Right of Occupancy – a great housing option for various life situations

Who is right-of-occupancy suitable for?

Right-of-occupancy housing is suitable for everyone regardless of income. However, there are asset limits. If you own a similar property in the application area or have enough assets to finance at least 50% of the market value of the right-of-occupancy apartment, you are considered not in need of right-of-occupancy housing. Asset limits do not apply to applicants over 55 years of age or those transferring from one right-of-occupancy apartment to another.

If you are moving to your first home, have just sold your ownership apartment, or are switching from rental to a more affordable option, right-of-occupancy is a good alternative. You can live in your right-of-occupancy apartment for your entire life or just temporarily – it’s your choice.

Right-of-occupancy is suitable for working people, students, those on parental leave, the unemployed, those performing military service, and the elderly. There are also senior right-of-occupancy housing options designed for the elderly.

Right-of-occupancy is secure in unexpected situations and life transitions. You can apply for Kela’s housing allowance to help with the housing costs if needed.

See the criteria for right-of-occupancy resident selection.

How does right-of-occupancy work?

You get the right-of-occupancy by paying the right-of-occupancy fee to the community

When you pay up to 15% of the purchase price of the apartment as a right-of-occupancy fee, you get a lifelong right to live in that apartment. When you move out, you get the right-of-occupancy fee back, adjusted by the construction cost index, within three months.

You can choose to leave the apartment as an inheritance. However, you cannot buy the apartment, as it is owned by the entity with whom you made the right-of-occupancy agreement. We have over 20,000 apartments in different locations. You can choose the type or size of the apartment you want. Additionally, you must have a right-of-occupancy waiting number.

See all our right-of-occupancy apartments.

You need a right-of-occupancy waiting number

To acquire a right-of-occupancy apartment, you need a right-of-occupancy waiting number. When you have the waiting number, you can apply for the apartment you are interested in on our website. You can apply for available, soon-to-be-available, and reserved apartments. We recommend applying for reserved properties as well.

The apartment is offered to the applicant with the smallest waiting number in the bidding round. You may also get an apartment with a larger waiting number if those ahead of you in line do not accept the apartment. The waiting number is specific to the applicant or family unit and cannot be transferred to another person.

See the instructions for applying for a right-of-occupancy waiting number.

See the instructions for applying for a right-of-occupancy apartment.

See the process for applying for a right-of-occupancy apartment in a new property.

You pay an affordable monthly fee

For a right-of-occupancy apartment, you pay an affordable monthly fee. The fee covers the maintenance and financing costs of the apartments and related facilities. The fee for state-supported right-of-occupancy apartments must legally be lower than the market rent for comparable rental apartments in the same area.

When you live in our right-of-occupancy apartment, your monthly fee is lower than the rent for a comparable private rental apartment in the same area. In some cases, the monthly fee can be even tens of percent lower. Our fees were the lowest in Finland in 2022 in Espoo, Vantaa, Lahti, and Turku. We are also among the most affordable in several other locations.