Mäklararvode
Mäklararvode is the fee a fastighetsmäklare (Swedish estate agent) receives for handling the sale of a property or a bostadsrätt. The amount is freely negotiable between the seller and the agent, and there is no statutory rate or tariff.
Fastighetsmäklarinspektionen (FMI) states plainly that there is no set level for an agent's fee: the price is agreed case by case in the agency agreement. The most common model is provision, an agreed percentage of the sale price. One variant is a stepped or progressive commission model, often called an arvodestrappa, where the rate is lower up to an agreed threshold in the sale price and higher for the amount above the threshold. The model is meant to give the agent a stronger incentive to negotiate the highest possible price. A fixed fee independent of the sale price also occurs, often combined with reimbursement of documented outlays for marketing and photography.
The agent's duties are set out in fastighetsmäklarlagen (2021:516), which replaced the earlier 2011 act (2011:666) on 01/07/2021. Under chapter 3, section 1, the agent must carry out the assignment with due care and in line with god fastighetsmäklarsed (sound estate agency practice), and must look after the interests of both the seller and the buyer. This dual loyalty, opartisk mellanman, sets the agent's role apart from a pure seller's representative and is the reason a buyer can rely on the information the agent provides along the way. Under chapter 2, section 1, the agent and the firm must be registered with Fastighetsmäklarinspektionen, which supervises the market and can withdraw the registration if sound estate agency practice is breached. The registration distinguishes between full registration for the sale of homes and property, and a separate, more limited registration for hyresförmedlare, who only broker rental homes.
The fee is set in the agency agreement itself (förmedlingsuppdraget) between the seller and the agent, which under chapter 3, section 3 can also give the agent ensamrätt, the sole right to handle the sale for a limited period. The ensamrätt cannot last longer than three months at a time, and an extension can be agreed at the earliest one month before the period runs out. Without ensamrätt, the seller can terminate the assignment more freely; with ensamrätt, both parties risk liability for damages if they terminate during the period.
Disputes about the size of the commission itself are not decided by FMI, which only supervises the agent's conduct. They go instead to Fastighetsmarknadens reklamationsnämnd (FRN) or to court.
The Norwegian counterpart is the eiendomsmegler, regulated by the Norwegian Estate Agency Act. Both countries have freely negotiated fees with no statutory tariff, and both require registration or authorisation to run the business. The difference lies in how supervision is structured: in Norway it is Finanstilsynet, the supervisory authority for the whole financial sector, that approves estate agency firms and authorises the individual agent, while Sweden has set up a separate agency with fastighetsmäklare as its only area of responsibility. The commission models confirm the same pattern: the stepped arvodestrappa is a recognised model in the Swedish industry, explicitly described by FMI, while Norwegian practice mainly keeps to a simple percentage of the sale price or a fixed fee.
From Placepoint's dictionary: Mäklararvode
More information: FMI: Provision, fastighetsmäklarlagen (2021:516), FMI: Bli mäklare
English: Real estate agent commission, freely negotiated with no statutory tariff (Swedish: mäklararvode).
Common questions
What is mäklararvode?
Mäklararvode is the fee a fastighetsmäklare receives for handling the sale of a home or property in Sweden. The amount is freely negotiated between the seller and the agent.
Is mäklararvode regulated by law in Sweden?
The amount itself is not. There is no statutory tariff. Fastighetsmäklarlagen (2021:516) regulates the agent's duties and conduct instead, not the price of the assignment.
Which commission models exist?
The most common is provision, a percentage of the sale price. Other models are a stepped arvodestrappa with different rates below and above a threshold, and a fixed fee independent of the sale price.
What is an opartisk mellanman?
It is the requirement in fastighetsmäklarlagen chapter 3, section 1 that the agent must look after the interests of both the seller and the buyer, not just the seller, even though the seller normally pays the fee.
Must an agent be registered?
Yes. The agent and the firm must be registered with Fastighetsmäklarinspektionen, which supervises the market and can withdraw the registration if sound estate agency practice is breached.
What is the difference between Swedish and Norwegian estate agent commission?
Both countries have freely negotiated fees with no statutory tariff. The difference lies in supervision: Norway uses Finanstilsynet, the supervisory authority for the whole financial sector, while Sweden has a separate agency, Fastighetsmäklarinspektionen, for fastighetsmäklare only.