Landlords' Requirements on Future Tenants

The plan establishes that tenants need strong protection in legislation and that everyone's right to have somewhere to live shall become reality, against the ownership interests that benefit from the housing shortage. Arbitrary income requirements from landlords exclude exactly those the plan wants to protect and drive segregation. Regulating by law what requirements may be set therefore follows from the plan.

• strong tenant protectiondecisive»Hyresgäster behöver ett starkt stöd i« (party programme ↗)“Tenants need strong protection in”
• the right to housing»Vi vill bygga ett samhälle där varje människas rätt att ha någonstans att bo« (party programme ↗)“We want to build a society where everyone's right to have somewhere to live”
• the market creates segregation»Möjligheten att bo bra till en rimlig kostnad har spelat en viktig roll i det jämlika samhällsbygget, men efter att också bostäderna lämnats åt marknaden ökar bostadsbristen, boendekostnader och segregation.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The opportunity to live well at reasonable cost has played an important role in building an equal society, but after housing has also been left to the market, housing shortage, housing costs and segregation increase.”
• break segregation»Vi vill bryta upp segregationen och skapa en blandning av hustyper och« (party programme ↗)“We want to break up segregation and create a mix of house types and”

The plan establishes that housing is a social right and demands an active and social housing policy with a guiding national direction. High and arbitrary income requirements particularly exclude young people without capital, whom the plan identifies as a group facing difficulties on the housing market. To regulate by law what requirements a landlord may impose thus follows from the plan's commitments.

• housing as a social rightdecisive»Bostaden är en social rättighet.« (party programme ↗)“Housing is a social right.”
• active and social housing policy»Aktiv och social bostadspolitik.« (party programme ↗)“Active and social housing policy.”
• young people's access to housing»Statligt stöd för att häva bostadsbristen, särskilt för unga.« (party programme ↗)“State support to address the housing shortage, especially for young people.”
• guiding national housing policy»Styrande nationell bostadspolitik och stärkt kommunalt bostadsförsörjningsansvar.« (party programme ↗)“Guiding national housing policy and strengthened municipal housing supply responsibility.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme wants to reinstate housing as a social right and ensure that socially vulnerable people receive the support needed to get and keep a home. A legal regulation limiting landlords' demands to reasonable income requirements is a direct means for people with low incomes to gain access to the rental market. The election manifesto's goal of reducing homelessness strengthens the conclusion; the issue is however not addressed explicitly.

• support to get a homedecisive»det stöd som krävs för att få och behålla en bostad« (party programme ↗)“the support needed to get and keep a home”
• housing as social right»Miljöpartiet vill återupprätta bostaden som en social rättighet. Det kräver ett starkt« (party programme ↗)“The Greens want to reinstate housing as a social right. That requires a strong”
• reduced homelessness»minska hemlösheten, genom en nationell strategi som på riktigt minskar hemlösheten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“reduce homelessness, through a national strategy that really reduces homelessness”
• vulnerability of low-income people»som de har råd med. Unga, studenter, äldre och personer med låg inkomst eller social« (party programme ↗)“as they can afford. Young people, students, older people and persons with low income or social”

The party programme makes property rights central and establishes that laws and regulations should not override free contract rights. To regulate by law what requirements a landlord may set is precisely such an intervention in the contractual relationship. The plan's response to exclusion is instead more homes through simple rules and strong incentives to invest, although the ambition of a more open housing market points the other way. The plan therefore rejects the counter-proposal, but the foundation is weak.

• central property rightsdecisive»Äganderätten är central för ett samhälle där människor kan förverkliga sig själva och sina drömmar.« (party programme ↗)“Property rights are central to a society where people can realise themselves and their dreams.”
• respect for contract freedom»bör lagar och regler inte köra över den fria avtalsrätten« (party programme ↗)“laws and regulations should not override free contract rights”
• more homes as a solution»starka drivkrafter att investera i bostäder, kan byggandet öka i hela landet« (party programme ↗)“strong incentives to invest in homes, building can increase throughout the country”
• more open housing market»Även bostadsmarknaden måste bli öppnare.« (party programme ↗)“The housing market must also become more open.”

The counter-proposal wants to legally regulate what demands a landlord can make of a new tenant. The plan's starting point is that laws and rules shall protect property rights and contractual freedom, and its answer to barriers to entry in the housing market is more homes, increased mobility and needs-based housing for groups with particularly large needs. The plan sees the problem but does not propose regulated access requirements as a solution.

• property rights and contractual freedomdecisive»regler ska slå vakt om äganderätt, konkurrens på lika villkor, rättssäkerhet och att enskilda« (party programme ↗)“rules shall protect property rights, competition on equal terms, legal certainty and that individuals”
• entry into the housing market»särskilt dem som vill få fotfäste och komma in på bostadsmarknaden: ungdomar, invandrare« (party programme ↗)“especially those who want to get a foothold and enter the housing market: young people, immigrants”
• needs-based housing for weak groups»Dagens dyra byggsubventioner ska avskaffas och ett nytt system med behovsbostäder ska införas för grupper med särskilt stora bostadsbehov, såsom våldsutsatta och familjer med mycket svag ekonomi.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Today's expensive building subsidies shall be abolished and a new system with needs-based housing shall be introduced for groups with particularly large housing needs, such as victims of violence and families with very weak economies.”
• protection against eviction»Det förebyggande arbetet mot vräkning, särskilt av barnfamiljer, behöver stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Preventive work against eviction, especially of families with children, needs to be strengthened.”

The plan requires the state and municipalities to secure housing supply for all, in different ages and with different social and economic conditions, and points particularly to the fact that low-income families with children, pensioners and students must be given the opportunity to a good housing standard. A statutory tenancy protection already exists as an example of the fact that access to housing is regulated by law. To regulate by law what requirements a landlord may set follows from these commitments, if the requirements are limited to reasonable ones.

• housing supply for alldecisive»trygga bostadsförsörjningen åt alla, i olika åldrar och med olika sociala och« (party programme ↗)“secure housing supply for all, in different ages and with different social and”
• housing for low-income»Lågavlönade barnfamiljer, pensionärer och studerande måste ges möjligheter till en god« (party programme ↗)“Low-income families with children, pensioners and students must be given opportunities to a good”
• statutory tenant protection»Ett lagstadgat besittningsskydd ska finnas.« (party programme ↗)“A statutory tenancy protection shall exist.”
• municipal housing responsibility»Kommunerna ska ha det sociala ansvaret för att trygga bostadsförsörjningen för sina« (party programme ↗)“The municipalities shall have the social responsibility to secure housing supply for their”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan is built on private ownership and freedom of contract and on the principle that those who own shall also have the right to use their ownership according to their own mind. To regulate by law what requirements a landlord may impose on a prospective tenant restricts precisely that freedom of contract and adds new rules instead of removing them. The plan's path in the rental market is greater weight to tenants' own assessment, not more detailed rules.

• ownership and freedom of contractdecisive»Grunden för Sveriges välstånd är en marknadsekonomi baserad« (party programme ↗)“The foundation of Sweden's prosperity is a market economy based”
• owner's right of decision»principen att den som äger också ska ha« (party programme ↗)“the principle that those who own shall also have”
• rental market without new rules»• Möjliggöra mer rättvisa hyror genom att potentiella hyresgästers värdering av boendet ges större vikt« (2022 manifesto ↗)“• Enable fairer rents by giving potential tenants' valuation of the housing greater weight”
• fewer rules»• Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“• Remove one-third of companies' administrative costs and one-third of regulatory red tape”

The plan does not address what demands a landlord can make on a prospective tenant. The nearest principles are strengthened property rights and that rules and processes in housing should be simplified rather than expanded. New legal regulation of landlords' access requirements thus falls outside the plan's direction, even though the ambition that more young people should be able to get housing points another way.

• strengthened property rightsdecisive»Stärka äganderätten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen property rights”
• simplified regulations»Anpassa och förenkla regler och processer för planering och byggnation« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Adapt and simplify rules and processes for planning and construction”
• constitutionally protected property rights»Förstärka grundlagens rättighetsskydd vad gäller yttrandefrihet, äganderätt och frihet från religion« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the constitutional protection of rights regarding freedom of speech, property rights, and freedom from religion”
• housing for young people»Förbättra möjligheterna för unga att skaffa sin första bostad« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Improve opportunities for young people to acquire their first home”