can mislead. This lesson explains the pieces in plain English. It is educational information, not financial advice, and figures are as of 2026, check the official source when in doubt.

  • Work out your deposit. As of 2026 the loan-to-value ceiling (bolånetak) is 90% of the home’s market value, so you need at least 10% of the price in your own cash. On a 4,000,000 kr home that is 400,000 kr.
  • Get a loan promise (lånelöfte) from a bank. The bank checks your income and debts and tells you how much it will lend, so you know your budget before you bid at the auction-style bidding (budgivning).
  • Budget the one-off registration costs. If you buy a house (a property, fastighet) you pay stamp duty for the title deed (lagfart) and for new mortgage deeds (pantbrev). A flat in a housing co-op (bostadsrätt) does not have these.
  • Plan the running costs: monthly mortgage interest, the amortisation (amortering) your loan-to-value triggers, the municipal property fee or co-op monthly fee (avgift), insurance and maintenance.

What matters

Two kinds of home dominate the Swedish market, and the costs differ. A bostadsrätt is a flat where you buy the right to live in a unit owned by a housing co-operative (bostadsrättsförening) and pay a monthly fee (avgift) that covers building upkeep and often heating. A fastighet is real property, typically a house (villa, radhus or kedjehus), where you own the building and land outright. The mortgage (bolån) sits at the centre. As of 2026, after the rule change on 1 April 2026, you can borrow up to 90% of the home’s market value, so your minimum own-cash deposit (kontantinsats) is 10%. The bank also tests whether you can afford the loan, so a loan promise (lånelöfte) before bidding is standard. Amortisation (amortering) is a legal requirement, not just good practice. As of 2026 a loan-to-value above 70% must be paid down by 2% of the loan per year, and between 50% and 70% by 1% per year. Below 50% there is no statutory requirement. The older strict rule, which added 1% for households borrowing more than 4.5 times gross yearly income, was removed on 1 April 2026. For houses there are one-off registration costs. Lagfart is the title registration with Lantmäteriet that records you as owner, costing 1.5% of the purchase price (or the assessed value if higher) plus an 825 kr fee. You apply within three months of signing. Pantbrev are the mortgage deeds the bank needs as security; new deeds cost 2% of their amount plus a 375 kr fee each. If the previous owner already had pantbrev, you reuse those and only pay the 2% on any new amount, which can save a lot. The estate agent (mäklare) is engaged and paid by the seller, so buyers do not pay commission. Buying often runs through an open bidding (budgivning) after viewings. Finally, owners of houses pay a yearly municipal property fee (kommunal fastighetsavgift): as of 2026 it is 0.75% of the tax-assessed value, capped at 10,425 kr per home. Newly built homes can be exempt for the first 15 years. Co-op flats pay the monthly co-op fee instead.

ExampleWorked example as of 2026 for a 4,000,000 kr house. Deposit at the 90% ceiling: 10% = 400,000 kr of your own cash; the bank lends 3,600,000 kr. One-off costs assuming no existing pantbrev can be reused: lagfart stamp duty 1.5% of 4,000,000 = 60,000 kr, plus 825 kr fee. Pantbrev for the full loan 2% of 3,600,000 = 72,000 kr, plus 375 kr fee. So registration costs total roughly 133,200 kr on top of the deposit. Yearly amortisation at a 90% loan-to-value (above 70%, so 2%): 2% of 3,600,000 = 72,000 kr per year, about 6,000 kr a month, before interest. Always confirm the current rates with the official sources.
Try the Kontoo mortgage calculator at /mortgage-calculator to test how the deposit, interest and amortisation change your monthly cost, and check the official rules on stamp duty at Lantmäteriet (lantmateriet.se) and the property fee at Skatteverket (skatteverket.se).

In depth

Reusing pantbrev to save money

Pantbrev (mortgage deeds) stay with the property, so when you buy you can take over the existing deeds. You only pay the 2% stamp duty on any new deeds you need beyond what already exists. For example, if a house has 2,000,000 kr of existing pantbrev and you need 2,500,000 kr of security, you pay 2% only on the extra 500,000 kr, saving 40,000 kr versus issuing fresh deeds for the full amount. Ask the seller or check the deed register what already exists.

House versus co-op flat costs

The cost structure differs sharply. A house (fastighet) carries one-off lagfart and pantbrev stamp duty and a yearly municipal property fee (0.75% of assessed value, capped at 10,425 kr as of 2026, with a possible 15-year exemption for new builds). A co-op flat (bostadsrätt) skips lagfart and pantbrev entirely but charges a recurring monthly co-op fee (avgift) that funds building maintenance and sometimes heating, water or broadband, so compare that fee carefully before buying.

Checklist

  • As of 2026 the loan ceiling is 90% of the home’s value, so the minimum cash deposit is 10%.
  • Lagfart costs 1.5% of the price plus 825 kr; pantbrev costs 2% of new mortgage deeds plus 375 kr; both apply to houses, not co-op flats.
  • The estate agent (mäklare) is paid by the seller, not the buyer.
  • A loan-to-value above 70% requires 2% yearly amortisation; between 50% and 70% requires 1%.

Common myths

Myth: You still need a 15% deposit in Sweden.

Reality: That was the old rule. As of 2026 the loan ceiling rose to 90% on 1 April 2026, so the minimum own-cash deposit is 10%, not 15%.

Myth: The buyer pays the estate agent’s commission.

Reality: In Sweden the seller hires and pays the mäklare. The buyer’s costs are the deposit, the lagfart and pantbrev stamp duty for houses, and ongoing costs, not an agent fee.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

How big a deposit do I need in Sweden?

As of 2026 the loan-to-value ceiling (bolånetak) is 90% of the home’s market value, raised from 85% on 1 April 2026. So you need at least 10% of the purchase price as your own cash deposit (kontantinsats). On a 3,000,000 kr home that is 300,000 kr.

Do I pay the estate agent when buying?

No. In Sweden the estate agent (mäklare) is hired and paid by the seller, so the buyer does not pay an agent commission. As a buyer your extra costs are the deposit, the lagfart and pantbrev stamp duty (for houses), and running costs.

What is the difference between lagfart and pantbrev?

Lagfart is the registration that records you as the legal owner of a property; it costs 1.5% of the price plus an 825 kr fee. Pantbrev are mortgage deeds the bank uses as security for your loan; new deeds cost 2% of the amount plus 375 kr each. Both apply only to houses (fastighet), not to co-op flats.

Do I have to amortise my mortgage?

Usually yes. As of 2026 a loan-to-value between 50% and 70% requires amortising 1% of the loan per year, and above 70% it is 2% per year. The stricter extra-amortisation rule for households borrowing more than 4.5 times yearly income was removed on 1 April 2026.

Related lessons

Income tax in SwedenFiling your tax return in SwedenPensions and saving in Sweden

All lessons · Glossary · Editorial · Kontoo does the math and explains – this is general education, not tax, legal or financial advice.

Your data stays with you. Full stop.

Kontoo collects, sees and stores none of your data. No account, no cloud, no trackers, no ads.

No accountNo cloudNo trackingNo ads