Won the bidding? How the purchase contract, deposit and inspection clause work in Sweden

You have won the bidding, and now you are wondering whether you are stuck. You are not, not yet. The purchase only becomes binding once both you and the seller have signed the purchase contract (köpekontrakt, the deed of sale). Until then, either of you can walk away, at no cost and without giving a reason. So the space between the winning bid and the contract is where you still have room to move, and the contract is where you build in your protection, above all an inspection clause (besiktningsklausul).

A bid binds no one, the contract binds both

A bid is not legally binding. For real property, the purchase is concluded through a written deed (köpehandling) that both parties sign and that states the price and the seller’s declaration of transfer. A document that does not meet that standard does not count as a deed of sale. In other words, before you both sign there is no deal, however firmly you have agreed in words.

That means two things for you. First, you cannot lean on a verbal agreement. The seller can accept a later bid right up until signing. Second, anything you want to apply has to be written into the deed itself. A condition that is not in the contract is void, even if the broker promised it out loud. That is especially true of the inspection clause.

The deposit: usually around 10 percent

When the purchase contract is signed, you pay the deposit (handpenning). The amount is not set by law. It is something you and the seller agree on. In practice the convention is around 10 percent of the purchase price, but that is industry custom, not a rule.

As a starting point, the broker should promptly pass the deposit on to the seller. But if you have a condition in the contract, such as an inspection clause, you can protect the money with a written deposit agreement (depositionsavtal) that lets the broker hold the deposit until the condition is met. The agreement is signed by you, the seller and the broker. The broker has a duty to raise the question of deposit, mainly when the purchase does not become valid until certain conditions are fulfilled. Ask for a deposit arrangement if you have a clause, so the money sits safely if the purchase is reversed.

Worked example: deposit on a purchase of 4.5 million

Item	Amount
Purchase price	4 500 000 kr
Deposit at contract (around 10 percent)	450 000 kr
Total down payment (kontantinsats, min 10 percent from 1 April 2026)	450 000 kr

In this case the deposit matches roughly the whole down payment. The rest of the purchase price, 4 050 000 kr, is paid on the day of access (tillträde), usually with the bank loan.

The inspection clause: your way out if something is wrong

If you want to inspect the house and be able to walk away should something serious turn up, you need an inspection clause written into the contract. There are two types.

Type of clause	What it gives you
Open inspection clause (öppen besiktningsklausul)	You can ask for the purchase to be reversed after the inspection without giving a reason
Limited inspection clause (begränsad besiktningsklausul)	You can ask for it to be reversed only if certain stated conditions are met (for example faults above a set amount)

An open clause gives the most freedom, but it is not meant to work as a right of withdrawal. Invoking an open clause just because you have changed your mind can be seen as a breach of the duty of loyalty (lojalitetsplikt) that two contracting parties owe each other. The clause is a tool for handling real faults, not cold feet.

Review period: a couple of working days, sometimes longer

After the inspection you should get a reasonable review period (betänketid) before you have to decide. There is no fixed rule of one or two weeks. As practice, the buyer should at least get a couple of working days from the inspection, and in some cases longer depending on the circumstances.

The time should be enough for you to read the inspection report calmly, ask the inspector follow-up questions and actually think it over. If the time feels too short, say so. It is reasonable to ask for more time when the report is extensive or when something has come up that you need to look into further.

What the timeline looks like

1. You win the bidding. Nothing is binding yet. You can still back out, and so can the seller.
2. Signing the contract. The purchase contract is signed by both of you. Now the deal becomes binding. You pay the deposit, usually around 10 percent. Make sure the inspection clause and any deposit agreement are written in.
3. Inspection. The inspector goes through the house and you get a report.
4. Review period. At least a couple of working days, sometimes longer. You read, ask questions and decide.
5. You invoke the clause or proceed. If the inspection finds serious faults, you can ask for the purchase to be reversed on the clause’s terms. Otherwise the purchase stands.
6. Access (tillträde). The rest of the purchase price is paid, often with a bank loan, and you take access to the home.

Down payment from 1 April 2026

From 1 April 2026 the mortgage cap (bolånetak) was raised from 85 to 90 percent of the home’s market value. That means the minimum down payment (kontantinsats) is now 10 percent instead of the earlier 15 percent. For additional loans (tilläggslån) the cap is 80 percent. Since the deposit often sits around 10 percent, in many cases it coincides with the whole down payment you need.

The most important thing to take away: nothing binds you until you have signed, and the contract is where you build in your protection. Get the inspection clause in and, if you have a condition, a deposit agreement too. Then you can sign with a calm stomach.