# Short-term renting: a checklist for renting a home for a short time *25 oktober 2026* > Short-term renting means renting a home for a fixed, short period. Which law applies depends on who you rent from – here is what to check before you sign. Short-term renting means you rent a home for a fixed, short period – a couple of weeks, a semester or a few months – instead of indefinitely. Which rules apply depends on who you rent from: a private person letting their own home, a tenant subletting, or a company letting as a business. Here is what you as a tenant need to check before you sign. ## Who are you renting from? That decides which law applies Since 1 July 2026, the Private Letting Act (privatuthyrningslagen, 2026:772) applies when a private person or an estate lets a home. The act does not apply if the landlord regularly lets more than two flats that are not part of their own home, if the landlord holds the flat as a rental tenancy, or if the letting is for leisure purposes. The Private Letting Act replaced the Act on Letting One's Own Home, which still applies to contracts entered into under it. If you sublet from someone who has a first-hand contract, or rent from a housing company, the tenancy rules in [Chapter 12 of the Land Code](https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/jordabalk-1970994_sfs-1970-994/) apply instead. Always ask the landlord directly how the flat is held. The answer decides your rights. ## Short-term subletting requires consent A tenant may not sublet their flat without the landlord's consent (Chapter 12, Section 39 of the Land Code). If the landlord says no, the rent tribunal can grant permission, for example if the first-hand tenant has considerable reasons such as temporary work or studies elsewhere, illness or a longer stay abroad. Such permission is always limited to a set period (Section 40). This matters for you as the person renting. Without consent or permission, the first-hand tenant can lose their contract, and you risk being left without a home long before your short-term rental was meant to end. So ask to see the consent or the tribunal's decision before you pay anything. The Private Letting Act has the same requirement: someone renting from a private person may not sublet further without the landlord's consent (Chapter 5, Section 2). ## How a short tenancy ends Under the Land Code, a fixed-term contract ends when the rental period is over, unless otherwise agreed. If the tenancy has lasted more than nine consecutive months, the contract must still be terminated with notice to end (Chapter 12, Section 3). Where a fixed-term contract must be terminated and no longer notice is agreed, the notice is (Section 4): - one day ahead if the rental period is at most two weeks - one week ahead if the period is longer than two weeks but at most three months - three months ahead if the period is longer than three months If you rent from a private person under the Private Letting Act, a fixed-term contract ends when the rental period ends. As the tenant, you may always give notice for it to end at the turn of a month at the earliest three months after the notice (Chapter 6, Section 1). Notice must be in writing (Chapter 6, Section 7). ## Security of tenure in short-term renting Security of tenure means the right to stay when the landlord wants to end the contract. In short-term renting you rarely have it. Under Chapter 12, Section 45 of the Land Code, a subtenant renting a whole flat has no security of tenure if the tenancy ends before it has lasted more than two consecutive years. Someone renting a furnished room has no security of tenure if the tenancy ends before it has lasted more than nine consecutive months. Someone renting part of the landlord's own home has no security of tenure either. So expect to move out when the contract ends, and plan your next home in good time. ## Checklist before you sign 1. **Written contract.** Both you and the landlord can demand that the contract is put in writing. It should state the rental period, the rent, what is included and how the contract is terminated. 2. **The rent.** Under the Private Letting Act, the rent must be a fixed amount. If it is substantially higher than what is usually charged for similar flats let under the same act, you can apply to the rent tribunal to have it lowered (Chapter 2, Section 5). 3. **Consent.** If you are subletting: ask for the landlord's consent or the rent tribunal's permission. 4. **Payment.** Pay into an account in the landlord's name and keep receipts. Never pay before you have seen the home or know who you are renting from. 5. **Pay on time.** Rent is paid in advance. Under the Private Letting Act, the landlord may terminate the contract with immediate effect if you are more than two weeks late with the rent (Chapter 6, Section 3). Under the Land Code, one week is enough for a residential flat (Chapter 12, Section 42). ## Where can you get help? If you are unsure about your contract, [the Swedish Union of Tenants (Hyresgästföreningen)](https://www.hyresgastforeningen.se/) can advise you on your rights as a tenant. Disputes about rent or subletting are decided by the rent tribunal. Short-term renting can be a good solution while you wait for a permanent home. With the right paperwork in place, you know where you stand all the way to moving-out day.