Many are forced to sublet housing, with short contracts of six to twelve months. This as the queue time to get an apartment in one of the larger cities is usually several years, or even decades.
The situation has led to many secondary tenants feeling insecure and stressed about their housing situation. This is according to a report from the rental company Qasa.
– The biggest problem today is that you, as a landlord, are usually not allowed to rent out for more than a few months. It creates insecurity both for the person who rents out, but above all for the person who rents, who may not know if it is possible to stay there in six to twelve months, says Fredrik Strömsten, CEO of Qasa.
Today, the owner of an apartment can sublet it if the housing association approves it – but getting the green light for longer periods is usually difficult. This summer, the government appointed an inquiry in the hope of being able to simplify the rental rules.
According to the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, it is something that is becoming real.
– This creates a lot of bad circles on the water for a city like Stockholm and for the whole society really. It affects young people’s coming of age, choices and dreams, says Daniella Waldfogel, vice president of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce.
But it also affects issues related to the supply of skills in companies, he believes.
– We have seen since maybe ten years ago that companies have difficulty recruiting competence and very much of the reason for this is our large and high thresholds into the housing market, he says.