Pantbrev

When a bank lends you money to buy a house, it wants security in return. That security is a pantbrev: proof that a set portion of the home’s value is mortgaged (intecknat). Pantbrev and mortgages like this exist only for properties, meaning houses and land, not for a bostadsrätt (a flat in a housing cooperative). These days pantbrev are held electronically, so there is no paper document for you to keep safe.

Taking out a new pantbrev costs money. You pay 2 percent of the amount as stämpelskatt (a stamp duty), plus a 375 kr fee. So on a new pantbrev of 1 000 000 kr, that works out to 20 375 kr.

The key point: pantbrev stay with the home. If the seller already holds pantbrev covering a large share of the price, you do not pay for those again. You only pay the 2 percent on the part you need on top of the existing pantbrev. So ask the estate agent how much pantbrev is already in place, and you will know what you will actually pay.