New housing

When you have been assigned a public housing unit, you will receive a written lease from the housing organisation that rent the apartment. The lease sets some of the rights and duties of the housing organisation as the landlord and you as a tenant. These include rent and requirements for the housing's condition when moving out again. It is a condition that your rental agreement does not derogate from the general Rent Act . It is also a requirement in the general Rent Act, that rent is payed monthly in advance.
You can read more about the General Rental Act here.

Resident Deposits

When you take over a public housing you must pay a lease premium. Once a lease premium is payed, the landlord can not also require a deposit and prepaid rent. When your lease ends, you get your deposit back. The housing organisation has the right to carry forward in your lease premium if you do not pay your rent or other amounts you owe the housing organisation .
You can read more about residents' deposits in Order on the operation of public housing.

Takeover

Once the written rental agreement is signed, you take over the house from the time agreed in the contract. You should be aware that the housing organisation may require that the apartment is taken over 14 days after the lease begins.

Tenancy appearance

The housing organisation has a duty to ensure that your apartment is in good and safe condition when you take it over.

The housing organisation must also ensure that all devices for drainage and for the supply of electricity, gas, water and heat in your apartment must be in good working order so that it is immediately possible for you to use electricity, water and heat up the apartment.

The specific requirements for the apartment's appearance upon occupation can be found in the general Rent Act, but they will typically be specified in the housing organisation's maintenance regulations. When you sign a lease with the housing organisation, you will usually be given the maintenance regulations along with the house rules for the area you will be living in.

Survey and occupancy report

Before moving in, a survey of the apartment has to be carried out in order to prepare a occupancy report of your apartment. It is the housing organisation's duty to ensure this happens in the presence of you. You will usually recieve a copy of the occupancy report after inspection of the apartment. If you have not participated in the survey of the apartment, you are entitled to have the report sent within 14 days after the survey of your apartment.

Assessment of your apartment's condition at the time of acquisition is important, and is particularly important for your opportunities to expose shortcomings in the apartment and in relation to the restoration requirements that the housing organisation can demand when you move out of your apartment.

If your apartment is not in good and safe condition when you acquire it, you can require that the housing organisation corrects the deficiencies in your apartment, demand a reduction in the rent, terminate the rental agreement or claim compensation if you have suffered financial loss, based on your rights in the Rent Act. If you are not able to come to an agreement on a solution with the housing organisation, you can refer the matter to the resident complaints board.

When moving out of your apartment, your housing organisation can not require you to return the apartment in a better condition than it was in when you took it over. It may therefore be advisable to obtain proof of the condition your apartment when moving in, for example by taking photos.