Kela (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland) can pay you a housing allowance if your income is small. Housing allowance is intended for housing-related costs.

You can apply for support for rent, maintenance charges, water charges and heating costs, for example.

Kela’s housing-related benefits include:

• general housing allowance
• housing allowance for pensioners
• housing assistance for conscripts and civil service men

APPLYING FOR HOUSING ALLOWANCE

You can apply for general housing allowance with the Kela form Application for Housing Allowance (AT1). You can also apply for general housing allowance online.

You also need to enclose:

• a copy of your tenancy agreement and a document showing the amount of your rent (for rental dwellings)
• documentation on maintenance charges and mortgage (for owner-occupied dwellings)
• if you live in a community, authorisation (proxy) from other residents for applying for housing allowance on everyone’s behalf.

Send the application to Kela’s office or fill in the application online. Kela serves its customers in local offices, by telephone, by mail and through online services. When running your personal errands in Kela’s office, you need to present a proof of identity, for example your passport.

You will receive the decision either in the Oma Kela online service or by mail home.

Kela: How to apply for the general housing allowance Finnish | Swedish | English

Kela support (myintegration.fi)

More information and source: Info Finland – Housing allowance