Maintenance charge (hoitovastike)

The maintenance charge (hoitovastike) is a monthly fee with which the housing company pays for the property’s running upkeep: heating, water, property maintenance, insurance, the property manager, and small repairs. In 2024 it averaged 4,86 euros per square metre per month in apartment blocks and 3,69 euros per square metre per month in terraced houses. For a 60-square-metre apartment, this means about 290 euros per month.

Always check the size of the maintenance charge against the square metres and the condition of the housing company. A charge clearly below the average can mean that upkeep or repairs have been put off, in which case the renovations and charge increases land in your time. A clearly higher charge can reflect good upkeep or, for example, a lift, waste management, or extensive services.

The maintenance charge is a different thing from the financing charge (rahoitusvastike), which pays the housing company’s loans. Together these make up the company charge (yhtiövastike). When you compare homes, look separately at the maintenance charge and any debt share, because a low charge combined with a large housing-company loan can cost more than it looks at first glance.

The figure is backed up by the property manager’s certificate (isännöitsijäntodistus) and the maintenance needs assessment (kunnossapitotarveselvitys): from them you see what the charge covers and whether big renovations, such as a pipe renovation, are coming in the next few years. If the assessment promises renovations and the charge has not been raised, prepare for an increase.