HOME INSURANCE

Home insurance is a contract regarding home damage.

You choose the insurance company yourself. Different insurance companies have different types of insurance. Always check what your own insurance covers before signing the contract. Home insurance is voluntary, but quite often you will not be able to rent an apartment without a home insurance contract.

When you pay regularly and without a delay your home insurance payments, in case of damage to your home items, the insurance company will cover the costs of the damage. Often, you also have to cover yourself a part of the cost. This amount is called the deductible (omavastuu).

Source: Sininauhasäätiö: Vocabulary on housing and social security for immigrants who just moved to Finland: Finnish | Arabic | Kurdish | Tigrinya | Swahili

BUILDING MAINTENANCE

The building maintenance service cares of good condition of the building.

Check who is responsible for the building maintenance you live in. Contact information can usually be found on the building notice board.

You can call the maintenance service if anything in your apartment is broken. For example, the service will help if a tap leaks.

Do not do electrical or plumbing work yourself. For example, do not install a dishwasher yourself.

In case you lose or forget your home key, also the maintenance service can help to open the door to your apartment. There is a charge for this service.

Maintenance company also sometimes does maintenance work in the whole building.

BUILDING MANAGER

The building manager is responsible for the administration of the building. You can usually find the information who the manager of your building is on the notice board in your building.

When you move in, inform about it also the building manager. You can ask the manager about the common facilities in the building and the fees charged for their use. Facilities in common use may include:

Kun muutat taloon, ilmoita siitä isännöitsijälle. Voit kysyä häneltä myös yhteisten tilojen käytöstä ja niiden maksuista. Yhteisessä käytössä voi olla esimerkiksi:

• a sauna (booking your time might be required in your building)
• a laundry room where you can wash and dry laundry.

There may also be a fee for the parking space.

If you want a satellite dish in your apartment, ask your building manager for permission. Do not install the antenna without permission.

Follow the building manager’s instructions and the house rules. If you do not follow the instructions, you may receive a warning. When you receive serveral warnings, you may be forced to move out of your apartment.