Köplagen broken stove

Question

Hi I have recently sold my apartment & the stove has a crack on one side. It works all fine and is verified by the förenings person for any fire safety. However the seller is asking for a new stove while the stove is 7 years old. What does the law say about this?

Answer 1

Thanks for using Lawline Express. Your question is if the buyer of your apartment can force you to buy a new stove because he has found a crack. I will answer your question by applying the appropriate law.

The Law

The applicable law is “köplagen” (köpL) since it is a transaction between two private individuals. There are a few ways an apartment can be defect. First, it’s if the apartment doesn’t match the description in the contract (17 § köpL). Second, the apartment can be defect if it doesn’t correspond to the information provided by seller before the signing of the contract, regardless of if the information was provided orally or written (18 § köpL).

The defect must have been present at the time of the signing of the agreement (21 § köpL). The buyer need to complain within reasonable time according to 32 § köpL. Reasoneable time is defined by circumstances in each unique situation, therefore it´s hard to decide reasonable time in your case. However, if more than 2 years have passed it´s always too late to complain.

The buyer can not complain about anything he should have discovered while inspecting the apartment, prior to the transaction (20 § köpL). I find it nearly impossible that the buyer wouldn’t find the crack if he /she had done a thorough inspection. Another aspect is that a buyer cannot expect a 7-year-old stove to be in mint condition. The stove also works perfect so it´s just an aesthetic problem.

Solution Because of the above I cannot see that the buyer can force you to pay for a new stove and even if he/she can it would be a 7 year old stove and they are worth practically nothing. My recommendation is that you reply the buyer and tell him/her that this defect should have been discovered during the inspection of the apartment prior to the transaction and that you will not pay them anything. If you have further questions you can reach me at [e-mail]