Your rights and duties as a tenant in Finland are set by legislation that limits deposit amounts, restricts rent increases, and governs how tenancies end. Certain notice periods and moving day rules depend on whether your lease was concluded before or after 1 October 2026.
Once you have completed finding a flat to rent in Finland, signed your contract, and sorted out setting up a home in Finland, your focus shifts to ongoing tenancy rights. Here is how Finnish tenancy law protects you during your lease and when you move out.
First check when your lease was signed — the 1 October 2026 reform
An amendment to the Act on Residential Leases entered into force on 1 October 2026. This reform changed notice periods, moving day arrangements, and other lease terms. Leases concluded before 1 October 2026 keep the previous notice periods and moving day rules.
For leases concluded on or after 1 October 2026:
- The landlord's notice period is four months if the tenancy has lasted at least two years without interruption, otherwise three months.
- Unless agreed otherwise, the moving day is the day the lease ends, and the dwelling must be empty and cleaned by then.
For leases concluded before 1 October 2026:
- The landlord's notice period is six months if the tenancy has lasted at least one year without interruption, otherwise three months.
- The moving day is the working day after the lease ends; half the dwelling is made available that day and it is handed over empty and cleaned the next day.
The deposit — cap, return within 14 days, what can be withheld
A security deposit (vakuus) may not exceed three months' rent; one to three months is usual. The three-month cap is in the Act itself, meaning a lease term requiring a deposit larger than three months' rent is void.
The deposit is usually a bank transfer to the landlord or a separate security account (vakuustili), but can also be a personal guarantee or a paid third-party deposit service. The deposit is not the landlord's property and may not be spent.
According to KKV guidance on rental deposits:
- The landlord must return the deposit without delay and no later than 14 days after the lease ends.
- If withholding any of it, the landlord must notify the tenant within 14 days, explain why and give a sufficiently detailed account. The landlord's own statement alone is generally not enough evidence.
- Normal wear and tear cannot be charged to the tenant; the landlord cannot require the flat to be in exactly the same condition as at the start.
- If the landlord returns the deposit late, the tenant may claim interest on late payment, and in some situations compensation.
The tenant may not stop paying the last months' rent on the grounds that the landlord holds a deposit. Prepaid rent (ennakkovuokra) is separate from the deposit, must be agreed when the lease is made, needs a special reason, and is limited to three months.
Ending the lease — open-ended, fixed-term, and how to give notice
The tenant's notice period on an open-ended lease (toistaiseksi voimassa oleva vuokrasopimus) is one month and cannot be lengthened by agreement. A tenant may end an open-ended lease at any time without giving a reason.
Unless agreed otherwise, notice runs from the last day of the calendar month in which it is given — notice given in early January ends the lease at the end of February, with rent payable throughout.
A fixed-term lease (määräaikainen vuokrasopimus) binds both parties for the whole term and can only be ended early in special situations set by law. A tenant who wants out of a fixed-term lease early generally has to pay the landlord compensation.
From 1 October 2026 a lease may run for an agreed fixed period and then continue as open-ended; during the fixed period notice can end it no earlier than the end of that period. An "earliest date notice can begin" clause stays valid in older open-ended leases but may no longer be used in leases concluded on or after 1 October 2026.
Under rules explained by KKV on terminating a lease:
- Notice of termination must be served in a verifiable manner, and the party giving notice must prove the other received it and when.
- Two agreed electronic channels count as verifiable service — e.g. the notice by email plus an alert by text message — and it is deemed received on the third day after the alert was sent.
- A landlord terminating an open-ended lease must give a valid reason; almost any true reason that does not breach good rental practice is acceptable.
- A tenant can ask a court to declare a termination invalid if it is based on an unreasonably high rent demand or is unfair given the tenant's circumstances; the Consumer Disputes Board cannot handle this.
Rent increases and utility charges
The landlord cannot raise the rent unilaterally during the tenancy; a rise needs a clause in the lease or a new agreement. If rent becomes hard to pay, newcomers can explore options under Kela benefits in Finland.
An adjustment clause must state a precise basis — an index, a percentage or a fixed euro amount. A clause without a precise basis, such as "general cost increases", is void and the rent cannot be raised under it.
For leases concluded on or after 1 October 2026, the landlord must give written notice of the rise, the new rent and the start date; it takes effect no earlier than one month after notice, from the start of a rent period, meaning notice given on 15 March takes effect on 1 May at the earliest.
A rent rise may not be charged retroactively, and the tenant can ask free of charge how the new rent was calculated. Without a clause, a landlord who cannot agree a new rent may terminate the lease, but the rent demanded must be reasonable or the tenant can go to court. The tenant pays only charges that were agreed; if only rent was agreed, water and electricity cannot be billed separately.
Living there — repairs, defects, occupants, smoking
The landlord is usually responsible for the flat's condition and maintenance; it must match similar-age housing in the area and meet health requirements.
A tenant is entitled to a reasonable rent reduction for defects affecting living there, counted from the date the defect was reported; rent may not be withheld on your own initiative — agree it with the landlord. The tenant must report damage or defects to the landlord at once and may be liable for damage caused by failing to report. If indoor-air or other health problems are not investigated and fixed, the tenant can contact the municipal health inspector (terveystarkastaja).
The tenant must tell the landlord in writing how many people live in the flat and, for adults, their name, date of birth and contact details, and report each move in or out.
From 1 October 2026 smoking (including e-cigarettes) in a rented dwelling, on its balcony and in its private outdoor area is banned by law, also in older leases unless the lease expressly permits it.
A documented joint inspection (notes, photos or video) at move-in and a final one at move-out is the evidence that settles deposit disputes; the landlord must prove damage beyond normal wear.
Subletting and letting the flat while you are away
Without the landlord's consent, a tenant may sublet (alivuokraus) or hand over at most half of the flat, if it causes the landlord no significant harm or disturbance.
A tenant may let the whole flat to someone else for at most two years if temporarily living elsewhere for work, study, illness or similar, or another special reason, and the landlord has no justified reason to object. The tenant must notify the landlord in writing at least one month before; a landlord who objects must take it to court within 14 days of the notice.
When things go wrong — revocation, eviction, disputes
The landlord may revoke (purkaminen) the lease without warning for an unpaid deposit, unpaid rent, or subletting in breach of the law; other grounds need a written warning first. A landlord must get an eviction judgment from a court and may not evict a tenant or change the locks themselves.
Disputes start with a written claim to the landlord; KKV offers a Complaint Assistant for deposit return, condition, compensation claims, rent rises and termination. If the landlord is a private person, the Consumer Advisory Services (kuluttajaneuvonta) can only give general advice and cannot investigate or mediate.
The Consumer Disputes Board (Kuluttajariitalautakunta) deals with most rental disputes between private individuals, including whether a rent is reasonable, while the tenancy is in force. The Consumer Disputes Board procedure is free and its decisions are recommendations that cannot be enforced; a district court (käräjäoikeus) is the binding route. Finland has no rent tribunal; whether a termination is valid is decided only by a court, not the Consumer Disputes Board.
