Housing Tenure in the Nordic Countries – A Comparison of Rights and Obligations

The necessity of housing tenure and ‘variation’ in tenures for a well-functioning housing market is often emphasized. This paper examines and compares different forms of housing tenure in four Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The Bundle of Rights theory has been used as a theoretical framework to clarify the content of the chosen tenures. Generally, the results suggest that owner-occupied housing possesses the most extensive rights; tenures based on indirect ownership also include far-reaching rights in many regards, while rented housing is the most restricted. However, significant differences can be identified between the different countries within these categories.