(edit title) BRF raised monthly fees by 16% for next year Is this normal? Can I protest? Options

[Willy]

And we're back to the old discussion: "Only in Sweden property tax, garbage collection, snow clearing, heating, water, basic cable TV, maintenance and repairs actually cost money".

In your Dutch example, how many of these are included? How much is heating on top?

[Yorkshireman]

Even those ones still have fees north of 2000 SEK.

Actually No. If you go look at some of the BRFs on Götgatsbacken in Stockholm, You will see that they make enough money mainly from the commercial rents to shops etc... that they have monthly fees for fairly large apartments of a couple-of/few hundred kroner. Mind You, since they make more from commercial than tenants, they are called oäkta BRFs.

[Bender B Rodriquez]

Even those ones still have fees north of 2000 SEK.

Just do a search on Booli and you will find 200 apartments in Stockholm currently for sale with a fee lower than 2000/month.

[byke]

For BRF's that have exceptionally low fee's due to good management etc .... Do residents have any form of higher taxes needed to be taken into account?

[Bender B Rodriquez]

For BRF's that have exceptionally low fee's due to good management etc ... Do residents have any form of higher taxes needed to be taken into account?

It depends on why they have low fees. If it is because they make money from rental property (more than 40% of the total income), then the taxation is different. For example, the profit from selling a share is taxed at 100% of the value and not on 2/3's as for a regular BRF. Also, the seller/buyer cannot defer tax on the profit.

[oddsock]

Just do a search on Booli and you will find 200 apartments in Stockholm currently for sale with a fee lower than 2000/month.

There isn't a single 2 room apartment for sale in Malmö with an avgift less than 2000 SEK.

[oddsock]

And we're back to the old discussion: "Only in Sweden property tax, garbage collection, snow clearing, heating, water, basic cable TV, maintenance and repairs actually cost money".

In your Dutch example, how many of these are included? How much is heating on top?

Maintenance and repairs of the building are included. That's one thing that all tenants share.

Property tax is paid per tenant, as is garbage collection (via tax). Snow clearing doesn't apply. Heating and water is billed by personal usage (promotes environmental awareness) and you pay for your own TV subscription.

I don't have a TV, but my Swedish rent includes the building's basic cable. Once again, why should I be paying for something I don't want.

[Bender B Rodriquez]

There isn't a single 2 room apartment for sale in Malmö with an avgift less than 2000 SEK.

Funny, I see 8 apartments for sale.

[oluies]

Pretty common that new BRFs have to raise the fees because of

• too optimistic budgets
• sellers (companies) inflating the selling price
• seller (companies) hiding away loans in the BRF to lower the price of the apartments themselves
• problems with the building themselves (enstegstätade fasader) http://www.byggvarlden.se/nyheter/energi-m...ade-putsfasader
• for new BRF there is also a problem with inexperience of the management (styrelse) http://cornucopia.cornubot.se/2012/09/risk...rist-i-nya.html

Doesn't mean that it is a big problem in the BRF, it just means that you might have payed a bit to much for it.

See
http://cornucopia.cornubot.se/2012/10/hojd...foreningar.html

[Yorkshireman]

• for new BRF there is also a problem with inexperience of the management (styrelse)

Not only for new BRFs, even established ones, since people move in and out of apartments/BRFs and being on the board is a thankless task in most cases (people quit) ... there is always risk that those on the board are poor, sometimes blinded when handling large sums of money, selfish etc... You just need to keep an eye on what is going on in the BRF you are a member of.

Exactly, and if people can't get the loans to pay such high prices, then the prices would have to come down to an affordable level for an individual to be able to pay. Tha ... (show full quote)

Exactly, and if people can't get the loans to pay such high prices, then the prices would have to come down to an affordable level for an individual to be able to pay. That's why I think the banks are the ones who like the BRF. ... (hide full quote)

You have made the assumption here that the prices are high due to the BRF taking a portion of the loans. For arguments sake, let's say that is true. OK, now you have new builds that has very high prices ... is it not more likely that rather than prices come down, after all they are set at commercial property prices for th e building ... that it is more likely Rental Companies buy the building in total for rental apartments. They can charge substantially higher rents for new developments even now, they have a longer perspective for ownership/return-on-investment, so rents would go up and the only apartments available for purchase would be for those at the higher end of the income scale.

mind You, when renting You are also paying for the others in the building in terms of heating etc...

Be careful what You wish for!