A few things to note: - it is quite common to sub-let ("andrahandsuthyring"/"renting in second-hand") where you rent from another renter (who in turn has the "

A few things to note: - it is quite common to sub-let ("andrahandsuthyring"/"renting in second-hand") where you rent from another renter (who in turn has the "first hand" contract with the landlord). This is legal and is quite different from other countries where it is common to see "no sub-letting" on every single rental contract you will ever see. So you do not have to sit in this queue (the queue is for first hand contracts) to live in Stockholm as a renter; but you may end up moving fairly often as second hand contracts are very often time limited. - the quote "93% of swedes live in municipalities with a housing shortage" sounds bad, but what does this exactly mean - how bad are the shortages in each municipality, why is there a shortage, what is the divide of rural vs city municipality shortages. Also, a sizeable chunk of the population lives in Stockholm/Gothenburg/Malmö that are likely some of the key municipalities in this number, so it's likely that much less than 93% of municipalities suffer from a housing shortage. - the rent that a landlord can ask for depends on many things, including the "modernness" of the apartment (both in terms of e.g. putting in a new floor, and in terms of appliances). This has the downside that the landlord may decide to modernise the apartment and now you have to pay (a bit) more rent without having a say in the matter. On the other hand it means that landlords have an incentive to keep the apartments in decent condition and not just let things get old and not bother replacing them. You could see this as a positive or negative, depending on your point of view and financial situation. The article says that the rental market in "Sweden is a big mess", but this of course is quite a generalisation and simplification; and how to tackle housing supply and demand in many (all?) countries is a complex and difficult issue. Regarding demand for accommodation outstripping supply in Stockholm & Gothenburg, this is pretty common to other major cities, pretty much everywhere around the globe. Does rent control help or hinder? The article doesn't compare to other countries going through similar conditions that tried other methods, so it's hard to tell. Some ideas for improving housing supply/demand situation: - Building more (duh!). For individuals with some spare land there is a class of house called an "Attefallshus" you can build up to 30m2 and rent out if you wish. - Better public transport late into the night out into suburbs and to nearby towns. Bike paths and affordable electric bikes/scooters to make living not in the centre and still enjoying the amenities possible. - Investment in/encouraging private sector investment in smaller towns and cities, so the spread of demand for housing due to work is more spread across the country. - Encouraging working remote or hybrid schedules, so employees feel they can live further out.