Guide
Housing
NOTE! These instructions do not cover exchange students.
Helsinki is a lovely city to live in! Finding an apartment in our capital can, however, be difficult. This page features our guide on apartment hunting, which we have written to make it easier for you to find your own home. If you need any advice related to housing, you can always contact our specialist in charge of housing!
Housing guide for international students
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In cooperation with the University of Helsinki, the Student Union has compiled a guide for English-speaking students on how and where to look for housing. You can find the guide on the UH website.
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Remember this when looking for an apartment
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Apply for an apartment immediately
Reserve some time for apartment hunting! There is a shortage of apartments in the Capital Region, which may make finding a suitable apartment difficult. Hoas, for instance, is only able to offer an apartment to around one fifth of all applicants in the autumn. We recommend that you start looking for an apartment as soon as you get your letter of admission.
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Rent level of apartments
The level of rent in the Capital Region is high, which means that you should be prepared to pay at least 500 euros per month on rent. If you are able to pay a higher rent, you may find it easier to find an apartment. Studio apartments in Helsinki are particularly expensive, especially those in the city centre.
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Shared housing
A room in a shared apartment is an affordable and communal housing option. There are often rooms available, so we recommend applying for them! You can learn more about shared apartments on Hoas’s website.
You can also apply for a shared apartment with a friend. Just add a comment on the matter along with your friend’s name to the field for additional information in your application. You could also look for a roomie through Hoas’ Matchie.
When sharing an apartment with someone, it is important to agree on common ground rules on issues such as cleaning, buying groceries and using shared items as well as tell your roomie about your daily routines. In the best-case scenario, you and your roomie can become friends.
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Accept the offer you receive
It is recommended to apply for apartments from several housing providers at the same time. If your application leads to an apartment being offered, accept the offer. It is unlikely that you will get a new offer immediately, and there is no guarantee of temporary accommodation. Be prepared to live slightly further away from the city centre or your campus.
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An apartment further away from the city centre?
The selection of apartments is more varied and rents somewhat cheaper outside the city centre. Public transport in the Capital Region is comprehensive, which means that connections are good outside the centre, too. Using the Journey Planner, you can easily view the connections between your home and place of study.
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Look out for crooks!
Unfortunately, there are always some swindlers operating on the rental market. If you are looking for an apartment from the private sector, do not send any money or your personal details to anyone before you have seen the apartment and signed a rental agreement. Always make a written rental agreement, as orally agreed terms may be difficult to confirm later.
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Hold on to your rights!
Stick to your rights! Do not consent to unreasonable rental terms – a deposit corresponding to over three months’ rent, for instance, is not compliant with the law (Act on Residential Leases, Chapter 1, Section 8). If you need help with legal matters, contact Pykälä’s legal aid, which is free for HYY’s members.
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If you cannot find an apartment
If you have not found an apartment by mid-August, you should try to find a temporary solution for September. Be prepared to get temporary accommodation from a hostel, for instance.
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Cancel any unnecessary applications
When you have found your new home, remember to cancel all your unnecessary applications. This helps other students who are still looking for an apartment.
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Things to remember when moving
Take photos of your apartment as soon as you get the keys. This way, you will be able to prove which damages you are not responsible for when moving out, if needed. Get home insurance and make an electricity contract early on, too.
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Apply for general housing allowance
If you are covered by Finnish social security, you can apply for general housing allowance for your housing costs. Apply for the housing allowance as soon as you have signed a rental agreement. If you are moving into an apartment shared with someone else, you should be careful with the rental agreements and take the household-based nature of general housing allowance into account. Further information on applying for housing allowance and on the concept of household is available in our guide on subsistence.
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Student apartments
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Apartments:
The Student Union owns student apartments in Domus Academica’s B, C and D buildings (on Hietaniemenkatu and Leppäsuonkatu) in Kamppi, central Helsinki, and rents them out to its members. Domus Academica offers comfy studio apartments, two-room apartments and shared accommodation.
Perks:
As an HYY member, you get 10 per cent off rent. There are no separate selection criteria or a queuing system for the apartments. You can end your tenancy with just one month’s notice right from the start. Pets are also welcome.
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Apartments:
Hoas has around 9,500 apartments and 18,000 tenants. The apartments include rooms in shared apartments, studio apartments, two-room apartments, family apartments and roomie apartments, and they are located in the Capital Region. The apartments are meant for all full-time students studying in the Capital Region or the surrounding municipalities.
Rents:
- Rooms in shared apartments around 250–440€/month
- Studio apartments around 450–660€/month
- Family apartments around 550–1,000€/month
- Roomie apartments around 300–500€/month
The rent includes water and often also electricity. The apartments also have a free broadband connection.
Hoas in social media:
Further information:
Tel. +358 9549 900
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Anttikorppi Student House accommodates international students arriving in Helsinki. The house has 49 rooms in shared apartments (450€/month) and three family apartments (650€/month) The apartments are furnished, and the rent includes, water, heating, electricity and cleaning.
Further information:
Student apartments of student nations and different disciplines
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Apartments:
The apartments of Tavastia Nation are shared apartments, family apartments and studio apartments in Patola, Koskela, Vallila and Puistola, with room for a total of around 600 students.
Rents:
- Rooms in shared apartments 204–312€/month
- Family apartments 408–654€/month
- Studio apartments 311–419€/month
Other considerations:
The applicant must be a member of Hämäläis-Osakunta. In the case of family apartments, at least one of the applicants must be an actual member of the Tavastia Nation. Postgraduate students may make a fixed-term rental agreement. The apartments have a continuous application period all year round. There is a separate application process for new students in July, and you can participate in it even if your student place has not been confirmed yet.
Further information:
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Apartments:
The apartments of Karelian Nation are studio apartments and family apartments in Vallila, Patola and Domus Academica, with room for a total of 78 students.
Rents:
- All apartments 9–18€/m²
Other considerations:
The applicant must be a member of the Karelian Nation. You can apply for the student nation’s apartments in an application round usually held in the spring and in an application round meant especially for new students in the summer.
Further information:
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Apartments:
The apartments are studio apartments and two-room apartments in Vallila, with room for a total of 37 students.
Rents:
On Rautalammintie
- Studio apartments (17.5 m²) 288.75€/month
- Studio apartments (20 m²) 350€/month
- Two-room apartments (32.5 m²) 536.50€/month
On Hauhontie
- Two-room apartments €1050/month
Other considerations:
Members of the student nation can apply for apartments in the spring and freshers during the summer. The recipient of an apartment must be a full-time student and a member of the student nation. New students can join as members after the application round.
Further information:
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Apartments:
The apartments of Kymi Valley Nation are studio apartments, two-room apartments and rooms in shared apartments in Patola and Domus Academica. There is room for a total of 8 students, with 3 spots reserved for freshers.
Rents:
- Around 324–532€
Other considerations:
Application rounds for the apartments are organised in the spring for members of the student nation and in early summer for freshers. More detailed information on the application schedule is given on the nation’s website. Membership in the student nation is a prerequisite for receiving an apartment and retaining the right to live in it. The apartments are meant for full-time students.
Further information:
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Apartments:
There is room for around 90 students in the student nation’s studio apartments and family apartments, which are located in Vallila, Patola and Puistola. There are also a few shared apartments reserved for freshers in Domus Academica.
Rents:
- Studio apartments around 290–490€/month
- Family and roomie apartments around 400–775€/month
Other considerations:
The applicants must be full-time students and members of student nation. Application rounds are held three times a year.
Further information:
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Apartments:
There is room for around 130 students in the student nation’s studio apartments and family apartments, which are located in Vallila, Patola and Puistola. There are also a few shared apartments reserved for freshers in Domus Academica.
Rents:
- Studio apartments around 290–490€/month
- Family and roomie apartments around 400–775€/month
Other considerations:
The applicants must be full-time students and members of student nation. Application rounds are held three times a year.
Further information:
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Apartments:
Satakunta Nation has shared apartments and a couple of studio apartments in Satakuntatalo in Kamppi. It also has a few apartments in housing companies downtown or nearby.
Rents:
In Satakuntatalo:
- Rooms in shared apartments 252–400€/month
- Studio apartments 370–590€/month
In the apartments in housing companies:
- 250–660€/month depending on the size of the room or apartment
Other considerations:
The applicants must be higher education students, and they must join the student nation. The website of the dormitory lists the prerequisites of tenant selection in more detail.
Further information:
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Apartments:
The apartments of Savo Nation are rooms in shared apartments and two-room apartments in Vallila and Koskela as well as a few studio apartments and two-room apartments in Patola. There is room for a total of 130 students.
Rents:
- Rooms in shared apartments 141–239€/month
- Two-room apartments 292–648€/month
The rent includes water and a fixed online connection, as well as electricity in most properties.
Other considerations:
The applicants must join Savolainen osakunta and remain as members throughout their tenancy. Application rounds are held twice a year: a fresher round in the summer and a spring application round in February–March. It is possible to apply for the apartments at other times as well.
Further information:
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Apartments:
Southwest Finland Nation has room for a total of eight students, with four spots in studio apartments in Kallio and the rest in two-person shared apartments in Kruununhaka and Kallio.
Rents:
- 500€/month
Other considerations:
Separate application periods are announced for the apartments when they become free. The application periods are announced on the student nation’s email list.
Further information:
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Apartments:
The student nation’s apartments are studio apartments and two-room apartments in Vallila and Kallio as well as five apartments for freshers in Domus Academica in Kamppi. There is a total of 28 apartments.
Rents:
- Fresher apartments around 330–360€/month
- Other apartments around 310–800€/month
Other considerations:
Application rounds for the fresher apartments are in June–July and for the other apartments in late winter. Students from the student nation’s area of origin, South Karelia, have preference for the fresher apartments. Applicants must be members of the student nation or join the nation once they get an apartment. Additional application rounds are announced on the student nation’s email list.
Further information:
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Apartments:
There are 38 two-room apartments and 141 studio apartments on Paraistentie and Kiskontie in Ruskeasuo, as well as 20 two-room apartments and 40 studio apartments on Tilkankatu in Pikku-Huopalahti. There is also a total of 22 two- and three-room apartments with their own sauna on Tilkankatu for postgraduate students and students undertaking specialisation studies. The application process for the apartments in Ruskeasuo, the two-room apartments on Tilkankatu and Kiskontie and the apartments for postgraduate students and students undertaking specialisation studies on Tilkankatu is continuous. Tenants for the studio apartments on Tilkankatu and Kiskontie are accepted through internal transfers from Paraistentie.
Rents:
- 16.40€/m², water fee 5€/month
- Electricity fee of 20€/month in the studio and two-room apartments on Paraistentie
Other considerations:
Applicants for the apartments must be students of medicine, veterinary medicine or dentistry.
Further information:
Tel. +358 9241 9241
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Apartments:
The apartments are rooms in shared apartments, studio apartments and two-room apartments on Talonpojantie in Viikki, with room for a total of 256 students.
Rents:
- Rooms in shared apartments 195–275€/month
- Studio apartments 372–395€/month
- Two-room apartments 510–550€/month
Other considerations:
Student Village Latokartano offers apartments for students of agriculture and food sciences at the University of Helsinki.
Further information:
Tel. +358 9387 7133
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Apartments:
There are 82 studio apartments on Talonpojantie on the Viikki campus.
Rents:
- 270–395€/month
Other considerations:
Applicants must be forestry students. The application period is in May – June, with precedence on forestry freshers.
Further information:
Property manager Mauno Karppinen
Tel. +358 4041 62073
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Heränneiden ylioppilaskoti
Apartments:
Heränneiden ylioppilaskoti Körttis provides communal living in Kaartinkaupunki in central Helsinki. The apartments are one-person rooms, although the larger rooms can also act as two-person rooms. There is room for a total of 23 students.
Rents:
- One-person rooms generally 282–345€/month
- Two-person rooms 282€/month
Further information:
Katariina Airas
Tel. +358 40351 7652
Lestadiolaisten ylioppilaskoti
Apartments:
The apartments are rooms in shared apartments in Kruununhaka, with a total of 22 one-person rooms for students.
Rents:
- 160–300€/month
Other considerations:
There is room for others than just theology students as well. The official application period is in the summer.
Further information:
Secretary Antti Luoma
Ylioppilaskoti Konvikti
Apartments:
Ylioppilaskoti Konvikti provides communal living in Kruununhaka and Kaartinkaupunki in central Helsinki. The apartments are one-person rooms, although the larger rooms can also act as two-person rooms. There is room for a total of 30–32 students.
Rents:
- One-person rooms generally 365–505€/month
- Two-person rooms 282€/month
Other considerations:
Theology students have precedence in the allocation of the apartments.
Further information:
Other housing providers
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Students can also apply for the rental apartments of their own city of residence. Small apartments are the most sought-after, but student families or communes may find a home from among the larger apartments. Information about the rental apartments of the Capital Region’s municipalities is available here:
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Getting an apartment may take a while.
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Look out for swindlers! Do not send any money or personal information to anyone before you have seen the apartment and made a rental agreement.
On Facebook:
- Apartments for students in the Helsinki Metropolitan area
- Vuokra-asunnot Helsinki (‘Rental apartments Helsinki’)
- Vuokra-asunnot pääkaupunkiseutu (‘Rental apartments Capital Region’)