One Place logo - AI-powered real estate search engine

Buyer's due diligence checklist for Sweden

Buyer's due diligence checklistKontroller före köp av bostad

The documents and checks a buyer of a home in Sweden should complete before signing the purchase contract: title and charges in the property register, the housing association's finances for a bostadsrätt, the physical inspection, planning and permits, the energy declaration, financing and the costs of registration.

Use it from the first viewing until you sign the köpekontrakt or överlåtelseavtal. Sweden has no notary who checks the sale for you. The estate agent works for the seller, although the law requires the agent to give you key documents and to tell you about your duty to inspect. Once you sign, you are bound, so complete these checks first or write a condition into the contract.

Reviewed October 28, 2026. Not legal advice. Have a notary or lawyer check your case before you sign.

Key facts

Applies to
Whole country. Separate groups for a house or ägarlägenhet (fastighet) and for a cooperative flat (bostadsrätt).
Buyer's duty to inspect
A buyer cannot claim for a defect that a careful inspection would have revealed (Jordabalken 4:19).
Time limit for defect claims
Notify within a reasonable time (4:19 a). Claims expire 10 years after possession (4:19 b).
Energy declaration
Must exist before sale (Lag 2006:985, 6 §). Usable for 10 years (6 b §). Sale and rental ads must state its energy figure (13 §).
Stamp duty on title
1.5% for a private buyer, 4.25% for a company, on the higher of price and previous year's tax value (Lag 1984:404, 8-9 §§).
Mortgage deed duty
2% of each new mortgage deed amount, plus 375 kronor per deed (Lag 1984:404, 24 §; Lantmäteriet).
Title deadline
Apply for lagfart within 3 months; Lantmäteriet charges a fee of 825 kronor (Jordabalken 20:2; Lantmäteriet).
Loan-to-value cap
90% of market value for a purchase loan taken from 1 April 2026 (Government press release, 5 March 2026).
Bostadsrätt membership
The transfer is void if the association refuses the buyer as a member (Bostadsrättslagen 6:5).
Refused membership
The buyer can refer a refusal to the rent tribunal within 1 month (Bostadsrättslagen 2:10).

The checklist

Seller, title and charges (house or ägarlägenhet)

Housing association (bostadsrätt)

Condition of the building

Planning and permits

Money, taxes and registration

Formalities

A due diligence list is a checklist by nature. In Sweden the buyer, not a notary, carries the duty to inspect the property.

  1. You do not sign this checklist.
  2. For a fastighet, order an extract from the property register (fastighetsregistret) at Lantmäteriet.
  3. For a bostadsrätt, the agent must give you the association's latest annual report (Fastighetsmäklarlagen 3 kap. 15 §).
  4. The property description must state pledges, the annual fee and the association's indirect net debt (Fastighetsmäklarlagen 3 kap. 15 §).
  5. From 1 July 2026 a buyer of a fastighet needs a Swedish personal or coordination number to obtain lagfart.

Common mistakes

  • Relying on the seller's inspection report. Konsumentverket notes most transfer inspections do not cover the full duty to inspect. Check what was excluded.
  • Assuming a bostadsrätt has no inspection duty. The law states none, but a buyer who ignores a request to inspect loses claims for defects they should have seen.
  • Ignoring the association's finances. A planned pipe replacement (stambyte) or high debt per square metre usually raises the monthly fee.
  • Missing a site-leasehold (tomträtt). The buyer then owns the building but pays an annual ground rent (tomträttsavgäld), usually to the municipality.
  • Assuming an extension or converted attic has a permit. Ask the municipality for the permits and drawings. The buyer takes over the risk of an enforcement order.
  • Signing before the bank has approved the loan, without a loan condition in the contract.

Legal basis

Sources

Describe the home you want