Title registration and mortgage deeds — the cost that surprises house buyers

You have saved up, received a loan commitment and won the bidding. Then someone — hopefully the estate agent and not the bank on closing day — tells you that on top of the down payment (kontantinsats) you need an additional SEK 100,000–130,000 for title registration and mortgage deeds.

This only applies to freehold properties (fastigheter): detached houses (villa), townhouses (radhus), and owner-occupied apartments (ägarlägenhet). If you are buying a tenant-owned apartment (bostadsrätt), you avoid it entirely — a transfer fee of SEK 1,000–2,000 to the housing association is all.

Title registration (lagfart)

Title registration (lagfart) is the registration of you as the new owner with the Swedish mapping and land registration authority (Lantmäteriet). It is mandatory and must be applied for within three months. The cost is 1.5% of whichever is higher — the purchase price or the tax assessment value (taxeringsvärde) — plus a SEK 825 administrative fee.

The Ström family buys a house for SEK 4,000,000. Tax assessment value SEK 3,200,000. The basis is the purchase price (the higher amount). Stamp duty (stämpelskatt) SEK 60,000, administrative fee SEK 825. Total title registration: SEK 60,825.

Mortgage deeds — and why you should ask about existing ones (pantbrev)

Mortgage deeds (pantbrev) are encumbrances registered against the property that the bank uses as collateral. New mortgage deeds cost 2% of the amount plus SEK 375 each. But mortgage deeds that already exist on the property transfer automatically, at no cost.

That is why you should always ask the estate agent what mortgage deeds already exist on the property before placing a bid.

The Ström family needs SEK 3,400,000 in loans. Without existing mortgage deeds: SEK 68,000 plus SEK 375. With SEK 1,500,000 in existing mortgage deeds, new deeds are only needed for the remaining SEK 1,900,000: SEK 38,000 plus SEK 375.

Item	Without existing deeds	With 1.5M existing
Title registration	60,825	60,825
Mortgage deeds	68,375	38,375
Total	129,200	99,200

Difference: SEK 30,000. Just for asking one question. If you plan with a 10% down payment on a SEK 4 million purchase, you need at least SEK 500,000–530,000 available on closing day.

The cost of new mortgage deeds can be deducted as an improvement expense (förbättringsutgift) at a future sale. It reduces your capital gain and therefore the capital gains tax (reavinstskatt) of 22%. Save the receipt.

Enter the purchase price and existing mortgage deeds, and the title registration and mortgage deed costs are calculated automatically. In BoKalk you see the full transaction cost as part of the purchase’s total cost.

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Christoffer, founder BoKalk