What kind of tenancy agreement do students usually have?

In student housing, tenancy agreements are usually open-ended and valid until further notice. An open-ended agreement offers the most flexibility to suit your current life situation. You decide how long you want to live there. 

An open-ended agreement means you can live in the apartment for an indefinite period. You don’t have to commit to the apartment for a full year, for example. The tenancy agreement term is flexible and can be adjusted to fit your studies and life circumstances.  

“Tenancy agreements that are valid until further notice are simple and hassle-free for both parties,” says rental negotiator Anna from Hoas.  

The current agreement does not specify an end date in advance; instead, you can decide for yourself when to terminate it. So you won’t be stuck in your rental studio even if your friends start a fun commune or a spot opens up in the world’s most interesting master’s program in a neighboring town.  

In the rental market, leases are often offered with an initial term of one year. At Hoas, students are typically offered a tenancy agreement that remains in effect until further notice. 

“When your studies are going well and your living situation is stable, there’s no point in wasting anyone’s time on the formalities involved in renewing contracts,” Anna explains. 

Hoas enters into fixed-term agreements only for valid reasons. One such reason might be, for example, that a student is about to graduate and the studies that qualify them for student housing are coming to an end.  

Hoas can offer fixed-term tenancy agreements to students who normally study elsewhere in Finland but stay in the Helsinki area for a thesis or internship. Otherwise, students must study at an educational institution in the area to live in Hoas housing.

– If a student is enrolled in a program in Oulu but is writing their thesis in Helsinki for a company based here, we can offer them a fixed-term contract for the duration of their stay in the Helsinki metropolitan area.  

If a student has previously paid rent late, Hoas may start with a fixed-term tenancy agreement. If rent payments go smoothly, the agreement can later become open-ended.

In Finland, the notice period for a tenancy agreement is generally one calendar month. In practice, this means that if you give notice now, the lease will end on the last day of the following month. For example, if you want to move out on the last day of June, you must give notice during the month of May. 

If your lessor terminates your tenancy agreement, the notice period is three or six months. A longer notice period applies if you have lived in the same apartment continuously for more than a year.  

The tenant is not required to remain in the apartment for the entire notice period; instead, they may terminate the tenancy agreement earlier if they wish.  

If Hoas ends your tenancy agreement, the most common reason is that you have completed your studies.

A fixed-term agreement ends on the date specified in the agreement, and you do not need to give separate notice to terminate it.  

By default, a fixed-term tenancy agreement cannot be terminated before the expiration date specified in it. However, Hoas makes an exception to this rule, and most fixed-term tenancy agreements can be terminated in the same way as open-ended contracts. 

“We understand that students’ life situations can change quickly, and that may mean it’s time to move,” says Anna. 

However, exchange student tenancy agreements and tenancy agreements for furnished spring apartments always end on the date stated in the agreement and cannot be ended earlier by the tenant.

Agree with your lessor on extending your fixed-term tenancy agreement well in advance of its expiration. A fixed-term agreement does not automatically become valid until further notice.

If you live in a Hoas apartment, we will contact you before your tenancy agreement expires and let you know what is required to renew it. Most likely, we will ask you to provide proof of your studies, such as a study certificate. 

You don’t have to give up your student apartment when you go on an exchange or internship outside your home town. While you’re away, you can sublet your apartment to another student. You cannot make a profit from subletting; instead, you must sublet the apartment at the same price you pay for it yourself.  

An open-ended tenancy agreement also gives you the peace of mind to look for a new home as your life situation changes. Hoas offers a variety of apartments for those looking for their first home, those moving in with a partner or friend, and families with children.