> Buying a flat: check the housing company, not just the… > Lähde: https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/buying-housing-company-shares/ > Koko sivusto koneluettavana: https://huoneistokierros.fi/llms-full.txt [Knowledge base](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/) # Buying a flat: check the housing company, not just the apartment Huoneistokierros · 13 August 2026 · 7 min read ![Apartment keys being handed over to a new resident](https://huoneistokierros.fi/_astro/avainten-luovutus.NSot6dx__xxXDX.jpg) In this article 1. [What are you actually buying?](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/buying-housing-company-shares/#what-are-you-actually-buying) 2. [Documents to read before making an offer](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/buying-housing-company-shares/#documents-to-read-before-making-an-offer) 3. [Obligations of the buyer and the seller](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/buying-housing-company-shares/#obligations-of-the-buyer-and-the-seller) 4. [Debt-free price and tasks after the sale](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/buying-housing-company-shares/#debt-free-price-and-tasks-after-the-sale) 5. [Look at the building too](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/buying-housing-company-shares/#look-at-the-building-too) 6. [Frequently asked questions](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/buying-housing-company-shares/#frequently-asked-questions) 7. [Sources](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/buying-housing-company-shares/#sources) At a viewing, your attention goes to the kitchen, the bathroom tiles and the view from the balcony. But when you buy a flat in a housing company, what you are actually buying are shares that entitle you to occupy the apartment, and at the same time you join a housing company whose finances, building condition, loans and decisions will affect your housing costs for years. The key documents are best read before you make an offer, and some things are left for the buyer to deal with only after the sale. ## What are you actually buying? The limited liability housing company owns the building and usually also owns the plot or holds it on a lease. Your right to the apartment is based on shares which, under the articles of association, entitle you to occupy a specific apartment. As a shareholder you pay a maintenance charge, and responsibility for upkeep is divided between the company and the shareholder according to the law and the articles of association: as a starting point, the company is responsible for the structure, insulation and main systems, and the shareholder for the interior of the apartment. Read more in the article on [what a housing company shareholder owns](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/what-a-shareholder-owns/). So a beautiful apartment may be in a housing company facing major repairs. Equally, an old-fashioned apartment may be in a well-run company where the big renovations have already been done. ## Documents to read before making an offer ### The property manager’s certificate The property manager’s certificate (isännöitsijäntodistus) is the single most important document. It sets out the basic details of the apartment and the company, the charges, the share of company loans allocated to the apartment, completed and known upcoming repairs, and key financial figures. Read all of it. The certificate also has legal significance. Under chapter 3, section 7 of the Limited Liability Housing Companies Act (asunto-osakeyhtiölaki, 1599/2009), a new owner may be liable for charges left unpaid by the previous owner, up to the amount of the charges for the month of transfer and the five months before it. However, the new owner is not liable for a charge that fell due before the date of the certificate and is not mentioned in it. So check the date and any mention of arrears. ### Articles of association The articles of association tell you which shares entitle the holder to occupy which apartment, how the charges are determined and whether responsibility for upkeep differs from the default position in the law. In semi-detached houses and small companies in particular, the shareholder’s responsibility may be broader than usual. For example, an amendment to the law that came into force on 1 October 2026 made the company generally responsible for maintaining windows, but the articles of association may still say otherwise. Read more about the [change in responsibility for windows](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/window-responsibility-change-2026/). ### Financial statements and budget The financial statements and budget show the company’s income, expenditure, debts and cash position. The finances and the condition of the building need to be read together: little debt and a low maintenance charge may mean that major repairs are still to come, while a large loan is not a bad sign if it has already paid for something like a pipe renovation. Find out what the loans were taken out for, what is still ahead and how loan repayments affect the financing charge. ### Maintenance needs report At every annual general meeting, the board must present a written report on the maintenance needs for the next five years that will significantly affect living in the building, the charges or other costs (chapter 6, section 3 of the Limited Liability Housing Companies Act). For a buyer, this is one of the most useful documents. The report is not a promise that repairs will be carried out exactly when stated, nor a guarantee that no new needs will arise. Compare it with the age of the building, its repair history, condition surveys and the property manager’s certificate. More on this: [maintenance needs report](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/knowledge-base/maintenance-needs-report/). ### Minutes of the general meeting The latest minutes show what is currently being discussed in the company: planned repairs, commissioned surveys and financing decisions. These are not always prominent in the sales listing. ### Extract from the Residential and Commercial Property Information System Once the company has moved to the National Land Survey of Finland’s register of apartment shares, an extract from the Residential and Commercial Property Information System (osakehuoneistotuloste) shows ownership, pledges and restrictions on the shares. Make sure the seller has the right to transfer the shares and that any pledges are dealt with when the sale is completed. If the shares still have a paper share certificate, ownership and pledges are checked using the share certificate and the company’s register of shareholders. ## Obligations of the buyer and the seller The sale of a second-hand apartment is governed by the Housing Transactions Act (asuntokauppalaki, 843/1994). The buyer must inspect the apartment properly before the sale and cannot later claim as a defect anything they must be assumed to have known about when the sale was made. However, the inspection does not normally require invasive or other special technical investigations, unless there is a particular reason for them. The seller must give the buyer the information that is material to the sale. The apartment may be defective if it does not match what was agreed or if the seller has given incorrect or incomplete information, for example by concealing a decided or planned renovation they knew about. Even so, it is wise to study the documents yourself rather than relying on the brochure or what you are told. ## Debt-free price and tasks after the sale The sale price is the amount you pay the seller. The debt-free price is the sale price plus the share of company loans allocated to the shares. Always compare apartments on their debt-free price, and find out the loan term of the loan share and the size of the financing charge. After the sale, the buyer has two important tasks: - **Transfer tax** on housing company shares is 1.5% of the debt-free price. It must be paid within two months of the sale. In a sale handled by an estate agent, the tax is paid when the sale is completed. - **Registration of ownership** must be applied for from the National Land Survey of Finland within two months of the sale when the shares are in the register of apartment shares. If the shares still have a paper share certificate, ask the estate agent or the property manager how the transfer of ownership and the digitisation of the share certificate are handled. ## Look at the building too At a viewing, look not only at the apartment but also at the facade, the visible condition of the roof, the yard and how rainwater drains away, the stairwells, the basement and the shared spaces. This is not a technical diagnosis, just observations worth asking more about. Ask, too, what has not been repaired. Which major parts of the building have not yet been renovated, when was their condition last surveyed and has the board already discussed it? You can replace the kitchen and paint the walls, but you will not decide on a pipe renovation, the facade or the company’s finances on your own. ### Checklist 1. The property manager’s certificate and its date 2. The articles of association and any non-standard maintenance responsibilities 3. The latest financial statements and budget 4. The minutes of the latest general meeting 5. The maintenance needs report and repair history 6. Any known condition assessments and condition surveys 7. The share of company loans, loan term and financing charge 8. The extract from the property information system or the share certificate 9. The general standard of upkeep of the building 10. What is not yet known about the building ## Frequently asked questions ### Can a buyer end up paying the previous owner’s unpaid charges? Yes, but liability is limited to the charges for the month of transfer and the five months before it at most. The buyer is not liable for charges that fell due before the date of the property manager’s certificate and are not mentioned in it. ### Is the maintenance needs report the same as an agreed renovation programme? No. It is the board’s assessment of the significant maintenance needs for the next five years. Repairs are decided on separately. ### Do I need to have the apartment inspected? The law does not require it, but the buyer must inspect the apartment properly. If you notice warning signs or there is some other particular reason, it is worth considering a more detailed investigation before the sale. ## Sources - [Limited Liability Housing Companies Act 1599/2009, consolidated version (Finlex, in Finnish) (opens in a new tab)](https://finlex.fi/fi/lainsaadanto/2009/1599) - [Housing Transactions Act 843/1994, consolidated version (Finlex, in Finnish) (opens in a new tab)](https://finlex.fi/fi/lainsaadanto/1994/843) - [Finnish Tax Administration – transfer tax for buyers of housing company shares (in Finnish) (opens in a new tab)](https://vero.fi/henkiloasiakkaat/omaisuus/varainsiirtovero/asuntoosakkeen-ostaja/) This article provides general information and does not replace case-specific legal or technical advice. Free assessment ## Know what condition your housing company's apartments are in On a preventive apartment round we go through every apartment in a single visit at a fixed price and record our findings in an electronic report. The assessment is free of charge. [Book a free assessment](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/contact/#kartoitus)[Get a price estimate](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/pricing/#hinta-arvio) Preventive maintenance at a fixed price Every apartment on a single round. [Book a free assessment](https://huoneistokierros.fi/en/contact/#kartoitus) Read next ## Related articles - ![Red front door of a stairwell under a canopy](https://huoneistokierros.fi/_astro/rappu-punainen-ovi.CcN3FXAX_Z1NtgBG.jpg) 14 September 2026 · 7 min read ### The apartment round: what to check inside the apartments An apartment round shows the board the apartments it would otherwise never see. What to look at, what the law says and how to record what you find. - ![Old white double door and herringbone parquet](https://huoneistokierros.fi/_astro/pariovi-asunto.6LiEzKvw_2b547W.jpg) 21 September 2026 · 7 min read ### 15 things to check in your home every year A small leak or a sticking window is easiest to fix early. Use this 15-point list to check your home once a year and know what to report. - ![Bright attic room with a window facing the trees](https://huoneistokierros.fi/_astro/ullakkohuone.BOwrnP6e_ptaHc.jpg) 13 September 2026 · 4 min read ### The housing company attic: what to check before winter From the attic you can see the condition of the roof and loft floor before a leak shows in the apartments. What to look out for and what may be stored there. Free assessment ## Let's plan the right round for your housing company Call us or send a contact request. The assessment and advice are free of charge. We can visit the property if needed. 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