Housing company (taloyhtiö / asunto-osakeyhtiö)

When you buy a share-based apartment, you buy shares and not real property. The shares grant the right to control a specific apartment, and the housing company (taloyhtiö) itself owns the building and the lot, or leases the lot. The same logic applies to both an apartment in a block of flats and a terraced house, if they are organised as a housing company (asunto-osakeyhtiö).

This affects money in two ways. You pay a monthly charge (yhtiövastike) that covers the housing company’s expenses, and the debt-free price in the listing may include a share of the housing company’s shared loan. The debt-free price tells you the real total cost, while the selling price is only the portion you pay at the deal. Always check which figure the listing shows.

Before buying, it is worth reading the property manager’s certificate (isännöitsijäntodistus). It tells you the housing company’s finances, any loans, the charges, and upcoming repairs all from one document. With it you can see whether, for example, a pipe renovation (putkiremontti) is coming and how much debt share is allocated to the apartment.