Handpenning

The handpenning is the sum you pay the seller when you both sign the purchase contract (köpekontrakt). It confirms that you are serious, and the purchase becomes binding the moment both parties have signed. Before that point nothing is locked in, for you or for the seller.

There is no fixed percentage set in law. You and the seller agree on the amount yourselves, but in practice it usually lands at around 10 percent of the purchase price (köpeskilling). On a home priced at 4.5 million kr, that works out to roughly 450 000 kr that needs to be ready when you sign.

If the broker is going to hold the handpenning for you, that requires a written deposit agreement (depositionsavtal) between seller, buyer and broker. The money is then placed in a separate client funds account (klientmedelskonto), kept entirely apart from the broker’s own money, until the deal is complete.

One thing worth keeping separate: the handpenning is not the same as the cash deposit (kontantinsats). The kontantinsats is the share of the price the bank will not lend you. From 1 April 2026 the mortgage cap (bolånetak) rises to 90 percent, which lowers the kontantinsats requirement to 10 percent. Make sure you know exactly how much you need available at the contract stage itself, so there are no surprises.