Do you want to apply for an apartment?

Kuopas housing may be applied for at any time of the year, non-stop. At earliest you may apply for housing after you have received a formal letter of acceptance from your school in Finland. For exchange students it is recommended to also read this guide: Guide for Exchange & Master’s degree students

Students under the age of 18 are required to have their parents’ consent for liability on the tenancy agreement.

Kuopas’ apartments are meant for all students, also the locals, whom continue their studies after comprehensive school in the following institutions in the city of Kuopio and its surroundings:

• University of Eastern Finland
• University of Applied Sciences
• High school
• Vocational institute or equivalent

The urgency of your need for an apartment and the amount of your monthly steady income during your studies both have an effect to your waiting time for Kuopas’ apartment.

If you are moving to Kuopio to study from abroad, you should also take a look at this guide: Guide for Exchange & Master’s degree students

What kind of apartments can I apply for?

There are many housing options to suit a student’s different needs:

• Shared apartments (2 and 3 room)
• Single apartments/studios
• Family apartments (2 or 3 rooms)

Furnished rooms are available in Pankkola (location Puijonlaakso), Särki (location Särkiniemi) and Katiska (location Rauhalahti). Waiting time for single apartments / studios can be from 6 months to 1 year. Normally exchange students live in shared apartments.

See more about apartment types and accessories: Apartment types and rents

Even if you are moving from another Kuopas’ apartment, you need to give us your notice of termination concerning your previous tenancy agreement. The notice of termination time is needed also if your building is demolished or sold by Kuopion Opiskelija-asunnot Oy. The notice period is one full calendar month.

Please make sure, that before you accept an offer from Kuopas, you have terminated the contract of the old apartment and that you don’t have to pay the rent for two apartments at the same time, if you don’t plan to do so.

Example: If you terminate your current contract during January, you still have to pay the rent of February.

More information about terminating a contract can be found here: Termination of contract and graduation

How do I fill the application form?

You can apply by using an electronic form.

Shared apartment with friends: Choose this when you want to apply Kuopas housing with a friend. Each applicant must have a separate application, and applicants must add the name of friend in the end of the application.

The application is valid for three months. You will receive an email one week before the application becomes unvalid. You can use the link in the email to renew the application.

What happens after I’ve sent the application?

You will receive a proposal for tenancy agreement by e-mail.

The proposal will contain the address of your new apartment/room, its type, size, rent and the starting date of the rental period. The tenancy agreement begins if you pay the deposit before the due date and send the receipt to us by email.

We get the information about available rooms one month ahead. If you are applying for a room starting on 1st January, you will get a proposal for tenancy agreement at latest in the beginning of December. In the summer the offer may come in a shorter notice time. Asking for your application’s status does not make the process faster, please wait for us to contact you.

I was offered an apartment … What next?

Deposit payment

To confirm the acceptance of the apartment you must pay the deposit payment. The Tenancy agreement begins if you pay the deposit before due date and send the receipt for your payment by e-mail to the Kuopas’ office. The amount for a shared room is 250 € and for a single apartment and a family apartment 400 €. This is the guarantee you give to us, of your intention of looking after all obligations concerning your apartment. The deposit payment has to be paid immediately after receiving an apartment offer to keep the apartment reserved for you.

Please remember to use the reference number in your payment. The reference number is in the offer email.

When the rental period is over the deposit will be returned to you within one month of the end of your tenancy agreement, granted that you have fulfilled all obligations to Kuopas and the apartment is clean and in good condition.

Please notice that foreign bank may charge some costs for a transaction. Ask your bank how to transfer the correct amount! If the amount of the deposit payment we receive is incomplete because of the transferring costs, we will have to make a request for the rest of the amount. When returning the deposit, we transfer the same amount from our account that we have received from you. The amount that reaches your account may be less because of the transaction costs. Please ask your bank about the transferring costs.

The tenancy agreement (Open ended) is valid for the duration of your studies in case you don’t terminate the agreement earlier. All tenancy agreements are open ended, if we have not agreed that the contract is fixed. According to the tenancy agreement and the law, on open ended contract you are liable to give a full month’s notice on the termination of the tenancy.

The tenancy agreement can also be made for a fixed period, for example after you have finished your studies or for a summer period.

Renting your apartment to a third party is only allowed with our permission. The use of Airbnb for Kuopas apartments is forbidden.