| Measure | Work on the building | Permission normally required | Who bears the risk of damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine in an existing washing machine space | No | Notification is often enough | The tenant, in cases of carelessness |
| Machine connected to the sink tap in a kitchen without a floor drain | No, but raised risk | Yes, in practice | The tenant, in cases of carelessness |
| New tap, new drain or new floor drain | Yes | Yes | The tenant, including for the workmanship |
| Fixed electrical connection or new socket | Yes | Yes, and a certified company | The tenant, including for the workmanship |
| Replacing the landlord's existing machine | Yes, property is replaced | Yes | Depends on the agreement |
Yes, in many cases the landlord can. If you have connected a washing machine that required work on the flat's electrics or plumbing – without first obtaining the landlord's approval – you may be obliged to remove the machine and restore the flat to its original condition. If, on the other hand, you have written permission and have complied with its conditions, your position is considerably stronger.
Here are the rules that decide the question, and what you should do before the machine is carried in.
What the tenancy legislation says about tenant installations
The tenancy relationship is governed by Chapter 12 of the jordabalken (the Land Code), commonly known as hyreslagen (the Rent Act). Two starting points govern the washing machine question.
The first is the vårdplikt (duty of care) in Chapter 12, Section 24 of the jordabalken (the Land Code). You must take good care of the flat and are liable for damage arising through your own carelessness or negligence – and also through the carelessness of anyone you have let into the flat, for example a tradesperson you engaged yourself.
The second is Chapter 12, Section 24 a of the jordabalken (the Land Code), which gives the tenant the right to carry out painting, wallpapering and comparable measures at their own expense. Running new water pipes, replacing a floor drain or connecting a machine to a fixed electrical connection is not comparable to wallpapering. Such measures fall outside the provision and therefore require the landlord's consent.
In other words: the flat is rented in the condition it is in. If you want to alter the building's technical systems, you need to ask.
Installing your own washing machine in a rental flat: permission is the main rule
The dividing line often lies in how the machine is connected.
Free-standing machine using existing connections. If there is already a designated washing machine space with a tap, a drain and an earthed socket, the risk is low. Many landlords accept this, but several still write into the tenancy agreement or the house rules that any connection must be reported. Read your agreement before assuming you have a free hand.
Machine requiring a new connection. If a tap has to be fitted, a drain connected or a new electrical socket installed, that is work on the building itself. In that case the landlord's permission is required, and almost always that the work is carried out by a qualified professional.
Machine placed somewhere not intended for it. Putting a washing machine in a kitchen without a floor drain, or in a wardrobe, is the situation that most often leads to conflict, because the risk of water damage becomes considerably higher.
Conditions landlords usually impose
- That the electrical connection is carried out by a registered electrical installation company. Elsäkerhetsverket (the Swedish National Electrical Safety Board) maintains a register of companies permitted to carry out electrical installation work, and you can search it before engaging anyone.
- That wet-room work is carried out to a professional standard. Boverket's (the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning) building regulations set requirements for waterproof layers and water-damage-safe construction in wet rooms, and penetrations for hoses are a typical risk point.
- That the machine stands on a drip tray or in a space with a floor drain.
- That you restore the flat when you move out, if the landlord requests it.
- That you hold a valid home contents insurance policy.
Always ask for permission in writing, preferably by email. Verbal approval from a caretaker is hard to prove two years later when a new property manager has taken over.
Different solutions – and what they mean
If there is already a washing machine included in the rent, different questions apply – that is a matter of maintenance responsibility rather than permission. We sort that out in Does the landlord have to pay for repairing white goods?.
Installing your own washing machine in a rental flat without permission – what can happen?
The landlord normally proceeds in stages.
Stage 1: a request to put things right. You receive written notice that the machine must be disconnected, or that the installation must be approved retrospectively by a qualified professional.
Stage 2: a demand for restoration. If you have made holes, run pipes or moved a floor drain, the landlord can require the flat to be restored at your expense.
Stage 3: financial liability. If damage has occurred, you may be liable to pay compensation under the duty of care. On moving out, the cost may also be deducted from any deposit – how that may be done is described in What can the landlord deduct from the deposit?.
Stage 4: the tenancy itself is questioned. In cases of serious neglect or repeated refusal to put things right, the Rent Act's rules on förverkande (forfeiture of the tenancy) in Chapter 12 of the jordabalken (the Land Code) are in the background. This is unusual over a washing machine, but not unthinkable if the installation has caused extensive water damage.
If you disagree, the dispute can be tested. The Rent Tribunal (Hyresnämnden) handles many issues between landlord and tenant, and Hyresgästföreningen (the Swedish Union of Tenants) gives members advice on individual cases.
Water damage is the real issue
Most landlords do not care about the machine as such. They care about what happens when an inlet hose comes loose on a Tuesday morning when nobody is at home.
That is why it is easier to get a yes if your request already describes how the risk is managed: a drip tray under the machine, the water turned off when the machine is not in use, hoses replaced at regular intervals and a connection made by professionals. A concrete proposal more often gets a concrete answer than a general question.
The same logic applies when the landlord wants to come in and inspect the installation. The right of access is regulated, and the limits are described in Can the landlord enter your flat without asking?.
Disturbance: when during the day you may do laundry
An approved machine can still become a problem. Under Chapter 12, Section 25 of the jordabalken (the Land Code), you must ensure that those living around you are not exposed to disturbances in their home. A spin cycle in an old timber building at half past eleven at night may be exactly that.
Many house rules specify quiet after a certain time in the evening. If you systematically breach them, the landlord can raise the matter regardless of how correctly the machine is installed.
If you rent from a private individual or sublet
If you rent directly from a private individual, privatuthyrningslagen (the Private Rental Act, 2026:772) may apply. According to the wording of the act itself, it applies to agreements where a natural person or a deceased person's estate, for consideration, grants the use of a house or parts of a house to someone else, and only if the home has been granted for use wholly or to a not insignificant extent as a dwelling. The act does not apply if the landlord regularly lets more than two flats that are not part of the landlord's own home, if the landlord themselves holds the flat as a hyresrätt (rental flat), or if the letting is for leisure purposes.
The provisions the statutory text regulates concern, among other things, the scope of application, the form of the tenancy agreement and the rent – not the installation of white goods. If you are subletting, it is therefore the förstahandskontrakt (first-hand, or primary, contract) and the property owner's rules that govern. Your landlord in a subletting arrangement cannot give you more rights than they hold themselves. Read more in First-hand or subletting – which contract do you have?.
For changes that do not involve water and electricity, different and more generous rules apply – see Can you repaint your rental flat without asking? and Can the landlord refuse fittings on the walls?.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to ask if I only connect the machine to the kitchen sink tap? That is not work on the building, so the Rent Act does not in itself prevent it. But the tenancy agreement and house rules may require notification, and if the machine stands in a space without a floor drain, you take the entire risk in the event of a leak. Ask in writing, and you avoid the discussion later.
Can the landlord demand that I remove a machine that has been there for several years? Yes, particularly if the installation was never approved or was not carried out to a professional standard. If you have written permission and have complied with its conditions, the situation is different – objective grounds are then required, for example that the installation has proved to be dangerous.
Who pays if the machine causes water damage? Under the duty of care in Chapter 12, Section 24 of the jordabalken (the Land Code), you are liable for damage caused by your carelessness or by the carelessness of someone you engaged. Your home contents insurance may cover part of the cost, but compensation may be reduced if the installation was done incorrectly.
Do I have to take the machine with me when I move? The starting point is that you take your own belongings and leave the flat in the condition it was in, allowing for normal wear and tear. If you want to leave the machine behind, you need a written agreement with the landlord about who owns and maintains it thereafter.
This text is general information and does not constitute legal advice in an individual case.
