Applying for an apartment

You can apply for a LOAS student apartment with the online form. Applications are accepted around the year, and in the best case scenario you can even be offered an apartment without needing to queue.

During the autumn and the beginning of the year, there are a lot of applicants and an application should be submitted as soon as you have received information about a study place. You can accept an apartment already during the summer! An approval letter from a local educational institute is required as an attachment to the housing application (eg a screenshot of the approval letter received by email. The name of the applicant must also be seen on the screenshot).
If you apply for a shared apartment with a friend (separate lease agreements for private rooms), attach a free form document to the application, in which you mention the name of the desired flatmate. 

Our apartments are intended for students who study in Lappeenranta, Imatra or elsewhere in Southern Karelia. All basic, follow-up and supplementary education students can apply for our apartments.

Under 18-year-old need a guardian's consent in order to safeguard the liabilities concerning the rental agreement. Although the application has the guardian’s details, always attach an informal written consent from the guardian. The minor's contract is signed at the LOAS office. Alternatively, the guardian will provide LOAS with a copy of the signed agreement electronically. After receiving the housing offer, pay the office fee and any security deposit at Intra and send the contract signed by the guardian to us either electronically or come to the office to have the signature in order.

Our housing office provides advice and guidance to You in all issues concerning housing and applying for an apartment. After creating a LOAS Intra account, the best way to get an answer and instructions is via Intra by using the Contact us-feature. You can also send us an email to info@loas.fi.

Processing of applications

The processing of applications and resident selections are based on provisions set out in legislation and regulatory guidelines on the resident selection of government-subsidised rentals.

The application is valid for three (3) months. You will receive notice by email about your expiring application. You can renew or remove the application yourself.

Applications are processed on a daily basis.

The special reasons for needing an apartment are considered on a case-by-case basis.

The credit history of all applicants is reviewed in connection with processing applications. A default does not prevent you from getting an apartment, but it may be a reason for the landlord to request a deposit and conclude the rental agreement on a fixed-term basis.

The most certain way to get an apartment is when you are prepared to accept any area, property and apartment type. However if you definitely only want a certain property and apartment type, you can remain on the waiting list and wait for the apartment to become vacant.

"Don´t be rabbit pants, check Intra."
Reviewing the queue situation

The processing of applications can take a few days after which you can check your queue situation on the intranet. If you have something to add to your application, please familiarise with the following queue placement criteria and primarily contact us via Intra (Contact us-feature).

New applications are constantly submitted to the system and placements change on a daily basis. During busy periods, we are unable to provide further details on the progress of the queue over the phone. All apartment queues progress at different speeds, because apartments becoming vacant is entirely dependent on when the residents provide termination notice. All queuers do not accept the apartments they are offered, and offers cannot be made to some people who are higher on the queue. For these reasons, it is extremely difficult for us to estimate the time of an apartment offer.

During busy periods, we are unable to answer phone queries.

During the busy autumn period, getting an apartment offer for a studio without special reasons is very unlikely. If it is important for you to be offered an apartment by the start of your studies, apply for shared apartments too – you can apply for a studio later on.

Existing residents (exchange applicants) are given priority in the selection of residents. In practice, only exchange applicants or new applicants with significantly justified reasons, which must be described together with proof in the attachments of the apartment application, will be offered a studio. University and higher education students who are starting their studies in the autumn are given priority when shared apartments are distributed. This is included in the housing guarantee principles provided together with the City of Lappeenranta.

Getting an apartment is subject to the apartment offer being accepted by the provided deadline. If the offer is refused, the apartment is offered to the next applicant in the queue.

The system automatically calculates placement points for the applicants according to the following factors:

  • first-year student, 1 point (shared apartments)
  • distance to home municipality/applicants from foreign countries, 1 point (shared apartments)
  • accommodation in shared apartment at LOAS according to duration of consecutive and continuing accommodation period, 5 months = 1 point, 15 months = 2 points (studios) 
  • children, 4 points for the first child + 1 point for each next child (studios and family apartments)
  • couples, 2 points (family apartments)
  • application receipt date (in situations in which the applicants have the same number of points, the application that was received first is given priority)

The applications are ordered primarily on the basis of points and secondarily on the basis of the submission dates, so the queue order constantly changes. 

Other reasons for needing an apartment are considered on a case-by-case basis. LOAS’ application processor can add urgency points for the application for particularly significant reasons for needing an apartment, such as:

  • applicants terminated from LOAS properties that are undergoing renovation
  • returning exchange students and those returning from military or civilian service
  • agreement terminated by landlord for no tenant-related reason
  • medical certificate about health status

NB! Urgency points are application specific. If you receive an apartment offer corresponding to your application, which you reject (or which expires), you will lose the urgency points. 

Check the queue situation on the intranet
Offering and accepting apartments

You will receive an apartment offer by email. You can accept or reject the offer at LOAS Intra service. At Intra you can also see more specific information concerning the housing offer. Please, check the start date of the rental agreement, for example. Read the instructions carefully and act accordingly. The office fee or any deposit shall not be returned if you cancel the apartment before the lease start date.