| Situation | May the landlord demand a change? | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Your own curtains, colour and style | No | Movable property, not regulated in chapter 12 of the Land Code |
| Blinds installed by the landlord | Yes, they must remain and be cared for | Duty of care, chapter 12, section 24 of the Land Code |
| Curtains in a furnished letting | Yes, they are part of the letting | The agreement on what is being let |
| Awning or sun shade on the façade | Yes, usually requires permission | The building's exterior, house rules in the agreement |
| Foil or film glued to the pane | Yes, if it damages the glass | Duty of care and liability for compensation |
| Curtain rail screwed into the frame | No for putting it up, yes for the damage | Duty of care in the event of deterioration |
No, as a general rule the landlord cannot. Curtains that you have bought and hung up yourself are your own movable property, and the rent legislation gives the hyresvärd (landlord) no right to decide over the hyresgäst's (tenant's) furniture, textiles or other furnishings inside the flat. A demand that you replace your curtains with a particular style or colour normally has no legal basis – and cannot in itself lead to termination of the tenancy.
The exceptions are about something other than taste: when the window furnishings belong to the flat, when they damage the property, or when they alter the exterior of the building.
Short answer: the curtain is yours, the window is the landlord's
The tenancy relationship in a hyresrätt (rental flat) is governed by chapter 12 of the jordabalken (the Swedish Land Code), commonly known as hyreslagen (the Rent Act). It regulates the condition of the flat, the tenant's duty of care, the right to make alterations and what constitutes a nuisance. It contains no provision giving the landlord authority over movable furnishings.
The dividing line therefore runs between:
- Movable property – your curtains, curtain rails you have put up yourself, textiles and furniture. The landlord does not decide over these.
- What belongs to the flat – blinds, awnings, curtain tracks and fittings installed by the landlord. Here the duty of care applies.
May the landlord decide about curtains in a rental flat under the Rent Act?
The duty of care covers what the landlord owns
Under chapter 12, section 24 of the jordabalken (the Swedish Land Code), the tenant must take good care of the flat and is liable to pay compensation for damage arising through their own fault or negligence. If you drill through a window frame while putting up a curtain rail, or tear down a permanently mounted blind, it is the duty of care that comes into play – not the appearance of the curtains.
The same applies to measures resembling painting and wallpapering. The tenant's right to carry out such work at their own expense follows from chapter 12, section 24 a of the jordabalken (the Swedish Land Code), together with an obligation to compensate the landlord if the flat deteriorates. How far that right extends when it comes to walls and surface finishes is covered in the guide to painting and wallpapering in a rental flat.
Order and good condition
Under chapter 12, section 25 of the jordabalken (the Swedish Land Code), the tenant must ensure that those living nearby are not exposed to disturbances, and must observe everything required to preserve health, order and good condition within the property. The provision targets disturbances and the condition of the property – not interior decorating style. A neighbour finding your curtains ugly is not a disturbance in the legal sense.
Measures that genuinely affect the property may, however, fall within it: aluminium foil or solar film glued directly onto the pane and damaging the glass, or blackout material screwed into the façade.
When does the landlord actually get a say about curtains in a rental flat?
There are a couple of situations where the landlord does have something to say:
A uniform façade appearance. Many landlords have house rules on awnings, balcony glazing and outward-facing signage. Such requirements concern the exterior of the building, for which the landlord is responsible and which is often tied to planning permission. A requirement for white curtain linings facing the street exists in some older housing stock, but to be binding it must appear in the tenancy agreement – and it must not conflict with mandatory rules in chapter 12 of the jordabalken (the Swedish Land Code).
Furnished lettings. If you rent furnished, the curtains form part of what the landlord provides. They are then the landlord's property and you cannot throw them away – but you can normally add your own, provided the originals are kept and returned.
Fire safety requirements in certain premises. In communal areas and stairwells, fire safety requirements may affect which textiles are permitted. This rarely applies to the residential flat itself.
Blinds, tracks and fittings – what comes with the flat
Blinds that were in the flat when you moved in belong to the landlord. If a slat breaks through normal wear and tear, it is the landlord's maintenance responsibility; if it breaks because someone yanked the cord, it is the tenant's affair. The same logic applies to white goods, which we cover in the article on repairing white goods.
Screw holes in frames and walls are a common point of dispute when moving out. A few holes from curtain rails normally count as normal use, whereas extensive drilling into tiles or window sashes may be assessed as damage. If you want to know how far you may go with fixings in general, there is a review in the article on wall-mounted furnishings.
If the landlord withholds money when you move out, citing the curtain installation, the ordinary rules on settlement apply – see what the landlord may deduct from the deposit.
Subletting and letting out your own home
If you rent from a private individual, privatuthyrningslagen (2026:772) (the Private Rental Act) may apply. The Act covers agreements where a natural person or an estate of a deceased person, for payment, grants the use of a house or part of a house as a dwelling, and it does not apply if the landlord regularly lets out more than two flats that do not form part of the landlord's own home, if the landlord themselves holds the flat under a hyresrätt (rental flat) tenancy, or if the letting is for leisure purposes. The Act repeals the Act (2012:978) on the letting of one's own home.
The Act regulates, among other things, that the agreement must be made in writing if either party requests it, that the agreement runs until further notice unless a fixed rental period has been agreed, and that the rent must be set as a specific amount. It contains no provision about furnishings or curtains. Under the Act, however, contractual terms that are less favourable to the tenant than the Act's provisions are without effect against the tenant, unless the Act states otherwise.
In practice: if you rent furnished from a private individual, write into the agreement which textiles are included and photograph them when you move in. More on the differences between contract types can be found in the review of first-hand and second-hand contracts.
How to handle the demand
- Ask for written support. Ask which clause in the tenancy agreement or house rules the demand rests on.
- Check whether it concerns your property or the landlord's. If the curtains are yours, the starting point is that the demand has no basis.
- Distinguish appearance from damage. Offer to put right any actual damage – that is the part for which the landlord can claim compensation under chapter 12, section 24 of the jordabalken (the Swedish Land Code).
- Reply in writing. A short email in which you dispute the demand and ask for the legal basis goes a long way.
- Turn to Hyresnämnden (the Rent Tribunal) if the parties cannot agree. The tribunal mediates in tenancy disputes.
A demand to change curtains cannot in itself form grounds for termination. Forfeiture of the tenancy requires that one of the grounds in chapter 12 of the jordabalken (the Swedish Land Code) is met, and choice of furnishings is not among them.
Frequently asked questions
Can I be evicted for refusing to change my curtains? No. Early termination requires a ground for forfeiture under chapter 12 of the jordabalken (the Swedish Land Code), for example unpaid rent, unauthorised andrahandsuthyrning (subletting) or serious disturbances. The choice of curtains is not such a ground.
May the landlord come in and inspect the windows? Under the Rent Act the landlord has a right of access for inspection and necessary work, but not freely at any time. The rules and the notification requirement are covered in the article on access to the flat.
Must I take down my curtains when I move out? Yes, your own curtains are movable property and should come with you. The landlord may have to deal with property left behind in another way, and the cost may fall on you. Blinds and tracks that belonged to the flat, on the other hand, must be left in place and intact.
Can the landlord require blackout curtains facing the street? If the requirement concerns the exterior of the building, the landlord may have support in house rules that form part of the agreement. A requirement that concerns only how things look from the inside normally lacks such support. Ask to see the contractual clause being relied upon.
This text is general information and does not constitute legal advice.
