Tenant Evidence in Sweden — Common Mistakes
As a tenant in Sweden, correct evidence is often decisive when raising issues with a landlord, repairs, or rent levels. Common evidence forms are photos, timestamped logs and witness statements, but many make mistakes that weaken their case — unclear date sequences, poor image quality or insufficient documentation of correspondence. This guide shows practical steps to collect and organize evidence in a way useful in dialogue with a landlord, when applying to the Rent Tribunal or if enforcement via the Enforcement Authority is needed. You will also find examples of how to date files, save emails and keep a simple log of faults and contact attempts. Follow checklists before sending demands or applying for help.
How evidence affects tenancy matters
The Swedish Code of Land (Jordabalken, 1970:994) chapter 12 governs residential leases in Sweden[1]. Correct evidence can determine whether a landlord must fix faults or whether the Rent Tribunal will decide on rent levels or termination.
Common mistakes
- Unclear photos without dates or location information.
- Logs that lack times, senders or links to the incident.
- Witness statements that are not written or lack contact details.
- Failing to save emails and messages as evidence.
How to store evidence
- Take clear photos with dates in the metadata or note the date in a record.
- Save emails and SMS as PDF or screenshots and keep the originals.
- Keep a log of faults, dates, times and who you contacted.
- Ask witnesses to write a short statement with date and contact details.
FAQ
- Which evidence is best to collect?
- Photos with dates, saved correspondence, timestamped logs and written witness statements are most useful.
- How long should I keep documents?
- Keep documents until the matter is fully resolved; at least until you have written confirmation or the case is closed by the Rent Tribunal or the Enforcement Authority.
- When should I contact the Rent Tribunal?
- Contact the Rent Tribunal if you cannot reach a solution with the landlord or in disagreements about rent, termination or repairs[2].
How to
- Take and label photos: show damage, location and date clearly.
- Save emails and SMS as PDF and back up to cloud or external drive.
- Keep a simple log with date, time, what happened and who you contacted.
- Apply to the Rent Tribunal if no solution is reached or seek legal advice before proceeding[2].
Key Takeaways
- Document damage carefully with dates and descriptions.
- Save all correspondence and make backups.
- Keep a clear log of contacts and actions.
