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Pantbrev: what it is and what it costs

Pantbrev is the bank’s security in your property. What a pantbrev is, why the bank wants it, and what a new pantbrev costs in stamp duty.

By The SökHem editorial team2 min readPublished 18 september 2026
Pantbrev: what it is and what it costs – infographic from SökHem

Pantbrev (mortgage deeds) is one of those words appearing when you buy a house. Often in an email from the bank or in the agent’s walkthrough. Many nod knowingly without really knowing what it means. It is simpler than it sounds. But it can cost money, so worth carrying in the budget.

What is a pantbrev?

A pantbrev is the bank’s security for your mortgage. Issuing a pantbrev mortgages part of the property’s value. If you stop paying, the bank can use the pantbrev to get its money out of the property. So the bank wants pantbrev before lending.

Pantbrev belong to the property, not to you. That means pantbrev often remain from the previous owner when you buy the house. If they cover your loan, no new ones are needed. And then you skip the cost entirely.

One thing to track: pantbrev cover real property, meaning houses and terraced houses. Buying a tenant-owner apartment (bostadsrätt), no pantbrev exist. Then the apartment itself is pledged instead, with no stamp duty.

What does a new pantbrev cost?

A new pantbrev costs two percent of the amount in stamp duty. Needing a pantbrev for a million kronor, the duty is thus twenty thousand kronor. On top comes a filing fee of 375 kronor.

Existing pantbrev you take over free. So only the gap is taxed. With a million in pantbrev already in place and one and a half million to borrow, you pay two percent on the new half-million deed, not on the whole loan.

The cost is paid at moving day and usually handled by the bank or agent. Easy to forget when calculating whether the purchase adds up, so carry it early. Only wondering what a pantbrev costs, the answer stands clear on a page of its own.

You only pay tax on the difference

Mortgage deeds the bank requires1 500 000 kr

  • Existing mortgage deeds: taken over at no cost1 000 000 kr
  • New mortgage deed: 2 % stamp duty500 000 kr
  • Stamp duty: 2 % of 500,000 kr10 000 kr

On top of the stamp duty comes a processing fee of 375 kr. Had the property had no mortgage deeds at all, the tax on 1,000,000 kr of new mortgage deeds would have been 20,000 kr. That is why it pays to check existing mortgage deeds (pantbrev) before you place a bid.

Check existing pantbrev before you bid

The agent must report which pantbrev exist on the property in the property description. Ask your bank early how big a deed they require, and compare against what already exists. Matching well, you skip stamp duty. Missing some, you issue new ones for the gap.

Then you already know before bidding what the house actually costs you with everything counted in.

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Frequently asked questions

A pantbrev is the bank's security for your mortgage. Issuing a pantbrev mortgages part of the property's value, and if you stop paying, the bank can use the pantbrev to get its money out of the property. So the bank wants pantbrev before lending.

A new pantbrev costs 2 percent of the amount in stamp duty, plus a filing fee of 375 kronor. On a million kronor that is 20,375 kronor.

Not if the existing ones suffice. Pantbrev belong to the property, not the owner, so the previous owner's deeds follow along. Covering your loan, you skip the cost entirely, and borrowing more you only pay stamp duty on the gap.

No. Pantbrev cover real property, meaning houses and terraced houses. Buying a tenant-owner apartment, the apartment itself is pledged instead, with no stamp duty.

The cost is paid at moving day and usually handled by the bank or agent. Easy to forget when calculating whether the purchase adds up, so carry it early.