Eviction and the Swedish Enforcement Authority: the envelopes in the correct order, how to dispute an order for summary enforcement, what enforcement entails, and what can still stop it

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Anyone who receives a letter from the Swedish Enforcement Authority often only reads the sender. But there are three completely different letters: an application for assistance that you can stop with an email, a decision that you can request recovery of within a month, and a notice of enforcement where the clock is ticking towards a date. Which letter you have determines what you should do tonight. This guide sorts them out.

No eviction without a title

Three envelopes from the Enforcement Authority

1. Order in a case of ordinary assistance. Title along the lines of “Order – application for ordinary assistance (eviction)”. The landlord has applied; the Enforcement Authority asks you to respond within a specified time. You can contest. This is the most important letter.
2. Judgment. The Enforcement Authority has decided in accordance with the application because you did not contest in time. The judgment is an enforceable title – but you can request reinstatement within one month.
3. Notification of enforcement / eviction. The landlord has requested that a title be enforced. The Enforcement Authority notifies the day and time. Here the question is no longer whether you are right but whether there are obstacles to enforcement or reasons for postponement.

Contesting an application for ordinary assistance

Ordinary assistance is a summary procedure: the Enforcement Authority does not assess whether the landlord is right but only whether you object. If you object – contest – the Enforcement Authority cannot issue a judgment. The landlord must then choose between having the case transferred to the district court (Section 33 of the Act on Payment Orders and Assistance) or giving up. The contestation does not need to be legally justified, but a brief reason allows the landlord and the district court to see what the dispute is about.

To the Enforcement Authority
Case No: [number in the order]
Applicant: [the landlord] – Respondent: [your name, personal identification number]

CONTESTATION

I contest the applicant's application for ordinary assistance (eviction) in its entirety.

Grounds (brief):
– [The tenancy is not forfeited: the rent was paid on [date], within the reinstatement period according to Chapter 12, Section 44 of the Land Code. Receipt attached.]
– [The termination has not been served in the manner required for forfeiture (Chapter 12, Section 8 of the Land Code).]
– [The alleged disturbances have not occurred / no notice according to Chapter 12, Section 25 a has been given / the social welfare committee has not been notified.]
– [Correction was made before the termination (Chapter 12, Section 43).]
– [The matter is of minor importance (Chapter 12, Section 42, fifth paragraph).]

I request that the case, if the applicant maintains their claim, be transferred to the district court.

[Place, date, name, address, phone, email]

Judgment – and recovery within one month

If you have missed the deadline and received a judgment, it is not over. You can apply for recovery with the Kronofogden within one month from the date of the judgment (Sections 52–53 of the Act on Payment Orders and Assistance). The case is then transferred to the district court, which examines it as a regular case. Recovery does not automatically stop enforcement – simultaneously request from the Kronofogden that enforcement be suspended (inhibition) and from the district court that it orders this. A judgment is also registered as a payment remark with credit reporting agencies; if it is overturned, the remark should be removed.

Enforcement – what happens when the title exists

When the landlord has requested enforcement of a title, the Kronofogden handles it according to Chapter 16 of the Enforcement Code:

• Notification to you with an opportunity to express your views, and notification to the social welfare committee in the municipality (Chapter 16, Section 2). The committee should be informed in time to be able to act.
• Timing: the eviction should, if possible, be carried out within four weeks from the date the application was received (Chapter 16, Section 3). The Kronofogden can grant a deferment of up to two weeks if necessary out of consideration for you, longer if the landlord agrees (Chapter 16, Section 4).
• Execution: The Kronofogden will arrive on the specified day with a locksmith and moving company, often with social services present. You do not need to be home; the eviction will proceed regardless. The locks are changed, and the keys are handed over to the landlord.
• Consideration: The Kronofogden should take reasonable consideration of you and your household, especially children, the sick, and the elderly, when choosing the timing and execution.

What can still stop the eviction

Your belongings, costs, and the remark

• Property that remains is taken care of by the Kronofogden and stored at the landlord's expense for up to three months, after which it can be sold or discarded (Chapter 16, Sections 6–7 of the Enforcement Code). Property left in the apartment and not collected within three months from the notice or six months from the eviction accrues to the landlord (Chapter 12, Section 27 of the Land Code). Retrieve important papers, medications, identification documents, and valuables before the eviction day.
• Costs: the landlord pays the application fee and execution costs to the Kronofogden but can demand them from you, along with rent until moving out and any potential damage. Expect a debt that follows in the Kronofogden's register.
• Payment remark: a decision on a payment order results in a remark for three years. An eviction solely due to disturbances does not in itself result in a remark, but it is often combined with debt. The remark and a previous eviction make it difficult to obtain a new first-hand contract – a reason why a negotiated solution is often better than letting it proceed to enforcement.

Social Welfare Board, children, and a roof over your head

The Social Welfare Board is notified twice in a typical chain: by the landlord upon termination for rent arrears or disturbance (Chapter 12, Sections 25 a and 44) and by the Kronofogden before enforcement (Chapter 16, Section 2 of the Enforcement Code). The notification is not a report of concern about children, but the social services have their own obligation to pay attention to children at risk of homelessness, and many municipalities have eviction prevention teams. Do not wait for them to call: contact the social office with the termination and calculate what is needed. Financial assistance for rent arrears to prevent eviction is a common measure when conditions are met. If you risk being without housing, the municipality has the ultimate responsibility for emergency shelter (Chapter 4, Section 1 of the Social Services Act) – but it is usually temporary accommodation, not a new apartment. If children live in the household: read home visit and report of concern, and keep those matters separate from the rental issue in your documentation.

Sources

• The Act on Payment Orders and Assistance (1990:746) – Sections 3, 25, 31, 33, 42, 52–53
• The Enforcement Code Chapter 16 – eviction; Chapter 3, Section 21 obstacles; Chapter 18 appeal
• The Land Code Chapter 12, Section 44 – recovery in case of rent arrears
• The Land Code Chapter 12, Section 27 – abandoned property
• The Enforcement Authority: carrying out an eviction
• The Enforcement Authority: you have received an order
• The Social Services Act Chapter 4, Section 1 – right to assistance
• The Tenants’ Association: support and advice

The guide is general information about applicable rules, not advice on your case. If you rent from a private individual who owns the residence, from July 1, 2026, the Private Rental Act applies instead of Chapter 12 of the Land Code on several points. Legal status checked on September 25, 2026.

For those reading under stress

The guide is intended as support when you already have a lot on your mind. You don't need to read everything at once: start with the section that matches where you are today and return when the next step becomes relevant.

Matters with authorities rarely improve by handling everything alone. Ask for help from a support person, lawyer, or relative if you can – especially before decisions with long-term effects.

Common mistakes that make the case more difficult

• Relying only on verbal promises without brief written confirmation or follow-up email.
• Waiting to request documents until the conflict is already locked – then it becomes harder to show what was said.
• Writing so long and emotionally that the authority stops responding to the substantive issue.
• Missing deadlines for reconsideration or appeal because the decision was not read verbatim.

Mini-checklist before you leave the guide

1. Do I have the date, diary/case number, and name of the person handling the case (if you know)?
2. Do I know what the next step is: respond, request, remind, appeal, or report?
3. Have I saved emails and attachments in a place where I can find them in a week?