6 Tips on How to Find Accommodation in Stockholm Quickly

So, you finally got accepted at your dream study program in Stockholm or got the job you worked hard for and now you are preparing to move to Sweden. First of all, congratulations! You made it, partially at least. So, what is the next step? Now, it’s time to plan for accommodation. Searching for accommodation as early as possible is the best thing you can do to make this journey as easy and as smooth as it can possibly be.

Finding housing in Stockholm is not the easiest thing and the housing queues in Stockholm are long and time-consuming. In this article, we have collected a few tips, so you can find housing in Stockholm as quickly and safely as possible.

1. Apply directly with landlords and real estate companies

The first step is to sign up with private landlords. Some private landlords prefer to choose their own tenants and therefore have no queuing system, like Balder, IKANO Bostad, ByggVesta, among others. Most landlords/real estate companies that don’t require a housing queue offer their apartments on HomeQ. You can create a free profile on HomeQ and apply to as many apartments as you want. It’s important to build your profile, and fill in all the required information, including your personal information, job, salary, references, and your personal letter where you tell them more about you as a person and what you are looking for. Remember, the more information, the better. Try to stay active on their website and apply as early as an apartment is posted.

You can even try contacting smaller companies via email and by phone (psst.. even postcards have worked, so don’t be afraid of using unconventional methods). Collecting information about them can take up a lot of your time, so it might be beneficial to buy a catalogue with a list of landlords in your city. Privata Hyresvärdar offers catalogues of private landlords in most Swedish cities.

If you find a bigger place that you like but it’s beyond your budget, you can always go through Hemavi to find potential roommates that can share the place with you. With this service, compatible roommates can create teams and apply to bigger apartments together. It makes it easier for you to afford the apartment of your dreams, with roommates that you will get along with.

2. Join the Stockholm Housing Queue

This one is for people who plan to stay for a longer period in Sweden. So, it might be more appropriate for those who got a job in Stockholm than students that plan to move to Stockholm for a year or two during their studies.

First of all, what does it actually mean to join the housing queue? Basically, you are on the list and you start collecting points. The logic of the housing queue system is that the longer you wait, the more points you collect. Bostadsförmedlingen (The Stockholm Housing Agency) is Stockholm City’s municipal housing company, where you can register if you’re over 18 years old and have a Swedish social security number. When you register in their housing queue, Bostadsförmedlingen acts as an agent, helping you to find vacant rental apartments in the Stockholm region. Apartments are allocated on the basis of the time spent in the housing queue.

The Stockholm Housing Agency offers different types of housing and contracts. For example, If you are a university or a higher education student, you can apply for student housing. If you’re aged between 18 and 25, you can apply for youth housing.

If you’re a foreign student looking for student housing, you can also register with your date of birth and your email address and the yearly fee is only SEK 200.

The downside is the waiting time for Bostadsförmedlingen ranges between 7 and 11 years, but it can be quicker or slower than this. Bear in mind that an apartment in the city center or surrounding suburbs has a longer waiting line than for apartments further outside central Stockholm. In fact, Stockholm's queue for rent-controlled housing is so long that it’s being considered by the Guinness Book of World Records, as reported by BBC in 2016. But don’t give up just yet, we have some tips for you to find housing sooner than that.

3. Subletting

Subletting, or second-hand rental is usually a quicker process than finding a first-hand contract. You can find an apartment to rent for a short or a long period, depending on the landlord’s rules. The rent needs to be reasonable, as it is not allowed to add more than 15 percent to the regular rent for any furniture in the apartment. In some cases, costs for electricity and broadband may also be included, but it depends on what you agree on with the person you are subletting from.

Since scam is common in the second-hand market, you always need to be extra careful and assume that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. When you sublet, you should always sign a contract and get it approved by the landlord, mainly for your own safety. Check if the phone number belongs to the name stated in the ad and ask for ID. Facebook marketplace and Facebook groups are a good way to start. You can find many different options and many landlords renting. But be aware of the frauds and people who want to trick you; fraud is very common in the rental market in Sweden.

The advantage of using platforms, such as Hemavi, compared to Facebook groups is that you can make sure that the user is verified and also get help with signing the lease and handling the deposit payment. If you want to read more about how to protect yourself against fraud when subletting an apartment, you can check the Swedish police’s official website.

4. Student housing

If you’re a university student, you can usually get some help with finding student accommodation from the school. In some cases, you can live in a student corridor, where you have your own room but share a kitchen with other students. The rules for accommodation differ from one university to another. So, always ask the university you are applying to regarding student housing. Some universities even offer housing guarantee to non-EU students, meaning that if you are a non EU citizen, you are guaranteed to be provided housing by the university.

As a prospective student, you should decide what the most important criterion is for you when it comes to accommodation. For example, the price of the accommodation might matter more to some people than the distance to the campus and the nearby facilities, and vice versa. In addition, it’s very important to start looking for housing as soon as you get an answer regarding your admission.

In addition to the housing you might get directly from the university, there are also separate housing queues for students, where you can get access to student accommodation. Stiftelsen Stockholms studentbostäder is the largest student housing company in Sweden and they have around 8,000 student accommodations. You can join the queue from the age of 18 and there is no fee to queue with SSSB.

You don’t need to be admitted to an education to sign up for housing queues at Stiftelsen Stockholms studentbostäder. So, start as early as possible to have a greater chance of finding a student apartment. Keep an eye on when the application process opens and apply as soon as you can. If you have been placed on a waiting list from the university accommodation office, it’s always encouraged to have a backup plan and look for housing elsewhere in the meantime, just in case.

5. Expand your search area

Whichever option you are leaning towards, finding an apartment in Stockholm isn’t easy. So, if you have the opportunity, it might be a good idea to look for housing outside of central Stockholm. The public transport system works really well and you can easily and efficiently commute to and from work, even if you don’t live close by.

6. Rent a room

Finding an entire apartment to rent by yourself in Stockholm can be both difficult and expensive. It is cheaper, faster, and much more convenient to rent a room in a shared accommodation, especially if you’re moving to an entirely new city or country where you don’t know anyone. If you’re lucky with your roommate, you will get someone who can show you around, and if you have a roommate that you share plenty of interests with, they might become a lifelong friend.

In addition, having an extra set of hands to help with cleaning and household chores is a great benefit of having a roommate. Splitting up these duties and sharing responsibilities can save you time and energy, especially if you are moving for studies or work and don’t have a lot of time on your hands.

Did you know that Hemavi is a great way to find rooms and roommates in Stockholm? Read more here.