Samboavtal

You decide for yourselves how the home is split

A samboavtal (cohabitation agreement) is a written agreement where you, as cohabiting partners, agree that no bodelning (division of property) should happen, or that certain property should be left out of it. You both sign it. That lets you set aside the rules of the sambolag (the Cohabitees Act), fully or in part, so that the home is not split 50/50 if you separate.

Without an agreement, shared property is split equally

If you have no samboavtal, your samboegendom (shared cohabitation property) is divided equally when you separate. Samboegendom means the shared home and the bohag (furniture and other household goods) you bought to use together. It does not matter who paid the most. If one of you asks for a bodelning when the relationship ends, the value is split equally between you.

Far from everything counts as shared property

Only the shared home and shared household goods are included. A car, savings, securities and a holiday home are not samboegendom and are not split under the sambolag. So much of what you each own on your own is not affected by a division of property, with or without an agreement.

What you should do

If one of you buys the home with your own money, or puts in a larger deposit, a samboavtal is often what makes sure that contribution stays with the right person after a separation. Talk through what should and should not be split, write it down, and both sign it. Then you know in advance where you stand, and you avoid sorting it out at a moment that already feels hard.