Student Housing

Are you coming to Helsinki region because of your studies and you are looking for cheap housing?
HOAS = Homes for students, is the foundation for student housing in the Helsinki region, which rents out, builds and maintains housing for students in the capital region. 

Here is its website: https://www.hoas.fi/en/

You can find the list of all student housing possibilities all around Finland here: https://www.soa.fi/en/home.html

In HOAS, you can apply for a room in a shared apartment, studio apartment, two-room apartment or family apartment – based on your preferences, financial situation and needs. Check out the differences between all types of apartments before you apply!

There is 1 month deposit required, which will be returned once you move out and leave the apartment in a good condition. 

IMPORTANT: The application process might take longer than you expect, in some cases even months. That is why you should apply as soon as possible. The positive news is, that foreign students AND 1st year students have a priority.

NOTE: You can not apply for the exact apartment building you wish for, however, you can check HOAS´s offerings available on their website and use various filters. If you really like some of them, you can mention it in the application. If you do not mention anything, HOAS gives you the apartment based on the current availability and on the distance to your university.

Summarized important information from HOAS website regarding application procedure is here:

Who can apply for a Hoas apartment?

You can apply for a Hoas apartment, if

The apartment offer cannot be accepted before school has started and you have enrolled for your studies. If you are just starting your studies and your term begins in January, you cannot accept an apartment in December. The summer months are an exception to this: if you are beginning your studies in the autumn, you can accept an apartment already in June.

Applicants who are of legal age must have an official identity document. Students from outside the capital area or the surrounding municipalities can apply for a Hoas apartment if they have to stay in the capital area or surrounding municipalities due to work experience or their research or thesis, related to their current studies. In such cases, they may only apply for an apartment for the duration of the work experience, research or thesis work. Post-graduate students are not prioritised for apartment offers. Read more on what basis are the apartments rented.

When and how can I apply for a Hoas apartment?

You can submit an application as soon as you have been admitted to a school. Your application is valid for three months. 

When you have filled in the application, Hoas will process it and we will confirm by email that your application is valid. We will contact you if we need study certificates from you in order to process your application.

When will I receive an offer?

Hoas has no queue number system for housing applications. When prioritising applications, we take into account the urgency of the need for an apartment, the applicant’s assets and financial situation, as well as the time they have waited. At the beginning of terms, the first priority are always first year students moving in from outside the capital area. This is why the person who has waited the longest may not always be the first to receive an offer. 

We cannot give estimates on the time you may have to wait or when we may be able to send you an offer. The apartments that are rented out have a notice period of one month, so the availability of apartments is known to Hoas only approximately one month in advance. Due to this, we cannot know in advance when or how many apartments will become available, or what their location may be.

Notices of termination, apartment offers and cancellations of offers are processed on a daily basis, so the availability situation also changes from day to day. We aim to offer apartments to new tenants as soon as they become free. Please note that your offer may come at a very short notice.

The demand for housing varies according to different times of the year. It peaks at the beginning of terms, and the apartments that are available then will be rented out quickly. Most years, late spring and the summer season are the times when there are more apartments available compared to the number of applicants. Do remember, however, that Hoas cannot offer an apartment to every single applicant.

Hoas will consider your current notice period when requested. However, please understand that waiting for a suitable apartment to be free may add to the waiting time.

Sources:

Hoas 2020. When and how can I apply for a HOAS apartment? URL: https://www.hoas.fi/en/applicants/submitting-and-updating-an-application/applying-for-a-hoas-apartment/when-and-how-can-i-apply-for-a-hoas-apartment/. Accessed: 6 November 2020

Hoas 2020. When will I receive an offer? URL: https://www.hoas.fi/en/applicants/submitting-and-updating-an-application/when-will-i-receive-an-offer/when-will-i-receive-an-offer/. Accessed: 6 November 2020

Hoas 2020. Who can apply for a HOAS apartment? URL: https://www.hoas.fi/en/applicants/who-can-apply-for-a-hoas-apartment/who-can-apply-for-a-hoas-apartment/who-can-apply-for-a-hoas-apartment/. Accessed: 6 November 2020

Suomen Opiskelija-Asunnot SOA RY 2020. A home for students. URL: https://www.soa.fi/en/home.html. Accessed: 6 November 2020