The ABCs of Housing
Apartment temperature
Apartments have a central heating system that measures the outdoor temperature and heats the apartment based on this. During the heating season, the temperature of the apartments should be about 21 degrees. If your apartment feels cold, please measure the temperature in the middle of the room, at around one metre height. If the temperature is below 21 degrees, please notify the maintenance company.
In the heat of summer and when the sun is shining directly into the apartment, temperature may rise above 21 degrees. In accordance with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s housing health guideline (in Finnish]), “the room temperature may not rise above 26 C, unless the rising temperature is caused by the warmth of the air outdoors.” You can try to cool the apartment by keeping the curtains closed and by ventilating the apartment in the evenings, once the outdoor temperature cools down.
Keys behind locked doors
Did you lock yourself out of your apartment? During the opening hours of AYY’s Services Office, you can pop in to borrow a key. Securitas can open the door for you 24/7 every day, but you will be charged a fee of EUR 30.
- If you live in AYY’s apartment in Espoo* or Helsinki** and lock yourself out of your apartment, please call Securitas service number 060013513. The cost of calling is 8,21 cents/call + lnc/mnc.
- You must prove your identity by showing an official identity document such as passport or EU identity card (with a photo). The door opening service can only be used by the tenant that is officially registered as the tenant by AYY.
- Securitas will send a resident an invoice for opening the door. It is a good idea to pay your door opening invoice on time. If you do not pay the invoice by the due date, Securitas will send two reminder invoices before it goes to collection. If you have any questions about the invoice, please contact Securitas.
The door opening service of Securitas does not apply to Otaniemi Housing Foundation properties Servin Maijan tie 1 and Servinkuja 2, nor the Artti Housing Foundation property Maapadontie. In these properties, the doors will continue to be opened by the maintenance company.
Lost key
Please always inform AYY about a lost key using this form. Housing Services will give you further instructions on how to proceed and how you can get a new key as soon as possible.
For a lost key, you will be charged the costs of having a new key made. AYY will send the invoice for the lost key to the tenant. Please fill out the form only when you are absolutely certain that you have lost the key. The costs of having a new key made will be charged for the lost key. The notification is binding, and you will be charged for the key even if you find it later.
If a tenant hands in less keys than what they have signed for when tenancy ends, the costs of having the missing keys replaced will be deducted from the tenant’s deposit.
Sustainable housing
- Electricity and district heating in AYY’s housing come from emission-free or renewable energy sources. If you are responsible for your electricity contract, we recommend fossil-free options, such as solar and wind power. With a greener electricity contract, you have a direct impact on reducing emissions and supporting energy companies in switching to more sustainable electricity production. You can read more about tendering for electricity and energy sources on the sahkonhinta.fi site (Electricity Price Comparison) of the Finnish Energy Authority.
- "No ads" sticker on the door reduces paper waste.
- It is easy to consume sustainably at Aalto. Furniture and other household items can be purchased second-hand instead of new. Please donate or recycle your own unneeded household items at recycling centres, for example. However, the best waste is no waste. Read more about recycling in AYY’s housing.
- By taking Sitra’s lifestyle test, you will get tailor-made tips for more sustainable living and housing choices.
Previous resident’s mail
If you receive mail addressed to the previous resident or an unknown person, please write “jaettu väärin” (“misdelivered”) onto the letter and drop it at the nearest mail box for redelivery.
Internet and TV
The rent includes an internet connection which can be used without any special arrangements. Connect an Ethernet cable (with an RJ45 connection) to the wall and your computer.
All questions related to the internet and television are answered by Trinet. You can reach Trinet using this contact form. More detailed information on using the internet and TV as well as contact details are available on the Trinet website.
Fire alarm and light fittings
Fire alarms and light fittings in the apartment are mainly the resident’s responsibility. If the light bulb in the bathroom or your ceiling lamp burns out, you should replace it with a new one.
AYY is responsible for fire alarms and light fittings and bulbs in the common areas of shared apartments. If the fire alarm in the common area runs out of battery or a bulb burns out, please contact the maintenance company. Fire alarms and light fittings and bulbs in the rooms of a shared apartment are the resident’s responsibility. Some shared apartments have a ceiling light installed, but the bulbs have to be purchased by residents.
In some of our newest properties, fire alarms are connected to the grid. If a fire alarm connected to the grid is faulty, please contact the maintenance service.
Home insurance
We recommend that you take a home insurance. According to the law, the tenant is liable both for movables in the apartment and for the damage caused to the apartment by one's own actions. It is important to have a home insurance because otherwise the previously mentioned damages will be paid by you.
Parking and control
Parking spaces can be rented close to almost all of AYY’s properties. If you need a parking space, please contact the Housing Services using this form.
Car rental prices vary by destination. In Teekkarikylä, a parking space with an electric pole costs, for example, 15 € / month and a place without an electric pole costs 8 € / month.
The parking spaces at Turkismiehentie, Maapadontie and Kirkonkyläntie are controlled by the maintenance companies of the properties. If a resident of these properties needs a parking space, queries should be sent to the maintenance company. The contact details of maintenance companies can be found on each property’s own site.
If you have received a ticket for incorrect parking, please negotiate with the party who fined you. Unfortunately, AYY cannot influence the tickets received by residents.
Laundry rooms
You can reserve laundry rooms via Domo. At Maapadontie, laundry rooms are reserved via a separate system.
Sauna reservations
Residents of the Teekkari Village can review available sauna reservations via Domo. You can book weekly sauna reservation for yourself through the Housing Services (contact form). The sauna shift must be booked at the beginning of the previous month, so that the maintenance has time to be informed of the booked shift and heat the sauna in time.
There are free weekly public sauna shifts for residents. The timetable of the public shifts is also available in Domo.
At Turkismiehentie and Kirkonkyläntie, sauna reservations are made through the maintenance company. At Maapadontie, the saunas are reserved through a separate booking system. In the other Helsinki properties, sauna reservations can be made through the lists by the sauna doors if there is a common sauna.
A weekly sauna reservation costs €10 a month for tenants, with the exception of a weekly reservation at Atlantinkatu and Miestentie, which costs €15 a month (prices in 2020)
Pets
- Single room in a shared apartment: not allowed
- Studios and studio rooms in a shared apartment: allowed
- Two-room and bigger apartments: allowed
Cleanliness in shared apartments
In shared apartments with single rooms, all residents must take care of the cleanliness in common facilities. Storing waste in common facilities or balconies, for example, is prohibited and can lead to warnings or even a termination of the tenancy agreement. If a shared apartment is discovered to be in an unacceptable state, all residents are handed a cleaning request. After the request, the common facilities are inspected. If the common facilities have not been cleaned, a cleaner will perform the cleaning and the costs are charged from all residents of the shared apartment who are jointly liable.
Cleaning instructions for common facilities in shared apartments
Defect notifications
If there is a major problem with your apartment or the flaws or defects are structural, such as holes in the plastic flooring, please contact AYY’s Real Estate Sector using this contact form. Smaller defects, such as a loose power socket or missing shelves, can be reported directly to the maintenance company, which takes care of various inspections and repairs for free. The maintenance company will also notify AYY’s Real Estate Sector if a new fridge, for example, or other furnishings need to be ordered for the apartment. If you are unsure whose responsibility it is to fix something, you can contact the maintenance company. If necessary, the maintenance company will pass the message on or give instructions on the matters that are the responsibility of residents.
Resident’s responsibilities
Cleaning the floor drain is a resident's responsibility. The cleaning should be done regularly, as the floor drain may start to smell or become blocked. It is possible to get a filter for underneath the floor drain lid that collects debris and is easy to clean. Filters are available in large supermarkets.
How to clean the floor drain:
- Remove the floor drain lid. You may need a screwdriver if the lid is closed tightly.
- Remove hair and other debris from the floor drain.
- Clean the walls of the floor drain with a brush. You can use washing-up liquid, for example, for the cleaning.
- Clean the floor drain lid and put it back.
If the drain does not work despite the cleaning and water stays on the floor, the blockage may be further down. In this case, please contact the maintenance company.
Cleaning the drain trap in the toilet and bathroom is a resident’s responsibility and should be done regularly to prevent blockages. The drain trap in the kitchen must not be opened but needs to be cleaned using a drain cleaner designed to unblock pipes.
How to clean the drain trap in the toilet / bathroom:
- Place a bucket or other container underneath the drain trap, as some liquid may spill out from an opened drain trap.
- The drain trap usually opens by turning it. Unscrew the cap on the drain trap and set the seal aside.
- Clean the pipes by using a drain cleaning coil, for example
- Put the seal back and screw the cap back on.
- Finally, run water into the sink and make sure that the drain trap does not leak.
Pests and insects
Bed bugs are unpleasant but thankfully harmless pests that can usually be effectively exterminated from the apartment with right measures. If you think there might be bed bugs in your apartment, please contact the real estate team ([email protected]). A pest controller will be called to your apartment to assess the situation and carry out the necessary measures.
Fur beetles and grain beetles are fairly common but harmless pests. You may find fur beetle larvae among textiles, for example, whereas grain beetles can be found in your food cupboard. You can try to repel both with simple measures (by cleaning cupboards and using suitable repellents), but if the problem is wide-spread, you should contact the Housing Services to call a pest controller.
Repelling fruit flies requires patience. The flies can be caught using home-made traps by placing a glass of juice and washing-up liquid on your table. You can use pest repellents to destroy the eggs. Fruit flies like compostable waste, which should be emptied on a daily basis and the container should be carefully cleaned. All fruit should be removed from tabletops.
Silverfish are common but harmless pests that you can try to repel with simple measures. Silverfish access apartments from the ground via piping systems, for example. In apartments, there may be silverfish underneath skirting boards and door thresholds, in plumbing wholes or other covered places, for example. You can try to repel silverfish with suitable repellents by spraying some repellent in places where you have seen silverfish. Larvae can be repelled from drains by pouring boiling-hot water down the sink and the floor drain.
Residents’ FAQ
This page features a collection of common questions that residents may have. If you cannot find an answer to your question here, contact Housing Services.
