City has approximately 41,400 flats to be used for rented housing. There are over 80,000 residents living in these State-subsidised (ARAVA) rental dwellings.
Municipal rented flats are a relatively inexpensive form of housing, compared with the average housing costs within the Helsinki metropolitan area; the average rent in 2006 is 8.14 euros per square meter.
The rental of these flats is the responsibility of the Housing Affairs Division of the Helsinki City Real Estate Department. The Division also grants loans and subsidies for home acquisition, building and repairs.
Applications for a City-owned rented flat can be submitted via the Internet. The application remains valid for six months.
The other municipalities within the Helsinki metropolitan area also offer housing alternatives at slightly more inexpensive rates than on the open market.
Right of occupancy
The local authorities within the Helsinki metropolitan area offer their residents right-of-occupancy housing, which is a form of tenure between renting and owner occupancy.
Right-of-occupancy requires a deposit of 10 – 15 per cent of the purchase value of the flat. In addition to this the occupants pay a monthly maintenance charge.
Within the metropolitan area (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa), those seeking to live in a right-of-occupancy flat are required to obtain a queuing number. Highly popular, the right-of-occupancy flats are offered to applicants in consecutive order.
For more specific information on right-of-occupancy flats and the queuing number system, please visit the website of the Helsinki City Real Estate Department.
Owner occupied and ‘HITAS’ housing
The City of Helsinki also offers owner-occupied flats.
A specialty of Helsinki, the price- and quality-controlled flats, known as Hitas flats, are highly sought after. Hitas flats are built on plots owned by the City of Helsinki, and the City ensures that their selling prices are based on actual building costs.
The City of Helsinki also has a housing loan fund that grants loans for buying and building homes. Applicants for loans must be residents of Helsinki or receive their main income from a Helsinki-based employer and the flat or home that the loan will be used for must be located in Helsinki.
Source: helsinki.fi