What Is Andrahand? Sweden's Second-Hand Rental Explained

Sweden's housing queue in Stockholm runs up to 20 years. That single fact explains why andrahand — second-hand subletting — is how almost every expat finds housing in this country. It is not a workaround or a compromise. It is the actual market. Here is what andrahand means legally, and why understanding the structure matters before you sign anything.

Förstahand vs Andrahand: The Core Difference

Swedish rental law distinguishes between two types of tenancy:

Förstahand (first-hand) means you have a direct contract with the property owner — either a housing company (bostadsbolag), a municipal housing authority (kommunalt bostadsbolag), or a private landlord who owns the property outright. These contracts come with strong tenant protections under the Hyreslagen (the Swedish Tenancy Act), including the right to negotiate rent and effectively unlimited tenure. The catch: waiting lists for förstahand contracts in cities like Stockholm and Gothenburg run 10–20 years. That is not a typo.

Andrahand (second-hand) means you're renting from someone who themselves holds a förstahand contract or owns the apartment as a bostadsrätt (housing cooperative share). You are one step removed from the property owner. Your contract is with the primary tenant or owner-occupier, not with the building itself.

The practical consequence: andrahand contracts are shorter, often have less legal protection, and require an approval chain. But they're also available right now, listed on real platforms, and occupied by real people who need to sublet their apartment for a year or two while they work abroad or move in with a partner.

The Approval Process: Who Needs to Say Yes

This is where it gets specific — and where a lot of listings fall through.

Bostadsrätt (owner-occupied cooperative apartment)

The owner needs approval from their bostadsrättsförening (housing association, often abbreviated BRF). The BRF board reviews the application and can approve or deny it. They cannot refuse without grounds (grounds include: the subtenant is a legal risk, or the rental period is unreasonably long), but they do have real discretion. Approval is typically required in writing before the sublet begins. Without it, the owner risks losing their apartment rights entirely.

Hyresrätt (rental apartment with a primary tenant subletting)

The primary tenant needs written approval from their landlord — the housing company or private property owner. Landlords can deny approval if the primary tenant doesn't have valid reasons for being away (typically work relocation, cohabitation, or long-term illness). Unapproved subletting is grounds for eviction of the primary tenant, which is why most legitimate landlords on andrahand platforms have already secured this approval before listing.

What this means for you as a prospective tenant: Always ask to see the approval documentation before signing anything. A landlord who hesitates to share this document is a red flag.

Typical Contract Lengths

Most andrahand contracts run 6 to 24 months, with 12 months being the most common. Shorter arrangements (1–3 months) exist but are relatively rare and usually command a price premium.

Key things to know about contract duration:

• Contracts under 3 months may be governed by different rules and offer less protection
• Most BRFs limit subletting to a maximum of 2–3 years (cumulative, not per contract)
• Renewal is possible but not guaranteed — plan your search timeline around contract expiry
• Notice periods are typically 1–3 months, specified in the contract

What Andrahand Actually Costs

Andrahand rent in Sweden's major cities as of early 2026:

City	Studio / 1-room	2 rooms	3 rooms
Stockholm (central)	9,000–14,000 SEK/mo	13,000–20,000 SEK/mo	18,000–28,000 SEK/mo
Gothenburg (central)	7,500–11,000 SEK/mo	10,000–16,000 SEK/mo	14,000–22,000 SEK/mo
Malmö (central)	6,500–9,500 SEK/mo	9,000–14,000 SEK/mo	12,000–18,000 SEK/mo

These are market rates, not regulated. Landlords of bostadsrätt apartments are allowed to charge enough to cover their monthly fee (avgift) plus reasonable costs for furniture and utilities. Landlords of hyresrätt apartments face stricter rent controls — they cannot charge substantially more than their own rent. In practice, some hyresrätt sublets are listed at inflated prices; this is technically illegal but enforcement is spotty.

A deposit of 1–3 months' rent is standard. Get this amount specified in writing and confirm the return conditions before transferring anything.

Why Andrahand Is the Right Path for Expats

The Swedish housing queue system is fundamentally incompatible with expat timelines. You cannot wait a decade for an apartment when you're arriving next month for a job that starts in two weeks.

Andrahand contracts exist precisely because life doesn't conform to queue positions. Swedish people go on sabbaticals, move abroad for work, move in with partners, or need to hold onto an apartment they're not currently using. That creates a functioning andrahand market where apartments change hands continuously.

For an expat, andrahand offers:

• Immediate availability: Listings appear and fill within days, not years
• Furnished options: Many andrahand apartments come fully furnished, which matters when you're arriving with one suitcase
• Flexible lengths: 12 months gives you time to get established, learn the city, and decide where you want to settle long-term
• Lower barrier to entry: No queue points, no municipal registration requirements, no Swedish social security number in many cases

If you're navigating the system without a Swedish personnummer, see our guide on renting without a personnummer — the andrahand market is generally more accommodating than the förstahand queue.

Andrahand Checklist: Before You Sign

Use this before committing to any andrahand contract:

• Confirm the landlord has written approval to sublet (from BRF or property owner)
• Verify the landlord's identity matches the lease/ownership documents
• Check the contract specifies start date, end date, and notice period
• Confirm monthly rent amount and what it includes (utilities, internet, parking)
• Confirm deposit amount and conditions for return
• Check whether the apartment is furnished and what remains when you move in
• Ask about the building's rules (pets, smoking, noise hours)
• Check Kronofogden (the Swedish enforcement authority) to verify the landlord has no active payment issues — you can search their public register

Which Platforms List Andrahand Apartments

The andrahand market in Sweden is fragmented across several platforms. Each has its own screening requirements, and the listing quality varies.

The main platforms worth checking regularly: Qasa, Samtrygg, BostadsPortal, Bofrid, and Residensportalen. Qasa and Samtrygg both handle identity verification and often have English-language interfaces, making them more accessible if you're new to Sweden. BostadsPortal tends to have higher volume but more variation in listing quality.

Because listings go fast — often within 24–48 hours on Qasa — response speed matters as much as your application quality.

The Bottom Line

Andrahand is not a workaround or a compromise. For the majority of expats in Sweden, it is the housing market. Understanding the legal structure behind it — who approved what, who you're actually renting from, and what your rights are — puts you in a much stronger position when evaluating listings and negotiating contracts.

Based on listings we track across all five platforms, competitive andrahand apartments fill within 24–48 hours of appearing. The structural advantage in this market is speed — knowing about a listing early enough to apply while the pool is still small. Expatriate sends you a real-time alert the moment a new listing matches your criteria.