Culpa in contrahendo vid fastighetsköp - En utredning av möjligheterna till prekontraktuellt skadestånd vid fastighetsköp och mäklarens roll i sådana situationer
(2025) LAGF03 20252Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Fastighetsköp präglas av betydande ekonomiska värden och ett omfattande regelverk, där jordabalkens strikta formkrav syftar till att säkerställa rättssäkerhet och eftertänksamhet. Samtidigt sker avtalsförhandlingar i svensk rätt som utgångspunkt på egen risk, vilket innebär att kostnader och dispositioner som vidtas före ett bindande avtal normalt inte ersätts om affären inte fullföljs. Denna ordning kan framstå som problematisk vid fastighetsaffärer, där förhandlingarna ofta är långvariga och där parterna successivt kan utveckla förväntningar om att ett avtal kommer ingås.
Mot denna bakgrund aktualiseras frågan om och i vilken utsträckning rättsordningen bör tillhandahålla skydd mot illojalt eller vårdslöst beteende i... (More) - Fastighetsköp präglas av betydande ekonomiska värden och ett omfattande regelverk, där jordabalkens strikta formkrav syftar till att säkerställa rättssäkerhet och eftertänksamhet. Samtidigt sker avtalsförhandlingar i svensk rätt som utgångspunkt på egen risk, vilket innebär att kostnader och dispositioner som vidtas före ett bindande avtal normalt inte ersätts om affären inte fullföljs. Denna ordning kan framstå som problematisk vid fastighetsaffärer, där förhandlingarna ofta är långvariga och där parterna successivt kan utveckla förväntningar om att ett avtal kommer ingås.
Mot denna bakgrund aktualiseras frågan om och i vilken utsträckning rättsordningen bör tillhandahålla skydd mot illojalt eller vårdslöst beteende i förhandlingsskedet vid fastighetsköp. Uppsatsen syftar därför till att utreda gällande rätt avseende möjligheterna till prekontraktuellt skadestånd enligt culpa in contrahendo vid fastighetsköp, samt att utreda vilken roll fastighetsmäklaren har i sådana situationer. Detta görs genom tillämpningen av en rättsdogmatisk metod.
Uppsatsen visar att culpa in contrahendo vid fastighetsköp endast kan aktualiseras under snäva och undantagsvisa förutsättningar. Högsta domstolens uttalande i NJA 2012 s. 1095 innebär visserligen att formkraven inte utgör ett absolut hinder mot prekontraktuellt skadeståndsansvar, men rättsläget präglas fortsatt av en hög culpatröskel och ett starkt eget riskansvar för förhandlande parter. Avgörande är huruvida en part genom oaktsamhet skapat en befogad men i sak oriktig tillit hos motparten, samt om ett skadeståndsansvar kan åläggas utan att formkravens skyddsändamål urholkas. Vid ansvar utgår skadeståndet enligt det negativa kontraktsintresset, det vill säga att den skadelidande parten försätts i samma ekonomiska situation som om avtalsförhandlingar aldrig inletts.
Vidare kommer uppsatsen fram till att fastighetsmäklaren har en central roll. Även om det ännu saknas praxis där mäklarens agerande uttryckligen prövats i relation till culpa in contrahendo, ger rättspraxis om mäklarens rådgivnings- och upplysningsplikt tydliga hållpunkter. Mäklaren förväntas aktivt identifiera risksituationer i förhandlingsskedet för att förhindra att någon av parterna utvecklar en felaktig uppfattning om förhandlingarnas rättsliga status eller de risker som är förknippade med att köpet ännu inte är bindande. (Less) - Abstract
- Real estate transactions are characterised by significant economic values and an extensive regulatory framework, in which the strict formal requirements of the Swedish Land Code aim to ensure legal certainty and careful deliberation. At the same time, contract negotiations under Swedish law are, as a general rule, conducted at the parties’ own risk, meaning that costs and dispositions undertaken prior to a binding agreement are normally not recoverable if the transaction does not materialise. This framework may appear problematic in real estate transactions, where negotiations are often prolonged and where the parties may gradually develop expectations that an agreement will be concluded.
Against this background, the question arises... (More) - Real estate transactions are characterised by significant economic values and an extensive regulatory framework, in which the strict formal requirements of the Swedish Land Code aim to ensure legal certainty and careful deliberation. At the same time, contract negotiations under Swedish law are, as a general rule, conducted at the parties’ own risk, meaning that costs and dispositions undertaken prior to a binding agreement are normally not recoverable if the transaction does not materialise. This framework may appear problematic in real estate transactions, where negotiations are often prolonged and where the parties may gradually develop expectations that an agreement will be concluded.
Against this background, the question arises whether, and to what extent, the legal system should provide protection against disloyal or negligent conduct during the negotiation phase of real estate transactions. The purpose of this thesis is therefore to examine the current law concerning the possibilities for pre-contractual liability in damages under the doctrine of culpa in contrahendo in the context of real estate purchases, as well as to investigate the role of the real estate agent in such situations. This is carried out through the application of a legal dogmatic method.
The thesis demonstrates that culpa in contrahendo in the context of real estate transactions may only be applied under narrow and exceptional circumstances. Although the Supreme Court’s statement in NJA 2012 p. 1095 indicates that the statutory formal requirements do not constitute an absolute barrier to pre-contractual liability, the legal position remains characterised by a high threshold of fault and a strong principle of individual risk-taking for negotiating parties. The decisive factors are whether one party, through negligence, has created a justified but factually incorrect reliance on the conclusion of a contract, and whether liability can be imposed without undermining the protective purposes of the formal requirements. Where liability arises, damages are limited to the negative contractual interest, placing the injured party in the same financial position as if negotiations had never commenced.
Furthermore, the thesis concludes that the real estate agent has a central role in this context. Although there is currently no case law explicitly addressing the agent’s conduct in relation to culpa in contrahendo, existing case law concerning the agent’s duties of advice and disclosure provides important guidance. The real estate agent is expected to actively identify risk situations during the negotiation phase to prevent either party from developing an incorrect understanding of the legal status of the negotiations or the risks associated with the fact that the transaction is not yet legally binding. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9216791
- author
- Bergvall, Matilda LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- LAGF03 20252
- year
- 2025
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- Avtalsrätt, fastighetsrätt, skadeståndsrätt
- language
- English
- id
- 9216791
- date added to LUP
- 2026-02-09 14:28:42
- date last changed
- 2026-02-09 14:28:42
@misc{9216791,
abstract = {{Real estate transactions are characterised by significant economic values and an extensive regulatory framework, in which the strict formal requirements of the Swedish Land Code aim to ensure legal certainty and careful deliberation. At the same time, contract negotiations under Swedish law are, as a general rule, conducted at the parties’ own risk, meaning that costs and dispositions undertaken prior to a binding agreement are normally not recoverable if the transaction does not materialise. This framework may appear problematic in real estate transactions, where negotiations are often prolonged and where the parties may gradually develop expectations that an agreement will be concluded.
Against this background, the question arises whether, and to what extent, the legal system should provide protection against disloyal or negligent conduct during the negotiation phase of real estate transactions. The purpose of this thesis is therefore to examine the current law concerning the possibilities for pre-contractual liability in damages under the doctrine of culpa in contrahendo in the context of real estate purchases, as well as to investigate the role of the real estate agent in such situations. This is carried out through the application of a legal dogmatic method.
The thesis demonstrates that culpa in contrahendo in the context of real estate transactions may only be applied under narrow and exceptional circumstances. Although the Supreme Court’s statement in NJA 2012 p. 1095 indicates that the statutory formal requirements do not constitute an absolute barrier to pre-contractual liability, the legal position remains characterised by a high threshold of fault and a strong principle of individual risk-taking for negotiating parties. The decisive factors are whether one party, through negligence, has created a justified but factually incorrect reliance on the conclusion of a contract, and whether liability can be imposed without undermining the protective purposes of the formal requirements. Where liability arises, damages are limited to the negative contractual interest, placing the injured party in the same financial position as if negotiations had never commenced.
Furthermore, the thesis concludes that the real estate agent has a central role in this context. Although there is currently no case law explicitly addressing the agent’s conduct in relation to culpa in contrahendo, existing case law concerning the agent’s duties of advice and disclosure provides important guidance. The real estate agent is expected to actively identify risk situations during the negotiation phase to prevent either party from developing an incorrect understanding of the legal status of the negotiations or the risks associated with the fact that the transaction is not yet legally binding.}},
author = {{Bergvall, Matilda}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Culpa in contrahendo vid fastighetsköp - En utredning av möjligheterna till prekontraktuellt skadestånd vid fastighetsköp och mäklarens roll i sådana situationer}},
year = {{2025}},
}