(edit title) What is the penalty for illegal renting 'owners'? Fedup of super high rentals and unstable agreement Options

[grymagnusson]

You admit the guy had a case then go on and call him a parasite!

Here are the figures:

Thanks to the exchange rate fluctuation, had he won he would have paid $200 per month in rent for a studio worth SEK1 million on Södermalm. I would thus have paid the other half of his housing costs.

I never denied the guy had a case, but so it should be pointed out, did I. I could also have gone to the Hyresnämnden and claimed at least 2,000/month back (the BR we rented was roughly the same size and standard, just slightly different floor plan).

I didn't go to the Hyresnämnden because I accepted the wide chasm between the rules and the accepted norms and adhered to the latter. We also had an agreement and I saw no reason why I should alter that after the fact.

We have rented our apartment several times since then on a not-for-profit but covering our costs basis and have never had any indication of any problems. The norms in Stockholm have long since moved on from the rules and the vast majority accept this.

Then you take it all one step further and call anyone who might want to use Hyresnämnden a parasite!!

No. I said "you are a parasite because you take the liberty of living in an apartment in an area you can't afford and then expect the BRF owner to subsidise your rent".

And I stand by that.

If you rent an HR and you pay more than the sub-letter pays in housing costs, you should go to the Hyresnämnden. This is the one simple stance that requires no proviso!

I live in a BRF but not in Stockholm so I personally will not be particularily affected by the new rules.

Then you can't possible be expected to understand the situation here.

The rent control system is a one size fits all that applies across the country. The basic principle is that a rental apartment should cost the same in Östermalm as it does in Karlstad. BRs in large parts of Sweden cost LESS (in terms of monthly cost) than equivalent rentals; in Stockholm they cost around 3 times.

As I said before this solution will not solve Stockholm's housing problems, but it will at least formalize the (small) BR segment and recognise the significant distinction between an HR and a BR.

It may free up a few more apartments for private individuals to rent, as rational choice simply means the existing BR market is predominantly directed towards trusted friends/acquaintances and failing that, the business market.

You on the other hand seem to live in a very self-centered universe.

As I said before if you are not familiar with Stockholm you can't possible imagine just how complicated the situation is here.

[grymagnusson]

Thanks to the exchange rate fluctuation, had he won he would have paid $200 per month in rent for a studio worth SEK1 million on Södermalm. I would thus have paid the oth ... (show full quote)

Thanks to the exchange rate fluctuation, had he won he would have paid $200 per month in rent for a studio worth SEK1 million on Södermalm. I would thus have paid the other half of his housing costs. ... (hide full quote)

Furthermore he would have achieved this by comparing our apartment to one owned by Svenska Bostäder which would have taken him +20 years in a queue, or around 350k in a brown paper bag, to gain access to.

[wendist]

First thing first.
You first used the word “parasite” in post 16 as a response to Yorkshiremans earlier post.

Your phrase was “anyone who does that is a fucking parasite”.

That is about as general as one can get, you labeled anyone who whishes to use Hyresnämnden a parasite. Hence my question in post 17.

You have the right to hold whatever opinion you like on any subject but so do I to. At that moment you had not provided any information at all as to why you thought we were all “fucking parasites” and I was both surprised and a bit offended.

Hyresnämnden handles 25000 to 30000 cases a year nationwide, a good chunk of them in Stockholm I would assume. It´s not like they are ignored and forgotten. It is the way to go for any tenant who has a conflict with his landlord including rents.

We will see what happens should the new rules come into use but I fear that it will further weaken both tenants and BRF members in their dealings with landlords or BRF boards.

Which in my view whould be a bad thing and I say that despite being the chairman of a BRF board myself. I have no wish to see a housing market where one side holds all the cards. It´s an open invitation to abuse.

As for your personal experiences living in Dodge City (AKA Stockholm) thats a different thing. At least your story explains why you feel the way you do.

One thing I don´t understand is your hang-up with exchange rates!

You rent out on the swedish housing market and get paid in swedish currency. Where does dollars even come into the equation?

Quite frankly I find it hard to accept that inflated rents and brown-bag-money-transfers should be ok just because “everybody” does it. Try to wiggle your way out of a speeding ticket by arguing that everybody drives to fast and see what good that will do you.

Obviously this situation has developed over a long time period and we can discuss who to blame and what to do but any solution will be costly and painful for everyone.

I just think that the current solution focuses a bit much on helping landlords and screwing low income tenants.