Suterrängvåning: what it is and how the area counts when you rent

A suterrängvåning (walk-out floor) is a storey that lies partly below ground: on one side the floor is level with the ground and has its own exit or large windows, on the other side it sits inside the slope. It is usually found in houses built on a hillside, and as a rule the part where the floor is at ground level counts as real living space – the rest counts as secondary space.

What is a suterrängvåning?

The word is also spelled souterrängvåning. Another Swedish word for the same thing is sluttningsvåning (slope floor). The house is often called a suterränghus or sluttningshus. A two-level suterränghus looks like a one-storey house with a basement from the upper side, but like a two-storey house from the lower side (Wikipedia: Suterränghus).

The difference from a basement is how much of the floor lies below ground. A basement lies entirely or predominantly below the surrounding ground (Wikipedia: Källare). In a slope floor, the floor along at least one free-standing exterior wall is above or level with the ground.

Does a suterrängvåning count as living area?

This is the question that matters when you rent, since the rent and the listing are often based on the number of square metres. The Swedish Tax Agency's measuring rules for small houses, which largely follow the Swedish standard SS 21054:2020, split the area like this:

• Living area (boarea) is the area within 6 metres of the part of the free-standing exterior wall where the floor is above or level with the ground.
• Secondary area (biarea) is the rest of the floor.
• Garages, boiler rooms and refuse rooms reachable from inside always count as secondary area, as do spaces that can only be used part of the year, such as a glazed patio.
• Spaces with a ceiling height below 190 cm are not counted at all.

A basement floor, by contrast, always counts as secondary area if it can be reached from inside the home. That is why two listings with the same number of square metres can describe quite different homes. Ask the landlord how the area was measured and whether the figure is living area or living plus secondary area.

Renting a flat on a suterrängvåning

A rental unit in a hillside house can be a good home, often with its own entrance from the lower side. Look especially at the following at the viewing:

1. Light. The windows are usually on only one or two sides. The rooms furthest into the slope get darker.
2. Damp and smell. The walls against the ground should be dry. Look for stains, smell for mould and check whether a dehumidifier is running.
3. Ventilation. Ask how the air is replaced in rooms without windows.
4. Own entrance and escape route. Check that you can get out of the bedroom if the stairs are blocked.
5. Area in the contract. Ask for the living area to be stated in the lease.

Your rights if the home is not up to standard

If you rent under the Tenancy Act in chapter 12 of the Land Code (jordabalken), the landlord must on the move-in date provide the flat in a condition that, by the general view in the locality, is fully usable for its purpose (section 9). If it is not, you may among other things demand that the defect be fixed, and for the time the flat is in a defective condition you are entitled to a reasonable reduction of the rent (section 11). A lower floor so damp that it cannot be lived in is an example of such a defect.

If you and the landlord disagree on the rent, it is to be set at a reasonable amount. It is not reasonable if it is markedly higher than the rent for flats that are equivalent in terms of utility value (section 55). Being below ground, having less light and a large share of secondary area affect the utility value. The legal text is available from the Riksdag.

If you are unsure whether the rent or the condition is reasonable, you can turn to the Swedish Union of Tenants (Hyresgästföreningen), which advises its members.

In short

A suterrängvåning is a half-buried storey with windows or an exit in one direction. The part at ground level counts as living area within 6 metres of the facade, the rest as secondary area. Check light, damp and how the area was measured before you sign.