Down payment 2026: new rules cut the requirement to 10%

Buying a home takes cash. Nothing new in that. But on 1 April 2026 the rules changed in a way that genuinely makes stepping in easier. The down payment (kontantinsats) requirement fell from 15 to 10 percent of the home’s price.

Sounds like a small figure. But saving for your first home, it can mean several years shorter onto the market.

What is a down payment, and why the requirement?

The down payment is the share of the price you must pay with your own money. The bank does not lend the whole sum.

The requirement protects both you and the bank. Owning a real slice of the home, you risk less being squeezed if prices fall.

In Sweden this is set by Finansinspektionen’s mortgage cap. The cap used to sit at 85 percent, giving a 15 percent down payment, but from 1 April 2026 the cap is raised to 90 percent. Then 10 percent suffices.

An example: for a home worth 1.5 million you used to need 225,000 kronor of your own. Now 150,000 suffices. That is 75,000 less to scrape together. Short answer to the most common follow-up right now: how much is the down payment in 2026.

New 2026 mortgage rules: how much less you need in kronor

The difference shows clearest in the price ranges where first-time buyers usually land. Some examples of the new, lower down payment:

A tenant-owner apartment for 2 million: before 300,000 kr, now 200,000 kr. A house for 3 million: before 450,000 kr, now 300,000 kr. A flat for 1.2 million: before 180,000 kr, now 120,000 kr.

But remember one thing: you borrow more. The mortgage grows and monthly cost rises a little. Always calculate the total, not just the deposit.

The amortisation requirement stays

A lower down payment affects how much you must amortise. Borrowing more than 50 percent of the home’s value, amortisation requirements apply. Past 70 percent loan-to-value you amortise even more.

Putting exactly 10 percent down lands you at 90 percent loan-to-value. Then the higher requirement hits: 2 percent per year.

So calculate what the lower deposit costs you each month, in both interest and amortisation. Talk to the bank about how your case looks.

Be ready when the right home appears

A common buyer problem: the perfect home appears before the wallet caught up. With a lower capital requirement you need not save as long before striking. And force of action decides in tight bidding.

Knowing exactly what you seek, with a pre-approval calculated on the new 10-percent rules, you can bid directly when the right place comes. Instead of waiting until capital suffices.

The key is being prepared. Keep pre-approval current, so you do not miss a moment just because papers are not in order.

10 percent is the floor, not the ceiling

Being allowed to buy with a 10 percent down payment does not mean it is always smartest. The more equity you put in, the lower the monthly cost and the bigger the buffer if something unexpected happens.

See the new rules as a chance to enter the market earlier. Not as a reason to take the biggest possible loan.

Listen to the bank, use a mortgage adviser, and calculate carefully what you can actually afford. Whatever the rulebook allows.

How SökHem helps you

On SökHem you register a buying brief with exactly what you look for: area, size and price. Then the system finds matching sellers, even ones who have not listed yet. The right home finds you, instead of reverse.

With fresh pre-approval and a clear profile, you are ready to act directly when the match comes.