Finding somewhere to live in Helsinki

Where the flats actually are

The City of Helsinki and the government's InfoFinland service name the same two portals, Vuokraovi.com and Oikotie at asunnot.oikotie.fi, and the City's advice to newcomers is to apply to several places at once rather than wait on one. The market is soft rather than rising: the rent index for non-subsidised dwellings in Helsinki fell 0.2 per cent in the year to the second quarter of 2026, against 0.1 per cent growth nationally. Read the room count the Finnish way before you judge a price, because listings count rooms excluding the kitchen, so a kaksio is two rooms plus a kitchen and that is what an English speaker means by a one-bed.

• yksiö is a studio, kaksio a one-bed, kolmio a two-bed.
• Subsidised (ARA) rents moved the other way, up 2.1 per cent over the same year.
• Average rent for non-subsidised flats was €21.34 per square metre across Helsinki and €24.32 in the central sub-area in the second quarter of 2026.

The two kinds of lease

A Finnish lease is either open-ended (toistaiseksi voimassa oleva) or fixed-term (määräaikainen), and the difference is most of the negotiation. A fixed-term lease cannot be ended by ordinary notice and simply runs to its end date, unless a court authorises early termination on the special grounds in section 55. On an open-ended lease the tenant gives one calendar month's notice, counted from the end of the month in which notice is given. The landlord's notice period changed on 1 October 2026: it is now three months if the tenancy has lasted under two years and four months if it has lasted longer, where until 30 September 2026 it was three months under one year and six months over. Both the lease and the notice must be in writing and provable, under the Act on Residential Leases, 481/1995, substantially amended by 531/2026 with effect from 1 October 2026.

What a landlord will ask for

Landlords routinely run a credit check and want proof of income and of a clean payment record, your identity, and often a Finnish personal identity code or a valid residence permit. The documents usually requested are the latest payslip, the tax decision showing income and assets, loan certificates, and for non-EU applicants a copy of the residence permit or passport. You do not normally pay an agency fee here, because a rental agent's commission, which can be around one month's rent, is generally owed only where you yourself commission the agent under a written assignment agreement.

• Kotivakuutus, home insurance covering your furniture and belongings, is required by most landlords before you can move in.
• Electricity is contracted by the tenant: end the old contract and start a new one with your chosen supplier before the move date.

The deposit, and what the rent covers

A security deposit is required on almost all Finnish tenancies. Two months' rent is the usual amount and three months is the permitted maximum; it cannot be used to pay the final month's rent, and it comes back only if the flat is in good condition and everything has been paid. From 1 October 2026 the landlord must return or release the deposit, or give you written notice of what is being withheld and on what basis, within 14 days of the tenancy ending or of you handing the flat back. What the rent covers varies, and the published statistics are not always measuring the same thing as the portal listing, because Statistics Finland's rent figures include separately paid water and heating charges but exclude electricity and usage charges such as sauna and laundry. Read the housing company's house rules before you sign, because neighbours here take them seriously, and if a price looks unusually low, ask what renovations are scheduled.

Heka, and why waiting achieves nothing

Heka, the city's own landlord, runs about 54,500 flats housing nearly 100,000 people, and applications go through hakemus.etampuuri.fi, with identity confirmed by online banking credentials, a mobile certificate or in person at Työpajankatu 8. Tenants are selected on assessed housing need, urgency and the search criteria you state rather than on time served in a queue, and the application is valid for only 90 days from submission or your last edit. The attachments (tax return, a payslip or income certificate, and statements of assets and of household debts) are asked for only after you receive an offer, and income and wealth ceilings apply: currently a gross income of no more than €3,540 a month for a one-person household, and assets of no more than €84,000 for 2026. Heka says plainly there are not enough flats for everyone who applies, and it publishes tenant-selection statistics year by year, which is the honest place to look rather than any quoted waiting time. One thing it does not ask for is a deposit, and its leases are open-ended with one month's notice.

In order

1. 1Search Vuokraovi.com and asunnot.oikotie.fi, and apply to several flats at once rather than waiting on one.
2. 2Assemble the pack landlords ask for: passport or ID, residence permit or EU registration, latest payslip, the tax decision showing income and assets, and certificates of any loans.
3. 3Establish before signing whether the lease is open-ended or fixed-term, and refuse a fixed term longer than you are certain of.
4. 4Ask what the rent covers, and what the sauna, the storage cage and the parking space each cost on top.
5. 5Ask when the building's last pipe renovation was and whether the next is scheduled, especially if the rent looks low.
6. 6Agree the deposit in writing: two months is usual and three is the maximum.
7. 7Take out kotivakuutus and open your own electricity contract before the move date.
8. 8File the Heka application if you want city housing, and diarise renewing it every 90 days.
9. 9Photograph the flat and the meters at handover, and read the housing company's house rules.