Services of general interest – water, drainage, wastes and chimney sweeping

Choose what you want to read more about

• Water and drainage

  If your property is connected to municipal water and drainage, the municipality is responsible for the quality and function of the service. Municipal water and drainage are mainly financed through charges, which means that those connected to the system pay a connection fee and a usage fee.

  If you have any questions or problems related to municipal water or drainage, contact your municipality.

  If you live outside the municipal area, you are responsible for your own water and drainage. It is therefore important that you know:

  • what the installation looks like
  • whether it has a permit
  • how it should be managed.

  Contact your municipality for information on the applicable rules and required permits.

• Refuse collection and waste management

  Municipalities are responsible for the collection and treatment of household waste. The municipality is also responsible for supervising waste management.

  Are you unsure about how to sort waste or where to dispose of it? Check with your municipality. You can also contact the municipality if you have problems or questions regarding sanitation and waste management.

• Chimney sweeping

  The municipality decides how often chimneys should be swept. They also decide on the price of the service. To find out when chimney sweeping takes place or how much it costs, contact your municipality.

  Although the municipality is responsible for chimney sweeping, it is often a contractor who carries out the work in your home.

  Complaints about chimney-sweeping or the price of it

  Since the municipality is responsible, chimney sweeping is seen as an exercise of official authority. This means that the Consumer Services Act (konsumenttjänstlagen) does not apply to problems with chimney sweeping. If a chimney sweep breaks something in your home, such as causing damage to the floor or walls, you can contact your municipality.

  Your municipality can also answer questions about charges and invoices related to chimney-sweeping.

  If you want to complain about the administration itself, you can turn to the Parliamentary Ombudsman (Justitieombudsmannen, JO).

  Applying to carry out chimney sweeping yourself

  There is the option of applying to carry out chimney sweeping yourself, or applying to hire someone to carry it out under your own arrangements. The municipality must assess in each individual case whether the person who is to carry out the chimney sweeping is suited to the task.

  You can normally obtain the form for applying to arrange your own chimney sweeping from your municipality.

  If you have received permission from the municipality and hire a company to carry out chimney sweeping, the Consumer Services Act may apply. If you decide to arrange your own chimney sweeping, you and the company can agree on a price that has nothing to do with the municipality’s charge. In the event of a complaint about the price or problems with the sweeping, you may then complain to the company you have hired.