How is the Finnish Housing Companies Act changing on 1 October2026?
Amendments to Finland's Limited Liability Housing Companies Act take effect on 1 October 2026. The reform gives housing companies stronger means to address disturbances and harm caused by short-term rentals, permits more notices to be delivered electronically, and clarifies the allocation of electric vehicle charging costs, maintenance responsibilities between the company and shareholders, and shareholders' access to information. It also makes it easier to change the permitted use of an apartment or other unit.
The key changes include:
Can a housing company take possession of an apartment to address short-term rental problems? Are other grounds for taking possession being extended?
The grounds for taking possession are being extended. The general meeting may decide to take an apartment or other unit controlled by a shareholder into the company's possession for up to three years if:
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4.short-term rental of a residential apartment causes the company or shareholders additional costs or harm beyond those associated with residential use;
5. a disruptive way of life is maintained in the apartment or other unit;
6. a shareholder or another occupant fails to comply with what is necessary to maintain health or order on the company's premises
7. there is an exceptionally compelling reason for taking possession comparable to those in points 5 or 6.
The legislative change gives housing companies more effective means to address problems with short-term rentals. The new grounds for taking possession may also apply where a shareholder's guests cause disturbances or damage the company's property. To protect health, housing companies will also have stronger means to address, for example, breaches of a smoking ban imposed under the Tobacco Act.
Can a warning about taking possession be sent electronically?
General meeting notices must be delivered to each shareholder at the postal or email address recorded in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System. Under certain conditions, warnings about taking possession can be delivered electronically. This makes housing company administration more efficient.
How are electric vehicle charging costs allocated?
A new provision will be added to the Act. Unless the articles of association provide otherwise, significant costs arising from improvements relating to charging points and the maintenance of those improvements will be divided equally between the apartments or other units that benefit. The provision clarifies the position where the articles of association do not specify a basis for charging these costs. As a rule, however, a provision in the articles of association takes precedence over the statutory default.
What changes in maintenance responsibilities and shareholder alterations?
The Act clarifies the division of maintenance responsibilities between the company and shareholders. It specifies that the company is responsible for maintaining windows in their entirety: not only the outer windows but also the inner pane or panes, ventilation windows, structures and other components, including sashes, frames, glazing, seals and fittings. It also specifies that shareholders are responsible for maintaining their own alterations and for any additional maintenance costs those alterations subsequently cause the company.
Which documents is a shareholder entitled to receive from the company?
Shareholders' right to information will be extended to documents concerning their apartment or other unit. A shareholder will be entitled to receive, without delay, a copy of a document held by the company concerning their unit that is relevant to assessing its use, maintenance or associated costs, or to exercising the shareholder's rights or fulfilling their obligations. A copy must not be provided if doing so would cause substantial harm to the company. A reasonable fee set by the board may be charged for providing a copy.
Can the basis for maintenance charges be changed without every shareholder's consent?
Yes. Consent from all shareholders is not required when, as part of a change in a unit's permitted use, its basis for maintenance charges is changed to match the basis applied to units used for the same purpose, provided that the change is supported by at least four fifths of all shares and votes other than those held by the owner of the unit concerned.
Shareholders' payment obligations to the company may increase as a result of amending the articles of association when a multiplier, such as 1.5, is removed from the charge basis for commercial premises that are converted to residential use.
What should the board do before 1 October 2026?
1. Review the changes with the property manager at a board meeting.
2.Update how you document disturbances, damage and harm caused by short-term rentals.
3. Review template documents and service procedures for taking possession.
4. Assess the decision-making and cost allocation arrangements for planned charging point projects.
5. Agree who will respond to shareholders' document requests.
6. Inform shareholders of changes affecting their rights and obligations.
Frequently asked questions about the amendments
When do the amendments take effect?
The amendments take effect on 1 October 2026.
Will short-term rentals be banned in housing companies?
No. The reform gives housing companies new means to address harm or additional costs that are more than minor and go beyond those associated with residential use.
Must the articles of association be amended?
Not automatically. However, they should be reviewed, particularly when installing electric vehicle charging points.
