Have you read about Sara and Marie, who live in a three-woman shared apartment in Jätkäsaari, and found yourself interested in alternatives to traditional student housing? More and more people are looking for options beyond living alone or as a couple. We sat down with Avara’s rental expert, Olli-Pekka Hyvölä, to discuss the pros and cons of shared living.
For many, shared living brings to mind a small bedroom in a somewhat gloomy student flat. A wealthier or luckier student might land a small studio, and after graduation, the norm is to live either alone, with a partner, or as part of a family. But what if you rented a larger, high-quality apartment together with friends?
"When discussing shared living arrangements, the first thing to consider is whether the residents are considered part of the same household. This is important if someone is receiving or planning to apply for Kela benefits. The income of all household members affects certain benefits, such as the general housing allowance," Olli-Pekka points out.
Does this mean the dream of a shared home with friends is over? Not necessarily! Residents of the same apartment can belong to different households, but they must have separate lease agreements. A couple living together cannot belong to different households, nor can close relatives in a direct ascending or descending line (e.g., children, parents, grandparents). However, siblings can live as roommates in separate households, as long as they have individual lease agreements.
The main tenant signs the lease with Avara
If you want to live with one or more friends or simply a roommate, everyone must have a separate lease agreement. How does this work in practice?
"One resident must act as the so-called main tenant. They are registered as the applicant in OmaAvara or the leaseholder in the Rent Now service. Avara only signs one lease agreement per apartment, so the other residents enter into a sublease agreement with the main tenant. Templates for sublease agreements can easily be found online," Olli-Pekka advises.
Be diligent when choosing a subtenant
While subletting is permitted, re-renting Avara apartments entirely is prohibited, meaning the main tenant must also reside in the apartment. The relationship between the main tenant and the subtenant involves several mandatory legal provisions that must be followed. The main tenant is responsible to the landlord for ensuring the terms of the lease are met, and this responsibility cannot be transferred to the subtenant.
Subletting must not cause any inconvenience to the landlord, and no more than half of the apartment can be allocated for the subtenant's use. Furthermore, a subtenant does not have the right to remain in the apartment if the main tenancy ends. It is always wise to choose a subtenant carefully and ensure that legal requirements are met, even if the daily life in the shared home is based on equality and friendship.
The main tenant’s home insurance does not cover the subtenant's belongings
Once the perfect home is found, the main tenant has signed the lease with Avara, and the other residents have signed sublease agreements, there is one crucial thing to remember: Home insurance! The main tenant is responsible for taking out comprehensive home insurance for the apartment.
"It’s important to note that the home insurance taken out by the main tenant does not cover the subtenants' property. Therefore, subtenants should insure their own belongings with their own home insurance policy," Olli-Pekka reminds.
Naturally, all residents must be reported to the property manager. Subtenants are residents just like the main tenant, but in new residential buildings, there is one practical detail to consider:
New residential buildings use a resident application that only allows registration with the email address provided in the lease agreement. In practice, access to the resident app is limited to the main tenant(s).
In these modern homes, the resident app is used to book shared facilities and services, such as sauna turns, laundry rooms, clubrooms, or shared-use cars. If it doesn't matter whether you are part of the same household in the eyes of Kela, it may be worth notifying Avara of two main tenants to ensure smoother access to these services for everyone.
