The new rules come into effect on Monday. The government sees the 40 regulatory reliefs as a way to make it easier and cheaper to expand.
"The freedom to make more decisions about your own plot of land and your own house is a long-awaited message to all homeowners in Sweden," Housing Minister Andreas Carlson (KD) justified the change when it was presented.
Others are skeptical about the change. Several comments were critical, including that from the Swedish Association of Architects:
With a building permit, you check before you put the shovel in the ground and sort out any stumbling blocks, "what do the neighbors say, for example?" Now they've turned it around, they're moving on and any problems only emerge after it's finished, says association director Tobias Olsson.
Two scenarios
The reform includes, among other things, exempting extensions of up to 30 square meters from building permits. Tobias Olsson sees two possible scenarios, both equally bad:
A person builds a temporary house, but doesn't talk to the neighbor first. The neighbor appeals and wins. The house then has to be rebuilt or demolished, with major financial consequences, and also – a significantly deteriorated neighborhood atmosphere.
In another construction project, the person chooses to blast away rock outcrops in the garden. Even if there is a reconstruction in the event of an appeal, the damage to nature will not be able to be repaired, it is pointed out.
People often forget that rules exist for a reason, not to mess with anyone. Building permits are a very tried and tested and legally secure system for ensuring that a building meets the requirements, points out Tobias Olsson.
Sometimes wine, sometimes water
Even the interest group Villaägarna is skeptical about the change that is now taking effect. Union lawyer Lena Södersten calls it “sometimes wine, sometimes water”.
Many will see a freedom, but there is a flip side to this coin. There is a risk that there will be costs later. If you are worried, it is smart to still apply for a voluntary building permit.
Tobias Österberg/TT
Facts: The new building permit regulations
TT
The amendment comes into force on December 1 and entails changes to the Planning and Building Act:
On a plot of land, you can now build accessory buildings with a total area of 45 square meters without a building permit, or 60 square meters outside the detailed plan.
In some cases, extensions may also be made to an existing house without a building permit if the extension measures no more than 30 square meters.
However, near railways or closer to the plot boundary than 4.5 meters, there is an increased requirement for a building permit.
So-called extended legal obligations also apply in connection with national interests for total defense or buildings that are considered significant from a cultural perspective.
