Sweden's bridging loans: 3 months between homes can cost SEK 12,750
Borrow SEK 1,200,000 at 4.25% and three months of interest cost SEK 12,750. If the loan is unsecured, there is no tax relief from 2026: SEK 3,825 lost.
A bridging loan ("överbryggningslån") pays for your new home while you wait for the money from the old one. Borrow SEK 1,200,000 for three months at 4.25% and the interest is SEK 12,750.
The example rate is Nordea's, at the top of the range the banks list. From 2026 you may also lose the interest deduction, depending on how the bank sets up the loan.
How the loan works
Konsumenternas, the consumer advice bureau, describes a bridging loan as a loan for the period when you own two homes. It usually lasts at most six months. You normally do not amortize it. You repay it once the old home is sold and the buyer has taken over. The rate is often higher than on a normal mortgage.
You must be able to carry double housing costs in the meantime. Most banks also want to see signed purchase contracts for both the new and the old home. So the loan covers the gap between two completion dates ("tillträde"), not a home that has no buyer yet.
What happens to the mortgage on your old home when you sell is covered in the selling and closing chapter of our mortgage crash course.
What the banks offer
| Bank | Rate | Fee | Longest term |
|---|---|---|---|
 Danske Bank |
3.84% variable | SEK 585 | 6 months |
 Nordea |
4.25% | SEK 0 | 6 months |
 Handelsbanken |
Set by your adviser | At most SEK 592 | 3 months |
 Swedbank |
Not stated here | SEK 0 | 6 months |
 SBAB |
Not stated here | SEK 0 | 180 days |
 Länsförsäkringar |
Slightly above a normal mortgage rate | Not stated | 6 months |
The figures come from the banks' own pages. Handelsbanken's fee is at most 1% of the price base amount ("prisbasbelopp"), which is SEK 592 for 2026. Länsförsäkringar requires a valid contract for the home you are selling. SBAB and Handelsbanken want you to hold your mortgage with them.
Worked example: SEK 1,200,000 for three months
Three months of interest is the loan amount times the rate times 3/12.
- 3.84% at Danske Bank: SEK 11,520 in interest and a SEK 585 fee, SEK 12,105 in total.
- 4.25% at Nordea: SEK 12,750 in interest and a SEK 0 fee, SEK 12,750 in total.
If completion drags on, the cost climbs. Six months at 4.25% costs SEK 25,500.
The interest deduction can disappear
From the 2026 income year, unsecured loans give no interest deduction ("ränteavdrag"). The Swedish Tax Agency names bridging loans for a home purchase as an example. In 2025 such loans still gave half the deduction.
A bridging loan secured on a home counts as a secured loan, according to the government bill behind the rules. It still gives a deduction of 30% of the interest up to SEK 100,000 a year.
Swedbank says it requires no security for its loan. SBAB calls its bridging loan unsecured. In the example with SEK 12,750 of interest, the difference is SEK 3,825. Ask the bank whether the loan is secured before you sign.
Before you apply
- Work out the cost for the whole period from the first completion date to the second, not just the interest.
- Add the double costs for fees, electricity and insurance.
- Check whether it is cheaper to move your purchase completion later, or your buyer's earlier.
Sources
- Konsumenternas: Types of loan when buying a home (Swedish)
- Nordea: Bridging loan (Swedish)
- Danske Bank: Bridging loan (Swedish)
- SEB: Bridging loan (Swedish)
- Swedbank: Bridging credit (Swedish)
- SBAB: Bridging loan (Swedish)
- Handelsbanken: Bridging loan (Swedish)
- Handelsbanken: Mortgage fees (Swedish)
- Länsförsäkringar: Bridging loan (Swedish)
- Skatteverket: Deduction for interest costs (Swedish)
- Government: Bill 2024/25:26 (Swedish)
This content is general information, not financial or legal advice. Bolån Radar collects data from banks and authorities and cannot guarantee that it is complete or free of errors. Talk to your bank or an adviser before you decide.