Bostad & Fastighet
Sublease - am I responsible for something that breaks after I move out?
I lived in a andrahand kontrakt till 1 November 2017.
I handed over the keys on that day.
Today, on 14 December 2017(after 45 days), the landlord saying the below:
"Idag skulle jag tvätta för första gången efter jag har kommit hem då fungerar inte maskinen, har det varit problem tidigare. Kan jag inte lösa detta får jag skicka efter service och skicka räkningen till er."
Washing machine was working completely fine till I handed over the key on 1 November 2017.
She stayed in that apartment until November 15. Then, she told she went abroad for 3 weeks.
I am very much worried why she is saying like this after 45 days.
Am I responsible for this washing machine repair which the landlord is saying 45 days after the end of the contract? Do I need to pay?"
Rådgivarens svar
2017-12-29
Hi!
Thank you for turning to Fråga Juristen with your concern.
In general, a landlord has to put up with some wear and tear of the apartment and the furniture. However, if something breaks the landlord might be able to charge you for it. First, you should look in your lease to see if there are any regulations about what happens when something breaks. If you cannot find any regulations about that in your lease we have to look at what the law says. The answer to your question depends on if the apartment was a “hyresrätt” or “bostadsrätt”.
If the apartment was a “hyresrätt” the applicable law will be “hyreslagen”. Your landlord is responsible for upholding the apartment and to pay for anything that he or she breaks. The landlord is also responsible for paying for anything that has been broken by a guest (12 kap 24 § hyreslagen). This means that your landlord is responsible for anything that you break.
If the apartment is a “bostadsrätt” the applicable law will be “bostadsrättslagen.” In a “bostadsrätt”, the landlord is also responsible for upholding the apartment and to pay for things he or she breaks (7 kap 12 § bostadsrättslagen). If the landlord is responsible for stuff that you break is however not regulated in the law and has not been decided in court yet.
Your landlord should have inspected the apartment when you moved out to see if there was any damage. She cannot bring a claim against you 45 days later since she cannot be sure if the washing machine broke during your rental time or after. You do not have to pay her the money at this time. If she wants to get the money from you, she can sue you, then it is up to the court to decide if you owe her the money or not. However, your landlord has to prove that you were the one who broke the washing machine, which is really hard to prove.
Best regards,
Sofia Berg
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