I often complain about how I hate living in a small town but never talk about what’s good about. Because believe it or not, it’s not all bad.
In Sweden housing shortage is a big problem. At least when it comes to affordable apartments. Young people with low incomes need patience, luck or connections to find a place to live with a decent rent. Many live with their parents, with friends or rent an apartment “second hand”. I don’t know how to translate it properly but I’ll try to explain. Person X’s name is on the lease but person X won’t be able to live in his/her apartment for a while, because he/she is travelling the world for a year or whatever. So while person X is away you rent the place – from person X, not the landlord. Since you have to move out whenever person X wants the apartment back this obviously isn’t the best way to live. Still it’s the way many young Swede’s live since it’s very hard to get your hands on a affordable apartment with a “first hand lease”.
It’s a lot easier in a small town though. For me it was ridiculously easy. The first apartment I was offered to have a look at is the apartment I live in today. In one day I found out there was a vacant apartment with a low rent, got the keys to have a look at it, saw and loved it and finally signed the lease. I realize I’ve been very lucky because this is not the way it usually goes.
Right now I’m looking for an apartment in Gothenburg, the second biggest city in Sweden. They e-mail me whenever there’s an apartment available that suits me. So I get an e-mail once in a while and always let them know I’m interested in whichever apartment’s available. About 3000 others do the same. Yep, that’s the usual number of people interested in each apartment available. No wonder I’m not having any luck because there’s no real queue system in Gothenburg. They just choose whoever “suits the apartment best”. Whoever has the highest income I bet. Because really, when you have 3000 people to choose from obviously you prefer a tenant with a good income rather than some poor student living off a student loan.
At least I have a home of my own. In the wrong place but it’s still a home, which I love. My apartment may be small but it was renovated in 2004 so everything is new and looks good. Not to mention that three out of four rooms are blue! My favourite colour when it comes to home decoration! The only things I’d like to change is the colour of the kitchen cupboards, the kitchen floor and the hallway floor. Other than that everything is perfect. It’s my home sweet home.
Plugs: Nikkole, Jennifer, maria, Maria, Deanna, Mallory, Shaina, Karin, Alyssa, Angie, Chiui, Kristine, Ashley, Malin, Sean, tiff k, Natasha, Daniella, Aly, Tiaralynn, Cecilie, Pim
Welcome to Whirlwind, the online home of a 28 year old Swedish artist, web designer and blogger who goes by the name Angelica. The site consists of 544 MB words, photos and art. Please do take a look around.
I absolutely love your little apartment. If I was single I’d be so content with that. I especially love the way you’re able to do whatever you’d like with it. (Decorating wise)
I live in a small two bedroom apartment, while it seems huge compared to yours, it’s far too small for us. We’re currently living in low income housing – basically that means that half of the rent is paid for by the government. Gives low income families the ability to live somewhere and afford it. Sounds great, right? It’s awful. I hate it here. It’s what I’d like to call, ghetto. It is exactly that. There are more drug dealers, domestic abusers, and “drama” here than anywhere else. What sucks the most, we live in a really good neighborhood. Unfortunately the low income community in which I live in, actually brought value down around here. The apartment community was called “Westside Meadows” people around the south eastern part of the state have always called it “Westside Ghettos”
But, I really can’t complain, its cheap and affordable and a place over my head. I just really cannot wait to get out of here.
I hope you have some great luck finding a new place! Sounds like such a hassle to go through it. We have a 10 year + waiting list for the place I’m at now. You’d think with such a demand like that, here and there, they would provide more places. Guess not.
That would be an exciting move if you could find something in the city. It does sound like you have quite the nice place now too though!
why göteborg?
I prefer stockholm.. come to stockholm instead..
Urgh. Markus och jag letar ju lägenhet nu. Igen. Vi är inne på vår andra andrahandlägenhet och måste flytta i maj när folket kommer tillbaka till Sverige. Att få förstahandskontrakt på hyreslägenhet är hopplöst för vi har bara två års kötid och Markus vill inte köpa. (Jag har ingen talan när det gäller köpande eftersom jag inte har några pengar…) Vi funderar på att sno åt oss en studentlägenhet fast jag nästan har pluggat klart.
Vad jag svamlar, det jag skulle komma till är att det är så himla frusterande att sitta och kolla på lägenheter och inte ha råd att köpa något i stan för att de är så dyra och så tittar man på hus någon mil utanför stan och de kostar fan ingenting. Fast… Där vill man ju inte bo.
Förresten, nu när du pluggar, kan du inte få en studentlägenhet i Göteborg? Det brukar vara lättare.
What you call a second-hand lease is called Subletting here. It’s not too desirable and a lot of landlords tell you not to do it because if the person you sublet to destroys the apartment, the tenant is still the one responsible for the damages. We were worried that we were going to have to sublet ours but it looks like that’s not going to happen now.
That sucks that it’s hard to find a good apartment in Sweden. Here in Nova Scotia it’s pretty easy to find housing that is in your price range. We were able to look a lot of different places before deciding on the one we live in now.
Wow, I didn’t know it was so hard to get an apartment in Sweden … You’re definitely very lucky to have got yours, then! O_O; I wish I could get a student loan to go and live on my own, haha … I don’t know if that’s even available in Canada, though. o_O; Plus, unless I was studying webdesign also, I’d find studying so very boring … XD;
I like all the blue rooms, ((That I’ve seen,)) In your apartment, as well! And that’s really saying something, ’cause I’m not really a fan of blue other than electric blue … And usually only if it’s mixed with a lot of black … And sometimes not even then. o_o; I’m going on and on, but you get the idea. XD;
I’m happy you have your own place, but jealous at the same time! I’m sick of living with my parents, but I can’t find a job to save up money to move out. Ugh!
My sister once rented a second-hand apartment. It was a hassle because he left a bunch of his stuff and we were apparently not allowed to even touch it. What a pain!
You’re so lucky to have your own place…. that’s what most of us where I live dream about, yet never achieve. They’re just too expensive without a roommate… or you wind up living someplace next to a meth lab… one or the other. O_o
Det är tillräckligt svårt att få lägenhet här uppe, men jag kan tänka mig att i södra Sverige måste det vara snudd på omöjligt
Och sen går kommunerna och bygger en massa svindyra bostadsrätter när det som verligen behövs är små, billiga lägenheter som studenter och unga kan bo i! Det är helt sjukt.
Jag och min pojkvän pratar ibland om att flytta söderut men sen kommer man ihåg bostadsköerna. Och priserna…
Men lycka till med lägenhetsjakten! Förr eller senare så hittar du nåt
I hate living in a small town too, but like you say there are advantages. The cost of living is more affordable in small towns. We’re paying much less for our nice two-bedroom apartment than we would if we lived in a big city. We’re planning to move back to our home city soon, and we won’t be able to find an apartment that’s as cheap as the one we have now.
Good luck finding a new place! That sounds like a difficult process.
I often think about how cool it would have been to have lived on my own for a while. I never got to have that experience. It must be nice not having to clean up after other people!
Most housing here is expensive, in a few areas not so much, but you can’t find a 2 bedroom for much less than $600 a month. I fantasize about living in a bigger city just for more excitement and more culture (I live in a small town too). Maybe someday!
there are also housing problems in UAE -_- we’ve experienced it. it was so hard so until now we havent got a new place to transfer to (our flat today isnt that big). but then, yeah, most important thing is liking the place youre in. hehehe. XD
but woah 3000?? omg
I’m glad you like your apartment! I wish I had my own place, but I’m still stuck here with my parents for now
First, thanks for your comments on my photography, I’m glad you like it!!! Also, I’m glad you liked the card.
I live in a small town to, and it can be frustrating. Over all though its not that bad. Your apartments is great, and designed well. Its nice to be thankful for what you have.
Jag tröttnade på att stå i bostadskön så jag köpte en lägenhet istället. Det hade jag ju naturligtvis inte kunnat utan fast jobb. Men jag ångrar det inte. Jag trivs skitbra i min lägenhet, dock skulle jag väl vilja byta stad nu efter 1,5 år men man kan ju inte få allt
Here in New York apartments are ridiculously expensive, 800 for a studio apartment plus utilities. It’s cool that you have a good apartment in your small town.
Not having someone in the apartment and renting it out is called subletting.
wow! didn’t know the system was like that in Sweden, must really be hard. And people go off traveling the world at one point of their life there? Awesome…
Apartments here can be cheap or expensive. Depends really on the location but it’s not as hard as getting one there at Sweden I think.
You are indeed so lucky! And I love your apartment!! Wish I can go visit
Your home sounds very cute. I know what you mean though.. I’d prefer to be in the city, in Baltimore (Maryland, States) but instead I live closer to my school in a suburb and I rent a 10 x 8 room that can only fit my bed and desk (much like a dorm minus I have my own bathroom and kitchen and blah blah) even though sometimes I despise it, I take it for granted, I know.
So your saying they do a lot of ’sub-leasing’ I think the term is. They must do a lot of traveling there~ Do you use there furniture and all the things that is just left in there apartments?
P.S. Thank you =]
We call it subleasing in America, but it’s more common with businesses than with apartments, at least in my area.
I had no clue housing was that tough in Sweden. I would be glad to have an apartment on my own. You’re living alone, right? I can’t wait till I get rid of lousy room mates, lol. Hope you find a nice new place!
It seems competition for housing is tough everywhere these days, but I didn’t realize quite how bad it was over there in Sweden! It’s no wonder so many people stay living at home or with flat-mates…with thousands of other people all competing for one apartment, trying to live alone seems very stressful! It’s good that you’re content with your current apartment though. From what I’ve seen in the pictures you’ve posted it’s awesome, even if it is small. Besides, small = easier to clean.
But good luck with finding a place in Gothenburg all the same. Hopefully something will come up eventually!
WOW. 3000? Gahh, That’s alot.
I wonder how hard it would be if It was me. lol
I don’t need anything big as long as it’s a good place. lol
It is like that here as well. It is very expensive to rent, but I like you were lucky. I love where I live, even though it is small. It wouldn’t have worked for more than one person to live here, but it is perfect for me:)
I never knew there was such a problem in Sweden? I always thought of it as a pretty big country, so it wouldn’t be a problem! But I think that we might be having the same problem in a couple of years… Prices are already going sky-high…
It’s a pretty weird system, I sure hope they don’t take that over… I can’t wait to have my own apartment! You make it sound like such fun, although I’m already loving my dorm