Short-term contracts in central Malmö: rules and tips

A short-term contract in central Malmö is almost always a fixed-term sublet or an agreement directly with a private person renting out their own home. The large landlords usually let on open-ended terms through a queue, so anyone who needs to live near Gamla staden, Davidshall or Västra hamnen for a few months looks among private landlords. Which law applies depends on who is renting out, and that decides how long you may stay and how you end the contract.

What counts as central Malmö?

According to Wikipedia on Malmö Centrum, the Centrum district includes Gamla staden, Davidshall, Rörsjöstaden, Rådmansvången, Värnhem, Lugnet, Slussen, Östervärn and Västra hamnen, among others. The district contains Malmö's medieval core inside the canal. Västra hamnen has been built since the early 2000s.

Listings use "central Malmö" and "Malmö city" more loosely. A place in Möllevången or Södra Innerstaden is often called central, even though it formally lies in another district. Check the address and the map, not just the headline.

Short-term contracts in central Malmö: who rents out?

There are three common set-ups:

• A sublet from a tenant. Someone with a first-hand contract on a rental flat is away for a period, for example for work or studies elsewhere, and sublets meanwhile.
• A private person renting out their condominium, house or part of their home. Common in the inner city, where many owners rent out while living elsewhere for a while.
• Furnished rooms and short-stay housing let in full for a shorter period.

Which rules apply to a short-term contract?

Subletting a rental flat

If you rent from someone who holds the flat as a tenant, the tenancy chapter of the Land Code (jordabalken) applies. The first-hand tenant needs the landlord's consent or the rent tribunal's permission to sublet for independent use, and such permission must be limited to a certain time (chapter 12, sections 39–40). Ask for the consent before you sign. Without it the first-hand tenant can lose the contract, and your home goes with it.

A fixed-term contract ends when the term ends. If the tenancy has lasted more than nine months in a row, it must still be terminated to end (chapter 12, section 3). As a subtenant you have no right to an extension if the tenancy ends before it has lasted more than two years in a row (chapter 12, section 45).

Renting from a private person

If you rent from a private person who owns the home, such as a condominium, the Private Letting Act (2026:772) applies instead. It covers a natural person or an estate letting a home, but not if the landlord regularly lets more than two flats that are not part of their own home, nor if the landlord holds the flat as a tenant (chapter 1, sections 1 and 3). Where that act applies, the tenancy chapter of the Land Code does not.

Under the Private Letting Act, a fixed-term contract ends when the term ends (chapter 6, section 1). Contract terms worse for you than the law are not valid against you (chapter 1, section 4).

You can always terminate a short-term contract

This is the most important thing to know about a short-term contract in central Malmö: you are not locked in for the whole period. Under the Land Code, a tenant of a residential flat may always terminate the contract to the turn of the month that falls at least three months after the notice (chapter 12, section 5). The Private Letting Act has the same rule for fixed-term contracts (chapter 6, section 1). A clause saying you must pay for the whole period if you move out early is therefore not valid.

Checklist before you sign

1. Ask who owns the flat or holds the first-hand contract. That decides which law applies.
2. Ask for consent or permission when it is a sublet of a rental flat.
3. Insist on a written contract. Both landlord and tenant have the right to ask for one (Land Code chapter 12, section 2; Private Letting Act chapter 1, section 5).
4. Check the start and end dates and what is included: furniture, electricity, internet.
5. Do not pay in advance before you have seen the flat and know who you are renting from. Short contracts in attractive locations draw fraudsters.
6. Document the flat's condition with photos when you move in.

If you have questions about your rights as a tenant, Hyresgästföreningen can answer. Boverket follows the national housing market.

Common questions about short-term contracts in central Malmö

How short can a short-term contract be?

The law sets no minimum. The contract runs for the period you agree. If the term is two weeks or less and no longer notice period has been agreed, one day's notice is enough, where notice is needed (Land Code chapter 12, section 4).

Can a short-term contract lead to a first-hand contract?

No, not automatically. A sublet gives no right to take over the first-hand contract.

Can the rent be as high as the landlord likes?

No. For a sublet of a rental flat, the rent must not exceed a reasonable rent for the rent tribunal to grant permission (chapter 12, section 40). If you rent from a private person, you can apply to the rent tribunal if the rent is substantially higher than what is generally charged for similar flats (Private Letting Act chapter 2, section 5).