A majority of Sweden’s municipalities have rented properties from SBB. The five most exposed municipalities had annual rental costs of at least fifty million kroner each in 2021. The two municipalities that top the list, Härnösand and Haninge, both have over SEK 100 million each in annual rental costs. Härnösand’s rental costs to SBB in the last three years amount to close to half a billion kroner.
Härnösand’s municipal councilor Andreas Sjölander (S) regrets the sale of the properties and now wants to buy them back.
– It is no secret that I have expressed myself critically in the past and viewed a situation like this with trepidation, he says.
“Is there value in buying these properties”
In Värmland, SBB owns, among other things, a number of school buildings, health care centers, LSS accommodation and Region Värmland’s headquarters, the so-called Regionens hus in Karlstad.
Region Värmland, which in 2021 paid over SEK 50 million in rent to SBB, now wants to buy back, among other things, health centres.
– I clearly feel that there would be value in buying these properties at the right price, clearly, says Åsa Johansson (S), chairman of the regional board in Värmland.
In Borlänge, the municipal management has given the property manager the task of trying to buy back the town hall they sold in 2016 to SBB.
The crisis has created great concern
In Skellefteå, SBB owns, among other things, a retirement home, an LSS property and the noted Sara culture house. In addition, SBB has promised to build 1,500 new apartments in the municipality. The crisis in SBB has created great concern among the politicians in the SBB-owned municipal hall.
– If they don’t build as they promised us, we will have problems, says municipal councilor Lorents Burman (S).
Skellefteå’s opposition councilor Andreas Löwenhöök (M) thinks it was wrong to sell the properties to SBB.
– We think you should contact SBB and probe the terrain if they are willing to sell back, he says.