Housing

Rental apartments

There are a wide variety of rental apartments available in Lahti and the surrounding municipalities, and the rent level is relatively affordable. Please click here (Alipi - Housing and Finance) to see a list of websites to visit if you are looking for a rental apartment in Päijät-Häme.

Owner-occupied apartments

Most people in Finland live in an apartment or a house that they own. When buying a home, you purchase either a housing share (apartment buildings and terraced houses) or a real estate (detached house). You can look for available apartments and real estate, for example, from the following websites:

In many cases owner-occupied apartments are financed by a mortgage. To read more about how to apply for a loan in Finland, please check the “Insurance” section. (Guide to Päijät-Häme - Banking, Insurance, Mobile & Internet)

You can visit InfoFinland website (InfoFinland - Owner-occupied Housing) for more information about buying a home in Finland.

Right-of-occupancy apartments

Right-of-occupancy housing is a mixture of rental and owner-occupied housing. Right-of-occupancy apartments are built with a State subsidy and residents of right-of-occupancy housing pay a right-of-occupancy fee, which is 15 percent of the original purchase price of the unit. In addition, residents pay a monthly management fee.

Residents are entitled to live in a right-of-occupancy apartment for as long as they wish. If they decide to move out from the unit, the right-of-occupancy fee is returned along with a sum calculated according to the construction cost index.

You can visit the following websites for information about right-of-occupancy housing and to find available dwellings:

To apply for a right-of-occupancy apartment in Lahti and Hollola, please visit the City of Lahti website (in Finnish).

Rental agreement

To read more about rental agreements, see Alipi's material. (Alipi - Housing and Finance)

Notification of change of address

To read more about the notification of change of address, see Alipi's material. (Alipi - Housing and Finance

Payment of rent and rental security deposit

In Finland, rents are usually paid once a month. The due date of payment is always specified in the tenancy agreement, and in most cases the rent is paid as a bank transfer to the landlord’s bank account.

In Finland, almost all tenancy agreements require that you pay a rent security deposit. To read more about rental security deposit,see Alipi's material. (Alipi - Housing and Finance

Other housing expenses

In addition to rent, maintenance fee and mortgage installments, you should set aside money for other housing expenses too.

Water

The tenant is usually required to pay water rates on top of the rent. Water rates are usually paid together with the rent on a monthly basis. Water rates are often determined according to the number of residents in the dwelling. If the dwelling has a water meter, water rates depend on how much water is used in a certain period of time defined by the water company.

Electricity

As a tenant, you will usually need to sign an electricity contract with an electricity provider yourself. The easiest way to obtain an electricity contract is to do it online. It is advisable to compare the prices of different providers to find the deal that best suits your specific needs. For more information,see Alipi's material. (Alipi - Housing and Finance)

Heating

If the dwelling has central heating, it is usually included in the rent or maintenance fee. If the dwelling has oil or electric heating, it usually needs to be paid separately and the rate depends on the usage. Please contact your landlord or housing company if you are unsure about what kind of heating system is used in your dwelling.

Insurance

It is common practice and advisable to purchase home insurance when moving to a new dwelling. In addition, many landlords add home insurance as a condition of the rental agreement, meaning that proof of the tenant’s home insurance is required upon signing the rental agreement. To read more about home insurance, see Alipi's material. (Alipi - Housing and Finance) To read more about insurances in general, please check the “Insurance” section. (Guide to Päijät-Häme - Banking, Insurance, Mobile & Internet)

Sauna, laundry room and parking space (in a housing company)

If you wish to use the housing company's services, such as sauna, laundry room or parking space, this is usually subject to a fee. These fees are usually paid directly to the housing company. Please check the details regarding the service fees and reservation systems from your landlord, or directly from the housing company.

Apartment Building Rules

Every apartment building has rules concerning behaviour for the benefit and comfort of all residents. Please read more about apartment building rules in Alipi's material.(Alipi - Housing and Finance)

Waste Management and Recycling

To read more about household waste management and recycling guidelines, please see Alipi's material. Alipi - Housing and Finance

Furniture and home supplies

In Finland, the standard equipment provided in rental apartments always include kitchen cupboards, a refrigerator and an oven. Furthermore, most apartments are also equipped with some sort of built-in wardrobe or clothing closet. In most cases, rental apartments are not rented as furnished, however there are exceptions. If you are renting a furnished apartment, please always check with the landlord what exactly is included.

If you are looking for affordable used furniture and home supplies, you can visit the following flea markets and second-hand shops in Lahti:

It is also possible to look for used furniture and home supplies online, for example via the Tori.fi website (in Finnish) or mobile app, as well as in several different Facebook groups such as ILMAISEKSI! Lahti + lähiympäristö!, Kirpputori Lahti Ostetaan/Myydään/Lahjoitetaan, Kirpputori LAHTI, and many more.

Housing counselling

To read more about housing counselling, see Alipi's material. (Alipi - Housing and Finance)

Housing Allowance

Kela (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland) provides assistance with housing costs to low-income households. Please visit Kela’s website for information about the conditions and allowance application process.

Supported and service housing

Supported housing may be needed, for example, by the elderly, people with disabilities, those rehabilitating from substance abuse and mental health issues, and refugees. The PHHYKY (Päijät-Häme Joint Authority for Health and Wellbeing) organises supported housing in the Lahti region. For information about housing for the elderly, please visit their website (in Finnish). For information about housing for disabled people, please click here (in Finnish).

Homelessness and Emergency Accommodation

In Lahti, Apilakatu Emergency Accommodation Unit offers temporary housing for one night at a time. The unit is located at Apilakatu 8, 15610, Lahti and the unit’s telephone number is 044 416 4010. For information about emergency and temporary housing, please visit the Päijät-Sote website (in Finnish) or contact your local social service office.