Identity requirements for land registration and measures against circumvention of the housing cooperative act

Roger Hedlund (SD)

Madam Speaker! We are now debating yet another measure to counter organized crime in Swedish society today. I am pleased that the Committee on Civil Affairs has been able to contribute as much as we have during this parliamentary term to measures to counter crime in Sweden and that we now stand here in the chamber again to discuss another matter within this area.

Identity requirements in land registration and measures against circumventing the housing cooperative act are what is being discussed, and the purpose is to counter crime within the real estate market. It concerns stricter requirements for identity information when applying for land registration and registration of ground lease, and new rules to counter circumventing the housing cooperative act during the conversion of rental properties into housing cooperatives.

For some years now, it has been more than 5,000 people per year who apply for a title deed without stating a personal identity number, coordination number, or organization number. It is a large number, and it shows very well why we are here today debating the issue. Measures are needed to counteract this.

The new legislation means that one is required to provide these details when applying for a certificate of title. This also becomes legally binding in such a way that the application will be stayed if the information is not included. This means that we can address the issue for real based on the new legislation that is proposed here in the chamber today.

It also means that we get greater control over who owns properties, which means that we can expand the work against crime, for example money laundering, in Sweden. This means a transition from it having been possible to have a fictitious person in an application to it needing to be an actual person. It is therefore a tangible change in this area, and it enables follow-up and control of the land titles.

Boverket desires further proposals in the area, but I share the government's view that we need to wait before proceeding. We do not know what the actual consequences would be, in a positive sense versus the negative, of requiring that the person submitting an application for a title deed identifies themselves. We know that Lantmäteriet's processing times are long and that additional processing overhead costs money, and we need to have an efficient operation in the area. With the new legislation, I believe we go far enough to tackle the problems that the bill aims to rectify.

The fact that the housing cooperative act is being bypassed has been a problem that has been raised on several occasions. I am pleased that we can take measures to counteract the bypassing of the housing cooperative act during the conversion of rental properties into housing cooperatives. This legislation was needed to secure tenants in the Swedish housing market.

Today, a property owner can also convert a rental property into an economic association and then register it as a housing cooperative with Bolagsverket. In this way, the conversion can be carried out behind the tenants' backs. This is countered by the new legislation.

The new legislation also means that the tenants need to have been registered as residents at the address for at least six months when a conversion from rental apartments to condominiums is to be made, and it is required that two-thirds of the tenants support the proposal in a vote. It is about the tenants actually living at the address and not acting as a form of proxy to get the decision through.

This means that we further strengthen the possibility for the tenants living in the property to actually participate in making a correct decision regarding a potential conversion, and that one can no longer bypass the housing cooperative act in the way that we have seen many cases of in Sweden.

With this, Mr. Speaker, I move for the approval of the committee's proposal.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Markus Kallifatides (S)

Mr. Speaker! Ordinary people should be able to trust that society has control over who owns properties in Sweden. It is a fundamental question of safety, justice, and trust. However, there are deficiencies in that control today. The property market has become an arena where large values can be moved, assets hidden, and money laundered. When organized crime seeks its way into more and more parts of society, the state must stay one step ahead.

The government has now presented proposals that are said to tighten identity checks at the time of title deed registration. It is good that the problems are being highlighted, but when it comes to what really matters here – ensuring that the identity is actually verified – the government stops halfway.

We Social Democrats, therefore, stand behind the government's proposal for amendments to the Land Code and the Housing Cooperative Act. The legislative changes mean that the requirements to provide an identity designation when applying for land registration and registration of ground lease are tightened. Regarding physical persons, the application shall contain information on the acquirer's personal or coordination number. Regarding legal entities, the application shall in the future contain information on the acquirer's organization number. We would, however, like to go further, Mr. Speaker.

We Social Democrats stand behind the tightened requirements for population registration during the conversion of rental apartments to condominiums as proposed in the bill, and that the same rules that apply during the conversion of rental apartments to condominiums shall also apply when an economic association is re-registered as a condominium association.

These two proposals are both based on the investigation into tightened controls during property acquisitions, which was commissioned by the then Social Democratic government in June 2022. In the report *Who owns the property* from 2023, proposals were also left on how a modern and efficient pre-examination of acquisitions of rental properties can be designed. Similar to the investigation, we believe that a new rental acquisition law also needs to be introduced. It is a task for the government to return to the Riksdag with such a proposal.

Mr. Speaker! Despite views from referral bodies, the government is therefore refraining from proceeding with proposals for measures for the applicant to identify themselves in cases concerning land registration and refers to the fact that such proposals require further considerations. We Social Democrats believe that the government should instead have focused on making precisely these necessary considerations in order to achieve legislation that counters organized crime.

To effectively counter organized crime, title registration cases should always contain a verified identity and not only information on personal and coordination numbers or organization numbers. Our view is that requirements for actual identity control and verified identity should be introduced into law. The Government should return with such a proposal.

Mr. Speaker! It is always the ordinary people who pay the price when the systems do not hold. When criminals are allowed to exploit weaknesses in society, trust is eroded. Serious actors are disadvantaged, the rule of law is weakened, and the housing market becomes less secure and less honest. This is ultimately about control and about security. The market must function for honest people, not for criminals. It is also about the fact that the policy must deliver all the way, Mr. Speaker, and not stop at a half-reform.

We Social Democrats naturally stand behind all our reservations and special statements in this matter, but I move for approval only to our and the Center Party's joint reservation 1.

In this speech, Joakim Järrebring (S) agreed.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

David Josefsson (M)

Mr. Speaker! For far too many years, the criminal economy was allowed to eat its way into the body of society. The Economic Crime Authority's situational assessment of economic crime for 2025 is a frightening read on how it happens.

The authority provides a comprehensive picture of the criminal ecosystem – an ecosystem where organized crime, in more or less sophisticated form, serves, launders, and finds outlets for criminal profits. The situational overview is recommended reading for everyone who wishes to better understand what the forces behind news events look like and how they function.

Mr. Speaker! When one reads about shootings and explosions between criminal gangs, it is often only the tip of an iceberg. Beneath lies an entire ecosystem of schemes and actors whose main purpose is to commit crimes to earn money, build power, and ultimately establish parallel social structures. It concerns everything from drug sales to fraud and tax crimes, but also work-life crime, where a core element is exploitation and human trafficking.

Mr. Speaker! The Moderate-led government received the voters' mandate to get Sweden in order, crush organized crime, and increase the safety of ordinary people. That is what we are now delivering in the form of both broad reforms and specific measures.

Today's bill does not contain the broadest reforms. Instead, it is about surgical interventions to plug up and make it more difficult for the criminal economy and to increase safety for ordinary, hard-working Swedes.

Mr. Speaker! The Economic Crime Authority highlights in its situation report that properties and condominiums can function as a tool for crime, a way to launder money, and a way to obtain legal disposal of criminal proceeds. When they function as tools for crime, weapons, narcotics, and stolen goods can be stored there, and narcotics can be produced there or, for example, prostitution and human trafficking can be conducted.

When it comes to money laundering, real estate is useful because it carries large values. And when it comes to the disposal of proceeds from crime, real estate and condominiums, once the money is laundered, are property that can be used to create and maintain influence and power in an area.

Mr. Speaker! As the legislation has looked until now, one has not had to provide any identification, that is, personal identity number, corporate identity number, or coordination number, when applying for a title deed on a property at Lantmäteriet. In Lantmäteriet's registers, there are therefore, in practice, properties without a specified owner or with incomplete owner information.

Now we are changing that legislation. The purpose is to create better control over who owns a property. A stricter identity requirement will also contribute to the police and other authorities' opportunities to prevent and combat crime.

Parallel to this matter, but in a separate bill that the Riksdag will also decide on today, we are also introducing a central housing cooperative register. Such a register has many functions and advantages. One that should not be undervalued is precisely the crime-fighting one.

Mr. Speaker! With today's bill, we also tighten the rules regarding conversions. Converting rental apartments into condominiums can, in the small scale, be a major reform for freedom and self-determination. Converting has in many cases been a tool where power and influence are shifted from a property owner who is in many cases absent to the residents in the building. They then gain both disposal and ownership over their own home, but not just over their own home. Through the housing cooperative, the residents also gain ownership over the building and, in the long run, disposal and influence also in the neighborhood. What one owns, one cares about, Mr. Speaker.

By converting to condominiums, a diversity of tenure forms is created in an area that was previously dominated by rental apartments. It increases both the engagement and the cohesion in the area.

Owning one's home also creates financial security for the individual, whether it is ahead of retirement or in order to be able to start a company.

Mr. Speaker! That is why I, as a Moderate, am outraged when conversions are carried out by unserious actors. These are actors who want to make quick money and who have often had links to organized crime. Through straw man schemes, they take over properties and convert rental apartments into condominiums, but on terms that are not to the benefit of the residents.

Mr. Speaker! Now a requirement is introduced that a residential tenant must have been folkbokförd at a property for at least six months immediately preceding the association's annual general meeting to be allowed to participate in decisions regarding conversion from rental apartment to condominium. In this way, we strengthen the residents' rights and make it more difficult for "bulvan" conversions. This is another step toward sharpening the work against the criminal economy.

Mr. Speaker! The Moderate-led government has consistently worked during this parliamentary term to strengthen safety in residential areas and crush organized crime. We have increased resources for the justice system, and we have toughened the penalties. We have made it easier to evict criminals from rental apartments. We have enabled stay bans and security zones and invested in camera surveillance. And we have tightened the municipalities' responsibility for crime prevention work.

Shortly, there will also be a debate on coherent legislation on local cooperation, where different actors collaborate jointly to increase safety.

The government is also now preparing a proposal to make it easier to deny membership and to also expel criminals from housing cooperatives.

Through the forfeiture legislation, the justice system has been given tools to seize homes and properties that are used as tools for crime or that have been financed through criminal profits.

Step by step, we are working for a safer Sweden. Step by step, we are getting Sweden in order.

Mr. Speaker! With that, I move for approval of the committee's proposal for a decision.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Amanda Palmstierna (MP)

Mr. Speaker! Members! Today we are debating a bill that aims to provide better control over who owns a property and to prevent the rules from being bypassed when rental apartments are converted into condominiums. We support the government's proposal. But what we have criticism of is what is not included in the government's bill. In the investigation *Who owns the property*, which this bill is based on, there was a proposal for a rental acquisition law included. But the government has chosen not to proceed with it.

Mr. Speaker! I visited the Tenants' Association in Järva yesterday, as they wanted to hear about our housing policy. They asked me specifically about the rental acquisition laws, so that unserious actors cannot get their hands on a rental property. They wondered if that proposal will come to the Riksdag and be decided upon.

It is not strange that they asked; they know what they are talking about. In Rinkeby, rental properties have been bought cheaply, renovated so that the rents have skyrocketed, and then sold for large profits. You may have heard of the king of Rinkeby, who made 1 billion in profit in 2016.

Today, anyone can take over the ownership of a multi-family property without any assessment being made. Previously, there was legislation in that area, a law on the acquisition of rental properties, but it was removed by a previous center-right government in 2010.

So, there is now a fresh investigation proposal to reintroduce a new, modernized rental acquisition law that is adapted to today's conditions. But the government ignores it. They choose to look away from this.

We know that today it is very difficult to reach irresponsible property owners. Residents testify about property owners who leave tenants in properties that are practically in decay. The investigation on stricter controls during property acquisitions has proposed measures to tighten the control during transfers of properties. The purpose is to protect tenants against irresponsible transfers of rental properties and to prevent the Swedish property market from being exploited for crime.

The investigation has proposed how a modern and efficient preliminary review of acquisitions of rental properties can be designed. We believe, in line with the investigation, that a rental property acquisition law should be introduced that is adapted to current conditions. Property sales can today take place through, for example, transfers of shares or units where the acquirer obtains a controlling influence over the company or the association that owns the property.

Real estate sales that occur shall be reported to the municipality, which shall within 25 working days approve the acquisition or forward the matter to the Rent Tribunal for review. The vast majority of real estate acquisitions will receive a very quick clearance, and the review can be directed towards those acquisitions where there are good reasons to conduct a closer inspection.

The Rent Tribunal shall examine whether the acquirer has the prerequisites and intention to manage the property in an acceptable manner. They shall examine whether the proposed manager has been guilty of mismanagement previously or is considered unsuitable to hold the property and can affect people's lives in a negative way. This could, for example, involve personal or financial circumstances or links to organized crime.

The Rent Tribunal shall be able to retrieve information from other state authorities, such as the police and the Swedish Tax Agency, and then decide to either grant permission for the acquisition or reject the application. If the Rent Tribunal rejects an application, the acquisition of the property becomes invalid.

Mr. Speaker! We in Miljöpartiet consider that the government should return with a legislative proposal that is based on the inquiry's original proposal but which also incorporates relevant comments from the referral responses. Several referral bodies, for example, point out the lack of clarity regarding how acquisitions through share transfers shall be covered by the regulation, since such real estate transactions do not generate a title deed case. It needs to be clarified how this shall be handled in practice. Just as Boverket, we believe that a follow-up of effects and application is needed with the aim of preventing unserious transfers of rental properties while ensuring that the regulation does not negatively affect serious acquirers.

Mr. Speaker! The Tidö government wants to give housing cooperatives clearer opportunities to deny membership in the association if there is a history of crime. But the government is turning a blind eye to the fact that entire properties can be transferred and fall into the hands of organized crime. Once again, the Tidö government is failing the tenants. My answer to the Tenants' Association in Rinkeby unfortunately became: No, not during this parliamentary term – the Tidö government does not care about this. But the parliamentary term is soon over. It is time for a new government that turns this tenant acquisition law into a reality.

We in Miljöpartiet believe that everyone has the right to a secure home, regardless of whether they live in a villa, a condominium, or a rental apartment. With that, I move for approval of reservation 2.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Larry Söder (KD)

Mr. Speaker! For us Christian Democrats, the proposals in the report are not just technical legislative changes. They are intended to protect ordinary people's homes. It is about respect for every person's right to a secure home and the ability to build a stable future for oneself and one's family.

Who owns the property? It may feel like a philosophical question, but it is actually a valid one. It is not always simple to answer that question. One can hear stories of inheritance settlements that have gone wrong and where everyone has become angry with each other because one actually does not know who owns the property. We ourselves make it complicated sometimes by entering into agreements without them being registered anywhere. It would have been simple if everything were registered, so that we knew who owned the property.

We Christian Democrats start from the premise that every human being has an inviolable value. No one should have to live in uncertainty about who actually owns the property next door or if one's own rental right can suddenly be converted into something else through clever maneuvers. A home is more than a roof and walls. It is a place for care, security, and upbringing, where families are shaped, where children get their first sense of trust in their family and society, and where people can feel that they are managing something important for their loved ones.

The Government proposes, for the first time, stricter identity requirements for land registration. From July 1, 2026, the person applying for land registration shall always provide their personal identity number, coordination number or – for legal entities – organization number. It is in line with what I just mentioned – who owns the property?

I believe it is a question of legal certainty and transparency. In a society, it should not be possible to hide who is actually behind a real estate purchase. The increased control that is proposed counters money laundering, organized crime, and other forces that threaten the individual's security. When we know who owns what, we strengthen trust in society and protect ordinary families from being affected by criminal interests in the housing market. It is a way to show respect for the right of ownership, a fundamental right that we Christian Democrats safeguard.

Secondly, measures against circumventing the Housing Cooperative Act are proposed, which has been discussed in the debate. We have been able to read about how unscrupulous actors move in temporarily as tenants on paper so that rental apartments can be quickly converted into housing cooperatives and the tenants' protection can be bypassed. This undermines justice and creates insecurity for those who live there.

Therefore, we now have a requirement. For a tenant to be counted in the qualified majority during a conversion, the tenant must have been registered as a resident at the property for at least six months. It may seem like a small change, but I believe it is quite significant. The same rule applies during the re-registration of associations. It is a simple way to provide protection, and it ensures that it is the actual tenants who have influence over the conversion and not those who want to exploit the system.

For us Christian Democrats, housing policy is fundamentally about giving people the opportunity to own and manage their own home. Secure housing is a prerequisite for strong families and a society that holds together. When we stop unserious actors and increase transparency, we contribute to a society where the individual can feel respected and protected. With this consideration, I mean that we take an important step to safeguard the rule of law, property rights, and personal security. Therefore, I move for approval of the proposal in the report.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(Decisions were made under § 17.)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)