If you rent a home in Finland, your relationship with your landlord is set by your lease and by the Residential Leases Act (laki asuinhuoneiston vuokrauksesta) AHVL 481/1995. The law gives tenants real protection. This guide explains, in plain language, the rights that matter most day to day and where to get help if something goes wrong.
1. Your lease is the starting point
Read your rental agreement (vuokrasopimus) — it sets the rent, the deposit, whether the lease is fixed-term or open-ended, and the notice rules. A lease cannot override the tenant protections in the law; where a clause conflicts with the Act, the law generally wins. Keep a copy of the signed lease and any messages with your landlord.
2. The deposit (vakuus)
A landlord may ask for a deposit as security. By law it is capped (it cannot exceed a set maximum tied to the rent), and it must be returned when the tenancy ends if you have paid your rent and not damaged the home beyond normal wear. If a deposit is withheld unfairly, that is a dispute you can pursue.
3. Rent and rent increases
Rent is what the lease says. A landlord cannot simply raise it at will — increases must have a basis in the lease or the law and follow the agreed method and notice. If your lease has no valid basis for an increase, you do not have to accept it automatically; check the agreed terms.
4. Repairs and the landlord’s duties
The landlord must keep the home in a condition fit to live in. Report defects in writing and keep records. If serious problems are not fixed, the law provides remedies — which can include a rent reduction for the period the home was defective, and in serious cases ending the lease. Do not stop paying rent on your own initiative without advice; handle it through the correct route.
5. Ending the tenancy — notice periods
An open-ended lease ends with notice, and the notice periods are set by law and differ for tenant and landlord — the landlord’s notice period is longer. A fixed-term lease normally runs to its end date. Give notice in the correct form and keep proof of when you gave it.
6. Eviction must follow the legal process
7. Where to get help with a dispute
For rental disputes you can seek advice from tenants’ advisory services, consumer advice, or public legal aid (oikeusapu) if your income is low; formal disputes are decided by the District Court. Bring your lease, payment records, and written communications — documentation is what wins tenancy disputes.