Property · Our pick in Helsinki
Buying in Helsinki: the back story
The back story
About Buying in Helsinki: the back story
Most Helsinki flats are bought as shares in a housing company (asunto-osakeyhtiö), not as land. The Finnish Tax Administration sets transfer tax at 1.5% for shares in a housing company or real estate company and 3% for real estate and buildings, paid by the buyer.
How ownership works
A Helsinki flat is usually owned through shares in the housing company that owns the building; detached houses and plots are real estate in the legal sense. The difference matters for tax and for the permit rules below.
Transfer tax
The buyer files a transfer tax return and pays the tax: 1.5% on shares in a housing company or real estate company, 3% on real estate and buildings (vero.fi).
Work with a licensed agent (LKV) and a lawyer from the start.
Buyers from outside the EU
Under the Act on Permit Requirements for Certain Real Estate Acquisitions (470/2019), buyers from outside the EU and EEA need a permit from the Ministry of Defence to buy real estate in Finland. Take legal advice on whether it applies to you before you sign.
Where people buy
Our property guide compares the classic addresses of Ullanlinna, Eira, Kaartinkaupunki and Kruununhaka with Töölö and the new seaside districts of Jätkäsaari, Kalasatama and Kruunuvuorenranta. We never publish prices.
Our advice: decide early whether you are buying shares or real estate, and check the housing company’s plans for renovations before you commit.
Why it's on our list
- How ownership works
- Transfer tax
- Buyers from outside the EU
- Where people buy
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Buying in Helsinki: the back story before you go.