How long is the notice period for a tenant?
Do I understand the "Lag (2012:978) om uthyrning av egen bostad" correctly in that a tenant can terminate the rental contract with 1 month notice after the landlord has terminated already (according to the 3 months notice agreed upon in the contract)?
In my case I have a rental contract "tillsvidare" with an agreement of a 3 month notice. My landlord now terminated my contract to the end of December (to use the apartment himself). Can I now still terminate the contract myself so I can avoid to pay the rent in case I find a new apartment before December?
Lawline svarar
Hello and thank you for turning to Lawline with your question!
The law called "privatuthyrningslagen" that you are referring to regulates when individuals rent out their owner-occupied apartment to other individuals (provided that the rent does not occur in business). Notice that the law does not apply to sub-letting.
The tenant may end the tenancy with effect from the turn of the month occurring after at least one month from the notice (3 § 2 paragraph). That means that if the tenant terminates the contract on October 5th (for example), it expires on November 30th.
An agreement on a longer notice period than one month for the tenant is not legally binding, due to the 2 § that invalidates contractual terms and conditions that is to the disadvantage of the tenant in comparison to the law.
To sum up what is written above, you can still terminate the contract yourself with the notice period mentioned.
Hope this was helpful!
Sincerely,
