Glossary
The terms you meet from the agent and in the listing, explained short and straight.
A
- Accepterat pris A starting price the seller has said in advance they are willing to accept as a final price, but which is not binding.
- Amorteringskrav A legal requirement to pay down part of your mortgage each year, based on how much of the home value you have borrowed.
- Andelstal Your apartment's percentage share of the bostadsrätt association (BRF), which the monthly fee is usually calculated from.
B
- Belåningsgrad Belåningsgrad is your mortgage as a share of the property value, and it decides how much you have to pay down each year.
- Besiktningsklausul A clause in the purchase contract that gives you the right to withdraw from the deal after the inspection, within an agreed time.
- Besiktningsprotokoll The written report from the transfer inspection (overlatelsebesiktning), describing a Swedish home's technical condition and any risks.
- Blåbetong Blåbetong is a lightweight aerated concrete made from alum shale, used from 1929 to 1975, that can release radon into indoor air.
- Bolånetak The highest share of a home's market value you may borrow with the home as security, 90 percent from 1 April 2026.
- Budpremie Budpremie is the gap between the asking price and the final sale price, in other words how much the bidding pushed the price up.
D
- Dolda fel A defect that existed when you bought the home, that you could not find through a careful inspection and did not have to expect given the property.
- Dränering Pipes around the house foundation that carry water away and keep the groundwater level down, so the foundation stays dry.
- Driftkostnad Driftkostnad is the running cost of owning a house: electricity, heating, water, insurance and refuse collection. The number that shapes your monthly budget.
E
- Energideklaration An energideklaration shows how much energy a building uses and gives it an energy class from A to G.
- Energiklass The building's energy grade from A to G in the energideklaration, where A is the lowest energy use and G is the highest.
- Enskilt avlopp A private sewage system for properties without municipal sewerage, where you as the owner are responsible for keeping it working.
- Enstegstätad fasad A rendered facade with only one waterproofing layer against rain and no air gap behind it, which raises the risk of moisture damage.
K
- K2 och K3 K2 and K3 are two accounting frameworks for a BRF annual report, where K3 shows the building's wear and tear more honestly.
- KALP (kvar att leva på) The lender's calculation of how much your household has left each month once tax, housing, interest and amortisation are deducted from income.
- Kapitaltillskott An extra payment to your BRF that you may add to your purchase cost when you sell, which lowers the taxable gain and the capital gains tax.
- Komponentlivslängd Komponentlivslängd is the expected technical lifespan of a building part, meaning how long it lasts before it needs replacing.
- Kontantinsats The kontantinsats is the share of a home's price you pay with your own money, because the bank is not allowed to lend you the full amount.
- Köpebrev The köpebrev is the document signed once the full purchase price is paid, confirming that the home is now yours and the sale is complete.
- Köpekontrakt The köpekontrakt is the written, binding contract that makes a Swedish property purchase valid once both seller and buyer have signed it.
- Köpeskilling Köpeskilling is the agreed price in a Swedish home purchase: the sum you pay to gain ownership of the property.
- Krypgrund A foundation with an air space between the ground and the house floor, sensitive to moisture and well worth inspecting before you buy.
L
- Lagfart Lagfart is the official proof that you own a property in Sweden. You register it with Lantmateriet to be entered as the new owner.
- Lånelöfte A preliminary statement from the bank on how much you can borrow for an upcoming home purchase, not a guarantee.
- Lockpris Lockpris is when an agent deliberately sets an asking price below the home value or below the lowest price the seller will actually accept.
M
O
R
- Radon Radon is a radioactive noble gas in indoor air that raises the risk of lung cancer with long-term exposure. It can be measured, and high levels can almost always be reduced.
- Räntekänslighet Räntekänslighet (interest-rate sensitivity) shows how much a housing co-op needs to raise its annual fees if the loan rate rises by 1 percentage point.
- Relining Relining renovates old drain pipes from the inside with a plastic lining instead of replacing them, a cheaper alternative to a full stambyte (pipe replacement).
- Riskkonstruktion A building method with a known, raised risk of hidden moisture damage. It means something to check, not proof that a defect already exists.
S
- Samboavtal A written agreement where cohabiting partners decide that the home and household goods will not be split equally if they separate.
- Samboegendom The shared home and household goods that cohabiting partners bought to use together, and which are split equally if they separate.
- Sekelskifteshus A house built around the last turn of the century, often the 1890s to the 1910s, with period charm and a few well-known things to check calmly.
- Skuldebrev A written promise to repay money, often used when partners each put in a different share of the cash deposit on a home.
- Skuldkvot Skuldkvot is a household's total mortgage debt divided by gross income, in other words how big the loan is compared with what you earn.
- Skuldsättning per kvadratmeter The association's loans divided by floor area, a required key figure showing how heavily indebted a Swedish housing co-op (BRF) is.
- Slutpris The slutpris is the price the buyer and seller actually sign in the contract, the only real price in a deal.
- Sparande per kvadratmeter Mandatory key figure showing how much of the year's income a BRF sets aside for future maintenance, measured per square metre.
- Stambyte Replacing a building's pipe stacks for hot and cold water plus drainage, often with rebuilt bathrooms at the same time.
- Stämpelskatt A state tax you pay when buying a property in Sweden and registering ownership (lagfart) or taking out new mortgage deeds (pantbrev).
T
- Tätskikt The tätskikt is the waterproof layer behind the tiles that stops moisture from reaching parts of the building that cannot handle water.
- Tillträde Tillträde (completion day) is when the deal closes, you pay the rest of the purchase price and usually receive the keys to your new home.
- Tomträtt Tomträtt means you own the house but lease the land from the municipality or the state for an annual fee.
U
- Underhållsplan A technical plan of a BRF (housing co-operative) building's future maintenance, when each job is due and what it is expected to cost.
- Undersökningsplikt Your duty as a buyer to inspect the home carefully before you sign the purchase contract.
- Utgångspris The utgångspris (starting price) is the price a home is advertised at, set by the seller and the estate agent together.