After several years of disarmament, the Swedish Migration Agency is facing a new challenge - to give home to the thousands who are expected to seek refuge in Sweden as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Within a few months, it is believed that up to 30,000 places will be needed, and last week they applied for SEK 960 million in increased funding to finance the private housing that they now have to procure.

A so-called direct procurement has been initiated, which means a shorter process than in ordinary procurements.

- Everyone has the right to submit tenders, then we try the tenders and inspect the accommodation, says Magnus Önnestig to SVT.

The Swedish Migration Agency has made a proposal for the distribution of the first of the new places, where priority is given to the areas around the metropolitan regions and areas where the Swedish Migration Agency already has operations.

(See fact box.)

Many malpractices

In connection with the refugee wave in 2015, attention was drawn to a number of problems regarding procured housing, regarding both quality, costs and unscrupulous actors.

Some examples:

  • In Halmstad, staff sounded the alarm about drugs, threats and violence in a hotel.

    The accommodation also had no obligation to report the irregularities to the Swedish Migration Board.

  • A resident in Ställdalen received criticism for, among other things, congestion and food shortages.

    The owner was later convicted of several counts of bookkeeping violations.

  • The giant facility Pite Havsbad was to become an "integration center" - but hundreds of places were left empty for several years.

    SVT's review also showed several errors in the Swedish Migration Board's handling.

Can not be ruled out

The companies behind the accommodation rejected all criticism.

According to Magnus Önnestig, the Swedish Migration Agency has tightened the routines around the procurements on several points, among other things to make sure that the landlord really owns the property that is rented out - something that was violated in the Pite Havsbad case.

But the Swedish Migration Agency can still not exclude any actor just because he has misbehaved before.

What do you think about the fact that you may have to do business with companies that misbehaved?

- It is clearly worrying.

At the same time, it is now a matter of inspecting, writing good contracts and then following up that we receive delivery to the quality we should have.