Housing company documents: 10 every shareholder should know

A housing company’s documents show how its finances have developed, what has been repaired in the building, what is being planned and what has been decided. Many shareholders only open them when selling their apartment or when something has already gone wrong. This article covers ten documents worth getting to know well before that: what to look for in them and what you can request from the company.

A single document gives only a partial picture. The financial statements may look good even though the maintenance needs report includes projects that will push up costs in a few years. When you read the documents side by side, the overall picture takes shape.

1. Articles of association

The articles of association are the housing company’s basic rules. They set out, for example, which apartment each share entitles its holder to occupy, on what basis the maintenance charge is collected, and whether the company has different charges, such as a financing charge or a capital charge.

Maintenance responsibility is divided according to the law unless the articles of association provide otherwise. So read your own company’s provisions rather than relying on how things are “usually” done in housing companies. This also applies to windows, where the division of responsibility changed on 1 October 2026: read about the change in responsibility for windows.

2. Financial statements

The financial statements, that is, the income statement, the balance sheet and the notes, show what money has been spent on and how expenses have been covered. Look at least at how income and expenses have developed, how much the company has borrowed and whether there have been any significant changes in its finances. A single figure does not tell you whether the finances are good or bad.

3. Annual report

The annual report supplements the financial statements in words. Among other things, it describes significant events during the financial year, how the budget was realised and any significant deviations, the likely future development and, if charges are collected for different purposes on different bases, how they were used. If costs differed from the budget, the annual report should explain why.

4. Maintenance needs report

At the annual general meeting, the board must present a written report on maintenance over the next five years that will significantly affect the use of the apartments, the maintenance charge or other housing costs.

The report is not a decision to renovate, but it tells you what is coming and when. Read it with an eye to how the upcoming work might affect living in the building and the charges. More on the topic: the maintenance needs report.

5. Report on maintenance and alteration work carried out

At the same meeting, the board presents a written report on significant maintenance and alteration work carried out in the company and when it was done. When you know when the pipes, roof, facade or windows were last repaired, it is easier to assess future needs.

6. General meeting documents

The board’s proposals for decisions, the latest financial statements, the annual report and the auditor’s or operations auditor’s report must be made available to shareholders at least two weeks before the meeting. They must be sent without delay to any shareholder who requests them, and a reasonable fee set by the board may be charged for sending them.

Read the documents in advance and write down anything that is unclear. Then you can ask precise questions at the meeting.

7. General meeting minutes

The minutes show the decisions made and the results of any votes, even if you could not attend. They must be made available to shareholders no later than four weeks after the meeting, and a shareholder has the right to receive a copy of them and their appendices. Compare the minutes with earlier plans: if a project mentioned in the maintenance needs report is not progressing, ask why.

8. Condition assessments and condition surveys

A condition assessment is usually a sensory overview of the building, whereas a condition survey is a more thorough investigation of a particular structure or system. They are often the most important basis for the maintenance needs report. Before a major renovation project, it is worth understanding what the investigations found and what they recommended, without drawing conclusions that go further than the reports support.

9. Renovation project documents

A major project produces project plans, contractors’ quotes, contracts, supervision reports and handover records. Not all of these are automatically available to every shareholder, but the content of the project, the reasons for it, its schedule and its cost impact must be brought to the general meeting when it is decided.

10. Documents for your own apartment

Keep the alteration work notifications for your apartment, any conditions set by the company, plans and inspection documents. You will need them when selling the apartment and when assessing who is responsible for maintaining a particular structure.

Following the amendment to the law that came into force on 1 October 2026, a shareholder has the right to receive promptly a copy of any document held by the company that concerns their apartment and is relevant to assessing its use, maintenance or costs. A reasonable fee may be charged for the copy, and it need not be provided if it would cause the company significant inconvenience. In addition, a shareholder has the right to be informed of a board decision that concerns the rights or obligations based on their shares.

In the National Land Survey of Finland’s online service, you can see the loan and repair information recorded for your own apartment in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System.

An annual routine

1. Read the latest financial statements and annual report.
2. Read the maintenance needs report and the report on work carried out.
3. Go through the general meeting documents before the meeting.
4. Read the minutes after the meeting.
5. Keep the documents for your own apartment safe.
6. Ask if anything important remains unclear.

Once you are familiar with the documents, your questions become more precise and it is easier to assess the effects of decisions.

Frequently asked questions

Which documents are most important for a shareholder?

The articles of association, the financial statements, the annual report, the maintenance needs report, the general meeting documents and the minutes. Technical investigations for major projects and the alteration work documents for your own apartment complete the picture.

Is the maintenance needs report a decision to renovate?

No. It is the board’s written estimate of maintenance needs for the next five years. Repairs are decided separately.

Legislation: Limited Liability Housing Companies Act on Finlex (in Finnish) (opens in a new tab).

This article provides general information and does not replace case-specific legal or technical advice.