If you sublet your apartment, there’s a risk that you’ll pay too much rent. This is because some people that rent out their apartments take the opportunity to earn some extra money from it. This isn’t allowed according to Swedish law that states that rent has to be at a reasonable level. Meaning the rent can’t be too high based on what you pay for. Paying rent that is too high is also called usurious rent.
What is a reasonable rent is different depending on, among other things, the size of the apartment, location, what’s included in the rent, etc. But generally speaking, you shouldn’t have to pay more than the original rent when you sublet a rental apartment. And you shouldn’t have to pay more than the actual housing cost when you sublet a condominium. You can easily find out if you’re paying too much rent by, for example, talking to neighbors and asking what they are paying. Or by comparing the rent of other similar apartments. It’s important to remember when making such a comparison that the rent can differ by up to 5 percent. It’s when your rent differs significantly that you can be sure you’re paying too much rent.
What can you do if you pay too much rent?
If you pay too much rent, you can send an application to the rent tribunal to have the rent reduced. If the apartment is a rental, you can get back the excess rent you’ve paid. You can only get back rent up to two years back in time from the day you send your application. However, if you’re subletting a condominium, you cannot get back excess rent. If that’s the case, you can only apply to reduce your current rent.
Applying to have your rent reduced or get excess rent back can be overwhelming. That’s why we recommend contacting a lawyer who specializes in tenancy law. This way, you can make sure that your lawyer knows what your rights are and that they will help you with the process in the best possible way.
