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  • Housing regulation
• Regulations

 

The housing regulation

Chapter I

General provisions

 

Section 1, Scope of application

This regulation is followed in students' residential apartments owned and administered by the Aalto University Student Union (later referred as the Student Union) and its subsidiaries and associated companies.

 

Section 2, Bodies

 

The administrative bodies of housing localities, depending on the housing locality, are the Board, the Financial Committee, the Housing Committee, the Housing Cooperative, Resident Councils, the Village Senate, building meetings and castle wardens.

 

Section 3, Housing Office

 

The practical affairs of housing localities are handled by the Housing Office which is directed by the director of the Housing Office. 

 

Chapter II
Applying for apartments

Section 4, The right to apply for an apartment and apartment types

The Student Union members and employees have the right to apply for apartments administered indirectly or directly by the Student Union and to receive the apartment in accordance with the grounds confirmed by the Representative Council as is enacted in this regulation.

An apartment type refers to either shared apartments, studios, two-room apartments, three-room apartments or apartments with more rooms. A family apartment refers to an apartment which has two or more rooms. A friends' apartment refers to an apartment where two or more members of the Student Union live together.

               Section 5, Residents

All student union members and employees are entitled to apply for the Student Union apartments. Shared apartments and studios or family apartments are offered to the members and employees of the Student Union. Additionally, friends' apartments can be granted for a separate application.

 

In shared apartments and studios the tenant and in family apartments at least one tenant has to be a member or an employee of the Student Union. In friends' apartments, all tenants must be members of the Student Union. The Housing Committee can make exceptions to the aforementioned criteria for very weighty reasons.

 

 

Section 6, Apartment application

The apartments are applied with an electronic application form in an online application intended for it. The application form equates, when applicable, to the valid decision of the Ministry of the Environment on the form of an apartment application or corresponding directions from the authorities. The apartment application must be made in writing. In special cases, the applicant must deliver attachment documents to the Housing Office to support one's application.

          Apartments can be applied continuously. For the first-year students, the possibility to apply begins as soon as the study place is confirmed. The deadline for the applications of first-          year students is ordered by the Housing Committee.

          The first-year student must pay the membership fee of the Aalto University Student Union    during the registration period defined by Aalto University or one will be removed from the queues when the registration period ends.

          To keep one's place in the housing queue, the applicant must renew one's application every six (6) months. The applicant must also immediately inform if she/he wants to lay       aside one's application, in which case the applicant is removed from the queues of the     same apartment type. If the applicant wishes to do so, one can make a new application          for a new housing locality, which is placed as the last application in the queue concerning          that housing locality. The applicant has the right to leave the queue at any time by      cancelling one's application.

 

The applicant can apply for apartments in several housing localities at the same time.

The apartment applications of applicants who own the right of residence for each housing locality and apartment type are solved in the queue order with the exceptions which are clarified in the point calculation formula for apartments.

If the applicant is offered an apartment, one will be removed from the queues of the same apartment type.

 

Chapter III

Selection of residents

 

Section 7, Selection criteria

The selection of residents is based on the resident selection criteria defined by the Council of State. These are taken into account in accordance with this regulation and the selection directions approved by the Housing Committee. 

Section 8, Exceptions in the application procedure

When confirming the distribution grounds for apartments, the Student Union has the right to decide on the exceptions to the application procedure and the distribution order which are followed in special cases. 

When confirming the distribution grounds for apartments, the Student Union has the right  to decide on renting apartments also to others than the members of the Student Union.

Section 9, Notifying about the resident selection

The Housing Office must inform the applicants on the solutions made when distributing apartments or selecting residents immediately in writing either by mail or e-mail. The apartment offer must be accepted within the time period defined by the Housing Office.

Chapter IV
General provisions concerning tenancy

Section 10, Right of residence

The Student Union members who are in need of accommodation have the right of residence in apartments owned and/or administered indirectly or directly by the Student Union (later ”Student Union apartment” or ”apartment”). If housing is connected with  property or other conditions required by the valid legislation or other similar regulations, the right of residence requires fulfilling these conditions. The fulfillment of the right of residence is solved based on the information announced in the application form and the attachments, possible further clarifications and the accumulated study points.

The right of residence period in a Student Union apartment is altogether five (5) years for a person selected for the Bachelor's or Master's programme from the beginning of the year when studies began. For those selected only for the Master's Programme, the period is the maximum of two (2) years from the beginning of the year when studies began, including the term of notice in accordance with the Act on Residential Leases (AHVL). Families with children are granted additional two (2) years to the right of residence period. When a Student Union member graduates from a Master's programme or finishes full-time studies for a Bachelor's or Master's degree, the student is served a notice of termination, regardless of how long one has lived in the apartments of the Student Union in total. The right of residence period should particularly take into consideration that five years means five years from the beginning of the studies, regardless of whether one lives in a Student Union apartment or not. After the fifth study year, the right to live in a Student Union apartment ends.

The right of residence period is not consumed if the person does not live in a Student union apartment and has registered for non-attendance at Aalto University.

If the Student Union member after graduation is accepted to complete a Licentiate or doctoral degree in Aalto University and if one is a Student Union member when completing the doctoral degree, the right of residence can be continued by the decision of the Housing Committee when the right of residence period is used.

A resident who has acted as a Student Union Board member or in some other significant duty in the Student Union can be granted an extension of one (1) year at a time to the right of residence if it is applied for.

Section 11, Discontinuation of housing for a fixed term

The discontinuation of housing for a fixed term and living elsewhere temporary in a manner which does not consume the right of residence period is allowed if it is caused by:

§ military service;

§ studies abroad included in a degree of Aalto University;

§ work exchange abroad organised by Aalto University or the Aalto University Student Union;

§ other grounds approved by the Housing Committee.

The discontinuation of housing should be announced to the Housing Office and, if requested, the student has to present a written clarification on the reasons for the discontinuation of housing one (1) whole calendar month before the discontinuation of housing at the latest and to agree on practical affairs with the Housing Office at the same time. The exact time of returning to the apartment must be informed at least one whole calendar month before the return to the Housing Office which aims at organising a similar apartment from the same or similar housing locality.

Section 12, Subleasing of an apartment

A tenant can sublease one's apartment for a fixed term in accordance with the rental conditions and fees in one's rental agreement, being in charge of them, with the following conditions: 

§ The apartment is rented to a person one selects for the maximum of four (4) months between 1 May–31 Aug or 1 Jun–30 Sept.

§ If the tenant presents the Housing Office with a certification of studies abroad included in a degree of Aalto University or a military service, one can rent the apartment to a Student Union member one selects for the maximum period of twelve (12) months.

§ With the decision of the Housing Committee, the apartment can once be rented to a Student Union member in an exceptional case for a longer period than one year while living abroad if one presents competent grounds for the procedure.

 

The subleasing of an apartment consumes the right of residence period. Subleasing must be announced in writing to the Housing Office at least one (1) whole calendar month before the beginning of the sublease. The main tenant must deliver a copy of the sublease agreement to the Housing Office before the beginning of subtenancy. When the subtenancy ends, the main tenant's tenancy is returned to the same apartment and the right of residence period is considered having been consumed also during subtenancy.

          Subleasing an apartment in other than the previously mentioned situations and in any other except the previously mentioned procedure leads to the cancellation of the rental   agreement.

Section 13, Rental agreement

The conditions of tenancy are entered in detail to two copies of a written rental agreement which is drafted to an agreement form confirmed by the Student Union. If residents are spouses or co-habiting partners, they both have to sign the rental agreement as tenants.

Section 14, Deposit

 

A deposit must be paid to the Student Union for each rental agreement already before handing over the apartment. The amount of the deposit is annually confirmed in spring. The tenant takes over the apartment only after presenting a receipt for the paid deposit. When moving in to the apartment, the tenant is liable to inspect the condition of the room and the movable property and to announce any defects or deficiencies one detects to the Housing Office. After the tenant moves out, the deposit is not returned until the condition of the room and the movable property are inspected and stated satisfactory. Returning the deposit further requires that the tenant does not have any unpaid rents or other payments in arrears. Without hearing the tenant, the landlord can use the deposit to compensate for the receivables required of the tenant.

 

Section 15, Giving notice in an exceptional case

When the needs of the Student Union require so with competent grounds, the rental agreement can be terminated and a new rental agreement concerning another apartment is made with the tenant. By the decision of the Representative Council of the Student Union, residents can also be temporarily transferred if the Student Union needs the apartments for the public good between 1 May–31 August.

In these cases, the notice periods in the Act on Residential Leases (481/1995)  must be taken into considerations.

Section 16, Inspecting the right of residence

The Housing Office has the right to inspect the fulfilment of the tenant's requirements for the right of residence. The tenant commits to give the Housing Office the information which affects the right of residence for the inspection of the right of residence annually and at other times upon the request of the Housing Office .

In connection with the inspection of the right of residence, the Housing Committee or the Housing Office can terminate the rental agreement with the tenant in accordance with the notice periods of the AHVL in particular if:

1.      the tenant has finished studies at Aalto University;

2.      the tenant is no longer a member of the Student Union;

3.      the time limitations mentioned in Section 10 of this regulation run out;

4.      the tenant has not completed eighteen (18) study points at Aalto University during the previous academic year as a resident of the housing locality of the Student Union

5.      the tenant does not give the necessary information to the Housing Office for the inspection of the right of residence .

If the person presents justified grounds for the delay of studies, the issue can be handled at the Housing Committee. The acceptable reasons are:

§ illness which is verified to delay one's studies

§ military service during one's study time 

§ other reason considered sufficient by the committee set for the housing affairs by the Board.

 

 

 

Section 17, Deferral of the removal date

 

If the resident has given the notice to move out of the apartment on a specific date, the Housing Committee can agree on the deferral of the removal date with the resident. A ground for this delay must be that the resident can prove that the removal causes significant difficulties or that the resident is forced to arrange a new apartment for an unreasonably short period because of moving to another location or waiting for one's own apartment to be finished, or if the resident presents other very weighty reasons for the deferral of the removal date. The removal date can be deferreds for the maximum of one (1) year.

Section 18, Giving notice on a rental agreement

Both parties can serve a notice of termination as is enacted in Chapter 7 of the AHVL, however, in the manner that the duration of tenancy is defined as being used based on the right of residence period concerning the person who lives in an apartment owned or administered by the Student Union or its subsidiary or an associated company.

The resident can complain about the notice within thirty (30) days of the announced notice. The written complaint must be delivered to the Housing Office.

Section 19, Termination of a rental agreement 

The Board of the Student Union or the subsidiary or an associated company of the Student Union which acts as the landlord has the right to terminate a rental agreement on the same grounds and with the same procedures as is enacted in Chapter 8 of the AHVL. An additional ground for termination is if the tenant in one's application or in connection with the inspection of the right of residency is considered having given wrong or misleading information or hidden true information or if the apartment or part of it is subleased or otherwise handed over against this regulation.

Section 20, Written warning

Before terminating the rental agreement, the Housing Office or the Housing Committee must give a written warning to the tenant which includes an individualised mention of the ground for the termination. If the resident immediately corrects one's erroneous procedure, there is no right for the termination.

The procedure of giving a written warning does not apply to situations where the apartment or part of it is subleased or handed over against this regulation or the AHVL. In these cases, the rental agreement is terminated after the landlord finds out about the malpractice.

Section 21, Giving notice on a rental agreement in family apartments

The family apartment type is rented as a family apartment and the prerequisite for tenancy is using it as a family apartment. The tenancy of the family apartment can be terminated if the family members have ceased to live together in a collective economy or if one of the tenants living together decides to cease living in the apartment in question.

 

Section 22, Terms and conditions of the data network

The tenant is committed as part of one's rental agreement to follow the terms and conditions of the data network of the Student Union.

Chapter V
Specific provisions

Section 23, Deviation of the provisions of the regulation

The Student Union Board has the right to temporarily deviate from the provisions of this regulation for a particularly weighty reason.

Section 24, Privacy protection

The applications for rental apartments are handled as confidential as they include applicants' confidential financial and social information. The Student Union must file the applications with their attachments in a purposeful manner taken confidentiality into consideration. As a clarification, it is stated here that as the authorities supervising the use of rental apartments produced with the state's support, the municipality, the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland and the Ministry of the Environment have the right to receive the documents upon request for supervision concerning apartment buildings and the resident selections within their supervisory duty.

Section 25, Additions and changes

Additions and changes to this regulation are decided by the Representative Council of the Student Union with the majority of two thirds of the Representative Council votes.