Problems with a hotel or vacation rental

If you discover faults and deficiencies in the accommodation, you must complain to the company. It is primarily the booking terms that determine what you can expect and what you can require. Both you and the company are obliged to follow the terms. The company must also deliver what is promised in advertisements, brochures and the like.

You must complain as soon as possible

Does the accommodation not meet the conditions or what you should be able to expect from it? For example, is the room missing promised air conditioning, not cleaned, infested with bedbugs, or does it have fewer beds than booked? Then you should contact the company as soon as possible to complain and demand that they fix the problem.

Make sure to document of what is wrong, for example, by taking pictures.

What can you demand of the company?

When something is wrong, the company has a right to first correct the fault. If this is not possible, you can demand a price deduction that matches the fault. Keep in mind that the longer you wait to complain to the company, the greater the risk is that you lose the right to compensation.

If the accommodation has major, tangible deficiencies that cannot be resolved, you may have the right to cancel the purchase and demand a complete refund. What constitutes a tangible deficiency is an assessment on a case-by-case basis. Document the deficiencies as thoroughly as you can so that you have evidence.

You may also have a right to compensation if you are struck by expenses due to the fault with the accommodation. If you, for example, must switch accommodations, you may have a right to compensation for what it costs you to travel to the different accommodation. If the other accommodation is more expensive, you may also have a right to compensation for the difference.

An example of what you can demand:

Is your hotel room not cleaned? Start by taking pictures as evidence. Then contact the company. Complain and demand that the room be cleaned. If that is not possible, you should demand a new room.

You may also be entitled to a price reduction. The amount of the price reduction is based, among other things, on how long you had to wait for a clean room and how long you planned to stay there.

If you do not complain to the company on-site and wait until you get home, you cannot demand a price reduction for that type of problem, as the company has not had the opportunity to fix the issue.

If you are subjected to disruptions by other guests, the company itself or somebody the company has engaged, you can demand that the company ensures that the disruptions end. If the company fails to do this, you may have a right to a price reduction.

If you were already informed that certain disruptions will take place before you booked, you cannot complain about them.

You have no statutory right of withdrawal when you book accommodation, regardless of how you book. In many cases, when you buy something online, you have a right of withdrawal, but it does not apply for these kinds of bookings.

Cancel the accommodation

You can always cancel the accommodation. However, it is not certain that you can demand a refund. What you are entitled to is stated in the terms and conditions of the accommodation. Therefore, you need to read the booking conditions for the accommodation to see which cancellation rules apply.

Cancellation cover

If you bought a cancellation cover when you made your reservation, you must read the terms for the cancellation cover to find out the circumstances under which you can cancel the accommodation and get your money back. It is not uncommon that you can only cancel the accommodation, for example, due to illness even though you have a cancellation cover insurance. In other words, having cancellation cover does not always mean that you can cancel the accommodation for any reason and demand a refund.

The same thing applies if you have a cancellation cover as a part of your travel insurance. Then, it is also the terms for the cover that determine what rights you have.

Rebooking the accommodation

If you want to rebook your stay, you need to review the booking terms for the accommodation. It is these terms that determine if you can rebook or not. Every individual booking may have different rebooking rules.

If the company says that there is no booking in your name, it is you who has to prove that there actually is a booking to get access to the accommodation you have booked. If you cannot prove that you have a booking, you cannot demand access to the accommodation.

If you can prove that there is a booking that the company has confirmed, you have the right to receive what you booked.

If the accommodation has double-booked your room and cannot provide you the booked room, you can request another equivalent room at the accommodation. If this cannot be arranged in a reasonable amount of time, you can demand a refund.

Your right to compensation

In the event of double-booking or overbooking, you may also be entitled to a price reduction. You may have a right to this if, for example, you lose time that you would have had at the accommodation.

You may also have a right to compensation if you are struck by expenses due to double-booking or overbooking. If you, for example, must switch accommodations, you may have a right to compensation for what it costs you to travel to the different accommodation. If the other accommodation is more expensive, you may also have a right to compensation for the difference.

Sometimes the booking confirmation takes a while. If you do not receive a confirmation, you should contact the company to ask if they have received your booking. Be careful not to make a new booking before you have received a confirmation or contacted the company. If you redo the booking process, you may end up with two bookings that you have to pay for.

The same applies if there are any technical errors during the booking process. Contact the company if any problem arises before you start the booking process again to avoid multiple bookings.

If the reason for the double booking is due to you, it may be good to check the booking conditions to see what cancellation options the accommodation offers. It is not certain that you can cancel the second booking without cost.

If the double booking was due to the accommodation or a booking site, you need to contact them and inform them about the incorrect double booking. If you booked through a booking site, it is good to contact both the hotel and the booking site in writing. You should then be able to request that one of the bookings be canceled at no cost.

Extraordinary circumstances refer to events beyond the company’s control, which cannot be avoided even if all reasonable measures are taken. Extraordinary circumstances are sometimes also referred to as force majeure.

An example of an extraordinary circumstance is the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite extraordinary circumstances, it is still the booking conditions that determine whether you have the right to cancel or rebook accommodation if you can no longer or do not want to use the accommodation.

You can only demand to cancel or rebook the accommodation if it is stated in the conditions. If there is nothing in the conditions about your right to cancel or rebook, you cannot demand to do so.

Cancellation protection

If you purchased cancellation protection when you booked, you must read the conditions of the cancellation protection to find out under what circumstances you can cancel the accommodation and get your money back. It is not uncommon that you can only cancel the accommodation, for example, due to illness, even if you have cancellation protection. Having cancellation protection does not mean that you can always cancel the accommodation for any reason and demand your money back.

The same applies if you have cancellation protection in your travel insurance. In that case, it is also the conditions of the protection that determine your rights.

If the hotel is closed

If the hotel closes so that you cannot stay there as planned, they must refund you for your booking.

Municipality's Consumer Guidance

Many municipalities provide consumer guidance where you can seek free information and support. The assistance offered may vary from one municipality to another.

The National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN).

If you and the company cannot reach an agreement, you can file a complaint to the public authority the National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN). ARN will assess your case and make a recommendation on how to resolve the dispute. Most companies follow ARN’s recommendations. A normal processing time is approximately six months.

It costs SEK 150 to file a complaint with ARN. When you submit your complaint, you can request that the company compensates you for the cost if ARN makes a recommendation in your favor.

Submit a complaint on ARN's website

Visita ansvarsnämnd

If the accommodation is in Sweden and the company is a member of the industry organization Visita, you can submit a complaint to Visita’s Responsibility Committee to have the dispute reviewed.

Visitas website

Accommodation outside Sweden

Are you a resident of Sweden and the company you have a problem with is registered in another EU country, Norway, or Iceland? You can get free advice and mediation through the ECC Sweden. ECC Sweden is part of a network of consumer offices within the EU. In some cases, Konsument Europa can share the case with a sister office in another country to try to reach a solution.

Konsument Europa is part of the Swedish Consumer Agency, and you can contact them through our information service.

The Swedish Consumer Agency

If you need guidance, you can contact our national information service. We can provide information on your rights and what options you have to make progress. We provide independent guidance and therefore cannot assess your individual matter, resolve disputes or contact companies for you.

Contact us

Have you rented a holiday accommodation such as a cottage or apartment from a private individual? Then it is the terms of the agreement that govern your rights.

Complain as soon as possible to the person you rented from if you did not get what you were promised. Request that the issue be fixed. If the issue cannot be fixed, a price reduction corresponding to the issue may be a solution.

Are there major and serious issues with the accommodation, for example, if you cannot stay in the cottage due to mold? Then you can argue for a termination. In a termination, the agreement is broken, and you get your money back.

Remember to complain in writing. Include evidence such as pictures of what you consider to be wrong.

If you and the landlord do not agree, you can take the dispute to court.

If you rented through an intermediary

Have you rented your holiday accommodation through a company that intermediates holiday accommodations? Then it should be stated in the terms who you should complain to. In some cases, you can get help from the company that mediated the cottage or apartment if something went wrong, even if it is a private individual who rents it out.