Stockholm district court at 9.30 on Wednesday. Outside one of the district court’s 31 courtrooms, a dozen audience members are waiting for the doors to open. There is no football star in sight. On the other hand, another of today’s protagonists – the tenant who fought to stay in the apartment he has rented since 2020.
The court will now decide whether he can settle in properly – or whether it is time to move out of Zlatan’s house.
It was in April 2022 when Zlatan Ibrahimovic took over a property on Östermalm in Stockholm, which he bought for SEK 130 million. The property is right next to another house, which the soccer star also owns since 2015.
When Zlatan Ibrahimovic bought the new house in Östermalm, it housed nine rental apartments and a shop. The former property owner had an agreement with a rental company, which in turn rented out six of the building’s nine residential apartments to private individuals. When Zlatan Ibrahimovic bought the property, he was guaranteed by the previous owner that the house could be emptied of tenants.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Helena Seger wants to use her property for other purposes. In the spring of 2023, they therefore terminated the contract with the rental company, which in turn terminated their leases with the tenants. However, one of them therefore demands to be allowed to stay – and on the same terms as a person who rents in the first place. This includes having security of tenure and fair rent.
– The tenant has the same rights in relation to the property owners, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Helena Seger, as if he had rented the apartment directly from them, said the tenant’s representative Roland Sjölin, during the opening of the trial on Wednesday.
On that matter, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Helena Seger do not agree. They object that the conditions for the rental were such that the tenant must have possession of the apartment in the building.
The tenant association represents the tenant in the dispute. Archive image. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud
Exactly what the couple planned to use the house for there is secrecy, but at least it should not have been for professional rental agency.
– The purpose of the acquisition was never to become a professional landlord, but to use the property for personal needs. A prerequisite for acquiring the property was that several of the apartments in the property could be vacated. The purchase was completed because the previous owner provided such guarantees, said during the trial real estate lawyer Sara Björkeholm, who represents Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Helena Seger.
The main hearing will last three days in the Stockholm District Court. After that, a notification is awaited regarding the tenant’s right to the apartment.
Helena Seger on her way into the courtroom. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT
The soccer star will not attend the hearing in the district court, but Helena Seger was there on the first day. She became the owner of the property on October 2, 2024, and has therefore been a party to the case since October 18. During the opening hours of the hearing, the court heard her view on the matter via attorney Sara Björkeholm.
The tenant is represented in the case by the Tenant Association’s lawyers.
