Bostadsregister

Bostadsregister, or housing register, is a centralized database that records information about residential units within a defined geographic area, such as a country, region, or municipality. The register typically includes data on address and dwelling type (apartment, house, tenant-owned), size and layout (floor area, number of rooms), construction year, tenure (owner-occupied, rented), occupancy status, and, in some systems, energy or building characteristics.

The primary purpose is to support housing policy, urban planning, housing-supply statistics, and the allocation of housing resources. By linking housing data with related registers—such as population registers and property or cadastral records—authorities can analyze housing needs by demographic group, monitor development, and plan infrastructure and services.

Data in bostadsregister are collected from multiple sources, including municipal housing administrations, property registrations, tax or energy records, and building permits, and are updated regularly to reflect changes in occupancy, ownership, and dwelling characteristics. Access is typically restricted to authorized public authorities, researchers under strict privacy rules, and other approved entities. Data quality depends on timely reporting, consistency between sources, and coverage of all dwellings, including new constructions and, in some cases, informal units.

Privacy and data protection considerations are central, with procedures for anonymization, data minimization, and secure data handling. The exact scope and implementation of bostadsregister vary by jurisdiction; in some contexts it is maintained at national level, in others at regional or municipal levels to support planning and policy while protecting residents’ privacy. See also: population register, property register.