An A – Z for tenants

If you wish to hang window boxes on the balcony, hang them on the inside of the balcony railing. Satellite dishes are also mounted on the inside for safety reasons. Barbecuing on the balcony is only permitted if you use an electric grill. It is prohibited to shake rugs. And remember that smoking on the balcony may pose a nuisance for your neighbours.

If you have an electric barbecue, it is permitted to use it on the balcony, otherwise you must barbecue in a safe place. Ensure that the smoke from the barbecue doesn’t cause an environmental nuisance and bear in mind the fire risk.

You may not drill or otherwise make holes in the wall surface in the bathroom. If you wish to put something up on the walls, you must first speak to your landlord. This is to avoid causing water damage in the wet room. A shower curtain is not provided as standard, but you should fit one as a protection against water. Choose a type of curtain rod that does not need to be screwed to the wall, as it is easy to take with you when you move and no damage will be caused to the wall.

Bear in mind that:

• It is your responsibility to keep the outlet for the washbasin and the floor drain clean so that they don’t become blocked.
• It is prohibited to flush medicine, chemicals, cat litter, sanitary pads, cotton buds and grease from frying pans down the toilet.
• Be considerate to your neighbours. Avoid using the shower or filling the bath at times when your neighbours may be disturbed by the noise in the water pipes.
• The bathroom cabinet is part of the standard fixtures in the dwelling and must be left behind when you move.

As a tenant you must always show consideration for your neighbours by behaving appropriately. Think of your neighbours when you listen to music or play instruments: bass notes and vibrations are felt across large areas of the building. Loud noise from the TV or radio can also create a nuisance. It must be quiet in the building between the hours of 22.00 and 06.00.

You may not leave your bicycle in the stairwell or other places where it might obstruct emergency evacuation. Keep the bicycle indoors or outside in the places designated by Riksbyggen.

You must not feed birds from your balcony or window. The bird food that falls to the ground attracts rats and other vermin.

You will find information on broadband/TV/telephone services in the separate information you received when you moved into the apartment. You can also contact your local Riksbyggen office.

You must take bulky waste to a recycling facility. Refer to your local authority’s website. See also under Waste.

Give notification of your change of address in good time ahead of your move. You can do this at adressändring.se. When notifying of a change of address you will need your apartment number, which consists of four digits. You will find your apartment number in your tenancy agreement or on the door of your apartment.

You must also provide a flyttanmälan till Skatteverket (notify the Swedish Tax Agency of your change of address) to obtain the correct civil registration address. You are responsible for notifying e.g. your insurance company, bank, associations and friends that you are moving.

When you move out of an apartment, you must do a final clean. This generally means that everything in the apartment must be cleaned.

Remember to empty and clean your storeroom, garage and other facilities you have rented. If final cleaning is not carried out satisfactorily, you as tenant will be debited for the cost of cleaning and removal of any items left behind.

If cleaning is carried out properly, chemical cleaning agents are rarely required. A microfibre cloth or mop removes dirt and bacteria just using water and will work on most surfaces: floors, sinks, windows etc. If you need to use cleaning products, choose mild products with an eco-label and do not use excessive amounts. Products marked as a good environmental choice or with the Nordic Swan contain no hazardous substances and are degradable.

Make sure you use a cleaning agent that is suited to what you wish to clean. Aggressive cleaning products are often harmful to the environment and can also cause damage to surfaces in the home. You may then be liable for compensation.

You will find information here on what to do if you wish to pay your rent by direct debit.

Do you want to exchange your apartment with another tenant, a so-called direct exchange? Contact the local tenancy manager by calling us on 0771-860 860.

If you want to have a dishwasher fitted in the kitchen, you must obtain authorisation from Riksbyggen. The policy is to authorise such installations where possible. Installation must be carried out by a professional, both with regard to electricity and plumbing, and for all types of machine: countertop dishwashers, floor-standing dishwashers and built-in machines. If you remove a cupboard to install the dishwasher, the cupboard must be stored in your apartment’s storeroom.

You may take internal doors off in the apartment provided that you put them back when you move. Take care to store them so that they do not get damaged.

You can pay your rent to Riksbyggen via an electronic invoice, a so-called e-invoice. This is eco-friendly and you do not run the risk of missing paying your rent on time. If you wish to pay your rent by e-invoice, speak to your bank and they will help you to set this up.

In most of Riksbyggen’s dwellings, you as tenant can choose which electricity supplier is best for you. It is your responsibility to choose and to conclude a contract, and also to terminate the contract when you move.

In some of Riksbyggen’s residential buildings, household electricity is metered individually. You will see the electricity charge on your rent notice. All the electricity supplied by Riksbyggen is generated by wind power and is eco-friendly and renewable.

For safety reasons it is not permitted to prop entrance doors open and they must be kept locked at night to prevent unauthorised entry. Bicycles, pushchairs, furniture and other items may not be left in the entrances, stairwells or on higher-level walkways. This is to increase ease of access for cleaning staff but also because of the fire risk and to enable ambulance and emergency staff to perform their duties.

Riksbyggen may be forced to give a tenant notice of termination of the agreement. Reasons for this may be unpaid rent, neglect, misuse or noise issues and termination takes place in line with the applicable tenancy legislation. Before notice of termination is given, a letter is sent to the tenant requesting remedial action, meaning that the tenant is invited to address the problem.

You should clean the filter in the extractor hood over the cooker once a month. Wash the filter in the dishwasher or using washing-up liquid. The fan above the cooker is part of the ventilation system and extracts cooking odours as well as air from the bathroom. Remember also to clean the ventilator in the bathroom. One tip is to wrap kitchen roll around a kitchen knife and use it to remove the dust in the opening. NB: Do not loosen any screws on the ventilators that would cause the settings to be changed.

Call 112 if you discover a fire or other hazard.

Nearly half of the refuse you put in the bin is food waste. By sorting leftover food it is possible to utilise both the energy and nutriment in the food. Food waste is turned into biogas and biofertilizer. Biogas can be used as fuel for vehicles and biofertilizer can replace synthetic fertilizer in agriculture.

Some local authorities do not currently have the capacity to sort food waste.

Log in to Mitt Riksbyggen if you wish to rent a garage bay. The garage may not be used as a storeroom or as a place for car repairs. You may not store flammable liquids or gases in the garage.

If you put up your own hat rack, you must retain the normal shelf and put it back up when you move. It is part of the standard fixtures in the dwelling.

Riksbyggen aims for a temperature of 21°C in the apartment (+/-0.5°C).

You must have a home insurance policy to enter into a tenancy agreement with Riksbyggen. When you enter into the tenancy agreement, you must provide proof that you have home insurance.

Home insurance is extremely important for you as tenant if damage or breakage occurs. If major water damage occurs, for example, meaning that you have to move out of your apartment temporarily, it is your home insurance that covers the cost of your alternative accommodation, destroyed property etc.

Riksbyggen has individual electricity metering in some of its residential buildings. The electricity supplied by Riksbyggen is renewable and is charged for via the rent notice. If individual metering operates where you live, you cannot choose your electricity supplier.

When you move out, Riksbyggen carries out two inspections, a preliminary inspection and a final cleaning inspection on the actual day of the move. This is so that we can schedule any repairs and maintenance and to give you an opportunity to rectify any shortcomings or faults.

We aim to carry out the preliminary inspection as soon as possible, preferably within two weeks of your notice of termination. Call customer service on 0771-860 860 to book an inspection.

It is important to leave the laundry room clean and in the condition you would wish to find it. Keep to the laundry slot you have booked and do not take someone else’s slot.

When cleaning up, please start with the lint filter in the tumble dryer. Ensure that no spilt detergent remains in the laundry room and dry the detergent compartment in the washing machine. The floor of both the laundry room and drying room must be swept or cleaned and the worktops dried.

Show consideration for those with allergies by not smoking in our facilities. Pets may not be taken into the laundry room. If you have a pet, remember to remove any pet hairs left in the washing machine.

Filling the washing machines to capacity saves energy. Choose the lowest temperature  setting needed for the wash – it will also be quicker.

There are three keys for your apartment. You acknowledge receipt of the keys when you sign your tenancy agreement. If you need more keys, you can purchase them through Riksbyggen. It is prohibited to make your own copies.

Replacing locks is expensive, so take care of your keys. If you lose your keys and are exposed to the risk of burglary, this may cause problems with your home insurance.

Contact customer service on 0771-860 860 if you lock yourself out.

If you install an additional lock on the door and have problems with it, you must contact a locksmith. Riksbyggen cannot provide assistance.

To fit a lever tumbler lock in the external door you must obtain permission from Riksbyggen. You must also hand all keys over to the next tenant. If you report a defect and a building caretaker has to enter your apartment, you must leave the tumbler lock open.

Riksbyggen’s dwellings are maintained as required, normally at intervals of 12-14 years for wall coverings and 18-20 years for floor coverings. Ceramic bathroom finishes have a longer maintenance interval, usually of 40-50 years.

If you have any questions regarding the maintenance of your apartment, contact your local Riksbyggen office on 0771-860 860.

On Mitt Riksbyggen you can see our rental properties. Choose a location to see vacant properties. Once logged in you can see your details, expressions of interest and offers. On Mitt Riksbyggen you can also submit a defect report, gain access to forms and get tips and advice regarding your accommodation.

If you have any complaints about the cleaning, contact Riksbyggens lokalkontor (the local Riksbyggen office) where you live. If there are major problems, we will carry out a cleaning inspection. If you arranged with the previous tenant to be able to move in before the contracted date, you cannot claim compensation if the apartment was poorly cleaned.

Your apartment must be inspected before you move in. If you have any comments regarding the inspection, contact Riksbyggen’s local office where you live.

You must give notice of termination of your tenancy agreement sent to hyresratter@riksbyggen.se. The notice period is three calendar months starting from the end of the month in which we receive your notice of termination. Remember to give notice also with regard to any garage or parking space.

Your place in the queue closes when you are given an agreement on a property for which you were in the queue. You can join the queue afresh if you wish and begin to accumulate new points. If you get an agreement on an apartment, the place in the queue closes when you sign the agreement, but if you are in a queue for a dwelling in other buildings at the same time, you retain the points there.

You must surrender all keys to the dwelling when you move, including any copies. Remember to hand in the keys to the engine heater, storeroom and laundry room also.

Moving electricity, Internet and telephone provider —Terminate your old electricity supply agreement on the same date as terminating your tenancy agreement and sign up with a new supplier at the new address. You must also tell your telephone and Internet providers that you are moving.

Apartment inspection – We will carry out a final inspection as soon as possible following notice of termination of your agreement. It is a good idea to be present in person to discuss any damage to the apartment. In the event of damage or abnormal wear and tear to parquet flooring, wallpaper, doors or windows, for example, you may be liable for compensation. Remember that all fixtures belonging to the apartment must be in place during the inspection. These include, for example, doors, bathroom cabinets, hat rack, curtain fittings etc. If you received instructions on use and care of fixtures in the apartment, you should leave these in the apartment for the next tenant.

Take everything with you – Take bulky waste and all your belongings with you when you move, including the items you keep in your storeroom, garage and on the balcony or in your outdoor area.

Apartment viewings – You must be prepared to show the apartment you are vacating to persons who have received an invitation to move in after you. We will be happy to assist with viewings if you wish.

If you are disturbed by your neighbours, try to speak to the person creating the disturbance in the first instance. If it feels uncomfortable doing this, don’t hesitate to contact Riksbyggen’s customer service, which is available round the clock on 0771-860 860, to get help in contacting the local nuisance response team. The number for the nuisance response team is also posted on the notice board in the stairwell.

The general rule is that the building should be quiet between the hours of 22.00 and 06.00. Of course, everyone may have a party at some time or another. Talk to your neighbours about this a few days in advance and show consideration.

If you wish to terminate your tenancy agreement, you can do this by logging into Mitt Riksbyggen. Notice may also be given in writing to local Riksbyggen office.  If several people are named on the agreement, all persons must sign the notice of termination.

The notice period is three months from the end of the month in which Riksbyggen received notice of termination. You cannot terminate your tenancy agreement by telephone.

The tenancy agreement is a valuable document and should therefore be sent by registered mail. You use your tenancy agreement as the notice of termination form. This applies both to the dwelling and any car parking spaces. You will find this on the back of your tenancy agreement. Remember to provide contact details and your new address.

If you have an apartment with an outdoor area, you are responsible for care and maintenance of the area to make it pleasant for both you and your neighbours. Children can have a paddling pool in the outdoor area, but for safety reasons it is not permitted to have a larger bathing pool.

Log in to Mitt Riksbyggen or contact customer service on 0771-86 860 if you wish to rent a parking space. You are responsible for snow clearance closest to the vehicle where the snow plough cannot gain access.

Be considerate and ensure that your pet does not disturb your neighbours. Don’t take your pet with you to the laundry room or other communal areas, as many people suffer from allergies. Your pet may not soil sandpits or other areas where children play.

You may not park pushchairs in the stairwell or entrance for safety reasons. If a fire should break out, emergency personnel must be able to gain access. It is also out of consideration for your neighbours and their accessibility. Some buildings have special rooms for storing pushchairs.

You will find information here regarding what you are permitted to renovate in a rented apartment.

Rent is payable one month in advance. You can also choose to receive your rent notice as an e-invoice, i.e. via the Internet. An easy way of ensuring that your rent is paid in time is to pay via direct debit.
See also Direct debit and E-invoice.

If you don’t pay in time, Riksbyggen will send a collection demand. Failure to pay rent can result in termination of the agreement and eviction.

Hyresnämnden (the rent tribunal) mediates in disputes relating to dwellings and premises. The tribunal decides on certain issues, for example the right to sublet an apartment.

Report any defects or damage in your apartment and in communal areas to customer service on 0771-860 860, via Facebook or directly on Mitt Riksbyggen.

If you wish to install a satellite dish, you must contact your local Riksbyggen office and sign an agreement with Riksbyggen. It is not permitted to install a dish yourself without permission from the landlord.

Riksbyggen has installed a smoke alarm in all dwellings. You must check at regular intervals that this is working, i.e. that the battery is not flat. It is best to do this once a month; a smoke alarm is an inexpensive form of life assurance. Riksbyggen is responsible for ensuring that there is one in each dwelling and you as tenant are responsible for ensuring that the battery works.

Riksbyggen prefers you not to smoke in the apartment. If you do smoke in the apartment, however, it may mean that you will have to pay for any additional work caused due to smoking.

The apartment is inspected when you move out or if you undertake renovation. Show consideration for your surroundings if you smoke on the balcony. It is prohibited to smoke in the laundry room, stairwell or other communal areas.

A spyhole in the external door is not a standard feature of Riksbyggen’s dwellings. If you wish to install a spyhole, you must contact Riksbyggen. Getting permission will depend on what type of external door you have. When you move, you must leave the spyhole and you will not receive reimbursement for your costs.

The stairwell must be kept clear of bicycles, pushchairs, wheelchairs and other items that would impede access for ambulance and emergency staff. The stairwell is an evacuation route.

Moreover, if items left in the stairwell should catch fire, smoke and flames will spread through the building. Keeping the stairwell empty of items is for the well-being of everyone and to ensure that cleaning staff can carry out their work.

Ensure that your basement or attic storeroom is locked and check it regularly to make sure that no one has tried to break in. You may not store flammable substances in your storeroom. Walkways and stairs in the basement and attic are evacuation routes and may not be cluttered with items.

Are you going to be studying or working elsewhere, or moving in with your partner on a trial basis? If this is the case or you have another good reason for doing so, you may obtain permission to sublet your apartment. You can download a form for subletting from Mitt Riksbyggen or get one from your local Riksbyggen office. You must state why you wish to sublet, for how long and to whom.

Bear in mind that you are the signatory to the first-hand contract and are therefore responsible for ensuring that the rent is paid and that no damage is caused in the apartment. If you sublet without approval from Riksbyggen, you may lose your tenancy agreement.

You should always draw up an agreement with the sublet tenant. In the agreement, which you can purchase online or in bookstores, you should specify the term of validity of the agreement and the consequences if the tenant fails to abide by the provisions of the agreement. The person subletting the apartment may not take over the tenancy agreement.

Remember to provide Riksbyggen with your contact details. If you know that it may be difficult to contact you during the time that you sublet your apartment, you must mandate a proxy who is entitled to act for you as tenant and provide Riksbyggen with information.

Riksbyggen is a sustainable company that creates sustainable living environments through its long-term strategy, security and cooperation. The reason for this, and what shows how Riksbyggen will operate and remain at the leading edge, is Vårt hållbarhetsarbete (our sustainability work).

Hyreslagen (the Tenancy Act) is a law governing the relationship between landlords and tenants and is sometimes referred to in connection with apartment lets. The Tenancy Act forms part of the Swedish Land Code, chapter 12.

A tenancy agreement shows that you have the right to live in the apartment and is a valuable document. Please keep a copy of the agreement at home. If you lock yourself out, for example, and have to call a locksmith, you must be able to prove that you live in the apartment. Keep the original safe as a valuable document.

Hyresgästföreningen (the tenants’ association) is a democratic members’ organisation for tenants. The associations work to ensure that everyone has the right to satisfactory accommodation at a reasonable cost.

In the event of death, the agreement can be cancelled at the end of the month occurring no sooner than one month following notice of termination if notice is given no later than one (1) month following the death. If notice of termination is received later, a notice period of three (3) calendar months shall apply.

The surviving spouse, registered partner, or children of the deceased have the right to cancel the agreement. The relationship details and death certificate are enclosed with the notice of termination and details of the contact person and representative of the estate. If there are several beneficiaries, the beneficiaries give power of attorney to whoever is entitled to act for the estate.

It is important that you do not reset or change the settings on the air vents in the apartment. This is regardless of the type of ventilation in the dwelling:  natural, exhaust air or supply and exhaust air.

You must clean the exhaust air ventilators in the toilets and bathroom yourself. You can remove the dust by drying the opening with a kitchen knife wrapped in kitchen roll.

As tenant you own and take care of the maintenance of Venetian blinds in the apartment. If you install new Venetian blinds, they must be fitted professionally. If you have your own Venetian blinds, you may take them with you when you move. Remember to make good any damage incurred. You can also reach agreement with the new tenant for the latter to take over the blinds.

As tenant you are responsible under the Tenancy Act for notifying the landlord as soon as you discover pests or vermin in the apartment. Contact Riksbyggen on 0771-860 860 if you discover pests or vermin in your apartment. It is important to do this immediately to prevent these from spreading.

If you wish to have a washing machine installed in the apartment, you must engage a professional to connect the electricity and plumbing. Talk to your local Riksbyggen office. You may be liable for compensation if any damage arises and you have not engaged a professional. Do not use the machine between the hours of 22.00 and 06.00, as the vibrations from the spin cycle may disturb neighbours.

Some of Riksbyggen’s residential buildings have a room for sorting waste. This is where you dispose of your waste for recycling and find information about which refuse can be recycled. Waste that cannot be recycled, residual waste, must be disposed of in a tightly closed bag. Remember that it may not contain hazardous waste, chemicals, electronic items or bulky waste. You must take these items to a recycling facility or civic amenity site in your municipality. It is important that you sort your waste properly, both for the sake of the environment and for cost reasons.

If there is no waste sorting room in your building, you must take the waste to a recycling facility. Hazardous waste, electronic equipment and bulky waste should be taken to a civic amenity site.

You will find information relating to the location of recycling facilities and civic amenity sites on your local authority’s website.

As a tenant of Riksbyggen you must sort your waste into the categories covered in your particular building. The following sorting categories generally apply: paper packaging and corrugated cardboard, metal, light bulbs, newspapers, clear and coloured glass, hard plastics and batteries. If any of these categories are not covered in your building, take the waste items to one of the local authority’s civic amenity sites.

You will find information on where these are located on your local authority’s website.

In the context of apartment maintenance or when you move, the dwelling is inspected to assess its condition. Normal wear and tear is taken into account, but if the damage is assessed as major, you may be liable for compensation.