Rent and agreement

Our housing office provides advice and guidance to You in all issues concerning housing and applying for an apartment. Familiarise with housing support systems already in advance. On Kela’s housing support page, you can find answers to the all the most common questions and you can also ask for advice from the people at your educational institute who manage student aid issues.

The rent of a student apartment consists of the following

  • rent per square metre to be charged on the basis of the size of the apartment
  • usage fee 20 eur/month, which covers the use of electricity (10 eur/month), water (6 eur/month), the laundry room (2 eur/month) and shared sauna (2 eur/month).
    If the apartment's electricity and water are billed according to consumption, the usage fee of 20 eur/month includes an advance payment of 16 eur/month for the use of water. The water fee is equalized semi-annually or upon moving out.
  • furniture fee for those living in furnished apartments

A separate fee is charged for the use of a parking place. Rent is paid in advance and no later than by the fifth day of the month. The apartment’s period of notice is one calendar month in accordance with the Act on Residential Leases.

You will receive the rent invoice by email. If the rent payment is delayed, please contact us via Intra. We charge 5 eur for sending a payment reminder. 

For international residents LOAS offers an online payment option TransferMate. For citizens of EU and EEA countries TransferMate charges a fee for the payments. For citizens outside EU and EEA countries the service is free. However, your bank may charge you for using the service, so please verify this with your bank.

Instructions for using TransferMate

The rents have been classed in such a way that the most expensive rents per square metre are for the studios and the most affordable ones are for the three-person shared apartments. The rents of family apartments are slightly more affordable than the rents of equivalent shared apartments. The rent is determined according to the property’s age, location, condition, and other factors. All LOAS’ rents are calculated in accordance with our operating principle with a personal payment principle, while taking into account all the necessary repair investments to keep the buildings in good condition.

The rents of fixed-term rental agreements are increased by 15-25% depending on the duration of the agreement. The most common increase is 20% for agreements lasting up to six months. The reason for this is the empty use caused by fixed-term agreements.

"At LOAS, our elevator goes all the way up."
Office fee and deposit payment

From the lease agreements starting 1.6.2022, LOAS charges all residents an office fee in connection with accepting an apartment offer. The office fee is not returned to the resident upon moving out. In addtion to the office fee, LOAS  may require a deposit payment, for example, from applicants with a default note. LOAS shall return any deposit to the tenant within two months after the end of the tenancy to the account indicated by the tenant. The deposit is returned if the tenant has returned the keys of the apartment and the apartment in normal condition and tidy, and the tenant doesn’t have any unpaid rent or other payments to settle or any other liabilities concerning housing. Without further hearing the tenant, LOAS may use the deposit to cover any unpaid liabilities of the tenant.

The office fee or any paid deposit shall not be returned, if the tenant cancels the rental agreement before the start date of the agreement.

Lease agreement

Signing the rental agreement takes place electronically. You can accept the offer and sign the rental agreement by paying the office fee (and any deposit) and entering your password in the system.

Thereafter the agreement is signed electronically at the housing office on behalf of LOAS. The electronic agreement is legally in force when both parties have signed it.

The tenancy is valid until further notice or on a fixed term basis. In case of a rental agreement that is valid until further notice, the period of notice for tenants is one month which is calculated from the last day of the month during which notice was given. A fixed-term rental agreement cannot be terminated by either party. A fixed-term rental agreement will end on the agreed date without a separate period of notice. Notice is given in LOAS’ network service.

Take out home insurance for your protection

All of LOAS’ properties have a property insurance which can be used to cover the costs of damage caused to the properties (broken pipes, etc.). The property insurance does not cover the costs of damage caused to the resident's property.

If the damage caused to the building or other LOAS property is caused by the resident, LOAS shall charge compensation for the damage or LOAS’ excess which in case of the property insurance is 10 000 euros. However, additional insurance has been taken out for the residents of LOAS, from which the costs of such damages can be reimbursed in certain situations. In the event of an accident, more information from the housing office.

For the purpose of safeguarding your own property, it is worth taking out a home insurance which covers the damage of the resident's property. A home insurance is an affordable security in case of an accident and its excess is also rather low. The home insurance terms can be found on the website of your insurance company.

Download the Rental agreement terms as a PDF document here