[mrkickling]

Number of apartments being built has increased by a multiple of five during the last 10 years (25 000 apartments per year now [1]). During this time, no rent control was removed. Newly built apartments already have (for most young swedes) a high rent (around 10k SEK / 1.15K USD for 50-60m2). If you can accept an apartment 45 min from Stockholms inner city it will be cheaper and easier to get, [2] is the housing queue filtered for newly built apartments.

I fail to see why removing rent control would lead to anything else than higher rents. If the housing companies can take a higher rent they will do it, and sure, perhaps build more apartments for a while. But from their perspective, wouldn't it be stupid to build cheap apartments for young swedes outside of the city center when that 1. would lead to less housing shortage (less demand in relation to supply) and 2. give less profit than fancy apartments closer the the city center.

In my opinion, the best way to solve the housing shortage is to build apartments, and if the apartments built by the private sector are too expensive for young people, the state has to either subsidize or build their own apartments.

[1] https://www.scb.se/hitta-statistik/statistik-efter-amne/boen...

[2] https://bostad.stockholm.se/Lista/?cookies=no&s=58.91071&n=5...