Dolda fel

What it means

A dolt fel, a hidden defect, is a fault that was already present when you bought the home, but that you could not see during a careful inspection before the purchase, and that you did not have to expect given the home’s age, condition and construction. So normal wear and tear is not a hidden defect. An old home is allowed to have the weaknesses typical of when it was built. This is about the things you simply could not have found.

How long you can make a claim against the seller

For a house or villa you have ten years from the day you take possession (tillträde) to raise a hidden defect with the seller. For a bostadsrätt, an apartment held through a tenant-owner association (BRF), the limit is two years from possession. In both cases you also have to come forward within a reasonable time after you discover the defect, so do not sit on it once something turns up.

How your duty to inspect fits in

A fault does not count as hidden if you should have spotted it during a careful inspection before the purchase. That is why the inspection matters: only faults that genuinely could not be found can later become a hidden defect. A deviation counts as a defect when the home differs from what was agreed, or from what you were reasonably entitled to expect at the time of purchase.

What to do

Do a thorough inspection before you buy, ideally with a besiktningsman (a professional surveyor), and keep a record of what was checked. If you later find a fault that could not have been seen, save the evidence, take photos, and contact the seller within a reasonable time. That puts you in the strongest position if it comes to a discussion.