How do you find a place to live in Finland?
I have found finding an apartment in Finland relatively easy. People are honest, prompt with communication and straightforward (I not not say the same about my experience in the US).
1. Decide: City Vibes or Forest Feels?
Decide on the type of lifestyle you want. The beauty of Helsinki and the rest of Finland is that you have life somewhere that feels like it is in the middle of nowhere, when really it is well-connected and not that far. So decide if you want the city life (Helsinki city centre), suburban life (Espoo) or the Island life (Lautasaari). That will make searching a bit easier. Personally, I opted for city life, but I often dream of island life.
Pro tip: Public transport in Finland is chef’s kiss, so even smaller towns often connect well to cities. You don’t need to live in Helsinki to work in Helsinki.
2. Start your search online
That’s Finnish for “rental apartment” – and it’s your golden keyword when house-hunting. Websites like:
Tori.fi (Finland’s Craigslist, thb, I haven’t had much luck here using Tori.fi as a foreigner who doesn’t speak Finnish).
...are where most Finns go to list available rentals. Just be ready for some listings to be entirely in Finnish, but Google Translate will become your new best buddy. Also, make sure you check the fine print for any upcoming majoy renovations.
3. Know the Numbers (and the Codes)
In Australia, places are advertised by the number of bedrooms, but it is totally different in Finland. They do it based on any type of room and square metres. Apartments here are usually listed with mysterious codes like "2H+KK+S". Translation?
H = huone = room (not bedroom, just any room)
KK = kitchenette
S = sauna (yes, your apartment might have one inside, because Finland)
Also, another heads up, rent typically doesn’t include utilities such as electricity, water, or internet, so budget a little extra. On the bright side, your heating bill probably won't bankrupt you. (Thank you, district heating.)
4. Negotiate, even when they tell you not to
When we suggested to someone we wanted to negotiate the rental price, we were discouraged against it because “that is now what Finns do”. But we did it anyway and got a good discount on both apartments we have lived in. Also, while the roof renovation was happening, we asked for another discount, which we got. Remember, if you don’t ask, the answer is always no!
5. Get help from a Finn (if possible)
We were lucky enough to have a relocation specialist help us the first time we moved. The second time was a bit trickier, mostly because we kept trying to call agents from a US number, and I assume they thought it was spam. We had our friend Henkka call a few agents for us to go see the apartments on our behalf - thank you, Henkka. But once you’re on the ground and have a Finnish number, you shouldn’t have any issues getting a hold of
If it's in Finnish and you're unsure, ask for an English version or get someone to explain it to you. Better safe than suddenly evicted.
Do you have any other tips or questions? If so, leave them in the comments!
Also, if you want more help or advice about moving to Finland, you can book a time with me here.
