There are many websites and online services that can help you find accommodation in Sweden. Here we walk you through the pros and cons of the more common ones.
Partly advertised by Hemavi & Bostadshub
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Rental agencies and websites
Here are a few places you can start with in your search for a place to stay. We wish you the best of luck in your search and send you a reminder to be careful out there as there are many people trying to trick you into paying for rentals that don’t exist. We have created a “how to avoid rental fraud guide” that is part of our course Preparing your move to Sweden that can be worth checking out for you.
Bostadshub
Bostadshub is a housing portal that makes it easier for tenants and landlords to find each which will of course make it quicker to find a new home. Bostadshub has been in the rental property market for over 20 years and has almost 2 million visitors each year – so they know what they are doing:-).
Main benefits
- They have over 20.000 apartments on their plattform. So there really should be something for you.
- They have apartments all over Sweden, so a good fit if regardless if you live in small or large cities.
- Sign up, set your housing requirements and get information regularly about new housing that fits your needs.
- Spend less time looking for places and more time on contacting landlords of interesting apartments.
- Bostadshub has a skilled and friendly customer service team that is available by email and phone.
Hemavi
Are you a student or moving to Sweden on your own? Then Hemavi can be just the thing for you. Hemavi is a really cool algorithm-based matchmaking platform for roommates and shared accommodations, and the first of its kind in Sweden.
When you sign up to Hemavi, you become part of their matchmaking engine which allows you to see information about your potential roommate so that you can tell from the start if you are a good match – or not. So if you are for instance a serial pickler, the algorithm won’t match you with someone who hates the smell of pickles:-)
Main benefits
- It’s totally free to use the platform, search for rooms, and message landlords.
- Landlords are verified and you have a money back guarantee on your deposit if you sign the lease through Hemavi.
- You can upgrade your tenant account to a premium one for only SEK 149 and you get a better chance of finding a room faster (learn more: Hemavi Premium)
- All information is available in English.
Samtrygg
Samtrygg* is a safe marketplaces for subleasing in Sweden. They help you find a place to rent OR to sublease your own accommodation in a smooth and hassle-free way.
Main benefits:
- Possible to apply and sign rental agreements without a Swedish Personal Identity Number.
- Home insurance included for 30 days (also without a Swedish Personal Identity Number.
- Free to search for housing, book viewings or create an ad as a landlord.
- They are confident enough in their product to say it is 100 % free from fraud. And you will never have to pay deposits to strangers.
- They offer personal service throughout the rental process.
- All tenants and landlords take part of their sublease insurance and safe agreements.
- With a free profile at Samtrygg you can book viewings on current objects but you’ll also receive notifications when new housing that fill your requirements become available – new ads are published daily.
- All information is available in English.
Blocket.se
Blocket.se is the biggest classified ads website in Sweden with a lot of rentals posted every day, but also the place that most people use, so the competition here is high. However, it does come with some down-sides for Newbies:
- most ads are in Swedish (see insider tip below)
- competitive: landlords receive a huge amount of inquiries so it’s difficult to get an answer. So make sure to write a good rental application. Learn more here.
- There is a high risk of fraudulent ads on Blocket so be very careful not to pay for anything that seems to good to be true. Check out our “how to avoid rental fraud guide” that is part of our course Preparing your move to Sweden if you want to learn about the most common types of fraud.
Tips about blocket.se
Translate the ads from Swedish: Use the browser Google Chrome and right click to select “Translate to English” to read a translation of the ad in English. The translation is not perfect but it’s good enough to make a decision.
BostadDirekt.com
BostadDirekt.com is a website where you can find a lot of rooms and apartments. The website has an English version (for the menus and help pages) but the available rentals are usually in Swedish. You can search their website for free but if you want access to the landlords’ contact information you can subscribe for 695 SEK for 30 days. The downsides are:
- a bit pricey
- there is no easy way to spot new listings, so you will spend a lot of time trying to spot the new apartments posted after your previous visit.
Tips about BostadDirekt.com
Once you’ve made a first filter, use the chrome translate this page feature and it will translate all the ads at once (until you make another search)
When you pay, you create a personal profile which the landlords have access to. Some landlords prefer to pick tenants manually instead of placing a listing, so if you add plenty of information to your profile you can be contacted by them.
Facebook Groups
There are plenty of Facebook groups for people looking for accommodation in Sweden. The most common posts are shared rooms or individual flats (1 room) but even if you are looking for a bigger apartment it’s always worth a try. A plus is that you can meet people who already live in the city.
The biggest English speaking groups for Stockholm are:
- Looking for accommodation in Stockholm
- Rooms/Housing Stockholm
- People looking for a flatshare in Stockholm!
Tips about Facebook groups
Facebook groups are usually closed groups. Apply to join and then check them daily because when a property is posted there the landlords get PMs quite fast. There is a high risk of fraudulent ads on Blocket so be very careful not to pay for anything that seems to good to be true. Check out our “how to avoid rental fraud guide” that is part of our course Preparing your move to Sweden if you want to learn about the most common types of fraud.
