Cohabitees
Cohabitees' joint home and household goods are joint property if bought for common use (Cohabitees Act, section 3). When the relationship ends it is divided on request – within a year of the end (section 8). Cohabitees do not inherit from each other by law; a will is needed.
Spouses
A spouse's property is marital property unless it is separate property, for example by a marriage settlement or a condition in a gift or will (Marriage Code, chapter 7, sections 1 and 2). Marital property is divided when the marriage ends (chapter 9, section 1). A spouse may not, without the other's consent, sell, mortgage or let a property that is the couple's joint home (chapter 7, section 5).
From the law
«Sambors gemensamma bostad och bohag utgör samboegendom, om egendomen förvärvats för gemensam användning och inte annat följer av 4 eller 9 §.»
Title and cost
Whoever receives a property on division or inheritance pays no stamp duty, only Lantmäteriet's fee (SEK 825). A spouse or cohabitee receiving it on division need not apply for title if it was already hers, and an estate needs title only when it sells (Land Code, chapter 20, section 1).
Laws change. Always check the version in force and consult a lawyer about your own case. The Swedish text of the law is the authoritative one.
Sources
The Cohabitees Act (2003:376) 3 och 8 §§; The Marriage Code (1987:230) 7 kap. 1, 2 och 5 §§, 9 kap. 1 §; The Inheritance Code (1958:637); The Land Code (Jordabalken) (1970:994) 20 kap. 1 §. Lantmäteriet – Stamp duty and fees. Read 21 Oct 2026. The Swedish text of the law is the authoritative one; the quotations are in Swedish.