How to apply for right-of-occupancy apartments? Here's how to get a queue number and find a home

Right-of-occupancy housing is a secure and flexible form of living that frees you from the worry of sudden lease terminations without the need to commit to a large home loan. It combines the ease of renting with the stability of home ownership. Especially in growing urban centers like Tampere and Turku, right-of-occupancy apartments are a popular choice as they adapt flexibly to different life situations and changing everyday needs. Getting an apartment is based on a statutory application process that always begins with obtaining a national queue number.

What does right-of-occupancy housing mean in practice?

When moving into a right-of-occupancy home, you pay a one-time right-of-occupancy fee, which by law is 15 percent of the property's original acquisition cost. The rest of the construction costs are financed by a state-guaranteed loan granted to the housing company. Instead of buying the property outright, the resident receives a lifelong and strongly protected right of possession. The monthly fee (maintenance charge) is determined on an at-cost principle, keeping it reasonable and often below the local market rent levels for private rental housing.

A major benefit of right-of-occupancy housing is financial stability and low risk. Since you don't need to tie up capital in a mortgage for the full value of the home, funds are freed up for other needs in life. The model effectively protects the resident from real estate market fluctuations and interest rate risks. When you decide to give up your home, the right-of-occupancy fee is refunded to you, adjusted by the building cost index, meaning your invested capital preserves its real value.

Ending your tenancy offers clear predictability, as the notice period for terminating a right-of-occupancy apartment is three months starting from the date the written notice of termination is received. This statutory period gives the resident sufficient time to arrange their next steps. Traditional rental apartments follow a different schedule: for example, at YH Kodit, the notice period for rental apartments is one full calendar month, calculated from the last day of the month in which notice is given. If a lease agreement is terminated during June (even on June 1st), the tenancy and payment obligation end on the last day of July.

Step 1: Get a national queue number

Applying for right-of-occupancy housing is based on a single, shared nationwide system. Thanks to this reform, applying is more straightforward, as you can apply for homes across Finland using one single number. Queue numbers are issued centrally by the Centre for State-Subsidised Housing Construction (Varke), which manages the online service and registry. This system replaced the previous municipality-specific numbers, which expired at the end of 2023, making the application process fairer for all applicants.

The queue number obtained from Varke is valid for two years from the date of issue and cannot be extended. If your housing need continues after two years without finding a suitable home, you must apply for a new queue number from the register. The number is personal, but it covers the entire household's joint application, as one applicant household can only hold one valid number at a time.

Obtaining a queue number is an essential step before submitting a housing application, as the number is linked directly to your application. The queue number determines the priority among applicants when multiple people are interested in the same available home. The applicant with the lowest number receives the housing offer first.

Before filling out a housing application, it is recommended to review the detailed application instructions. You can find a comprehensive, step-by-step guide on our website about applying for a right-of-occupancy apartment.

Once you have obtained your national queue number and are looking for a new home in the Pirkanmaa or Southwest Finland regions, you can start browsing our up-to-date listings. You can easily find available homes on our online service, where you can search for, for example, available and upcoming right-of-occupancy apartments in Pirkanmaa.

Step 2: Find a suitable home and submit an application

After receiving your national queue number, you can begin searching for a right-of-occupancy home that suits you. Our selection includes homes of various sizes and types in prime locations, particularly in the Tampere and Turku regions as well as their neighboring municipalities. You can apply for both immediately available homes and modern new developments currently under construction.

The housing application is completed online on YH Kodit's website. You enter the valid queue number received from Varke along with your preferred areas, properties, and building types. Submitting an application does not obligate you to accept an offer; it serves as an official expression of your interest in available homes.

Step 3: Housing offer and tenant selection criteria

 When the properties you have applied for become available, they are offered to applicants in order of queue numbers. The applicant with the lowest valid number receives the offer first. If the first applicant no longer needs the apartment or declines the offer, it is passed on to the applicant with the next lowest number.

Tenant selection is subject to statutory conditions that are always verified before signing the agreement. Applicants under 55 years of age are subject to asset limits. At the time of application, the applicant or a family member moving with them must not own a home in the same area that corresponds in size and quality to the property applied for, nor possess sufficient wealth to finance a similar home or repair an owned property. Wealth includes, for example, real estate, shares in housing companies, investments, and mutual funds. The asset limit does not apply to applicants aged 55 or older, nor to individuals switching from one right-of-occupancy home to another.

Right-of-occupancy housing has no income limits, which distinguishes it from some other forms of state-subsidized housing. In state-subsidized rental housing (known as Varke or ARA rental apartments), tenant selection is subject to strict limitations regarding both income and wealth.

Everyday living and digital resident services

 After signing the agreement, your everyday life is supported by our digital and personal resident services. In the online Oma YH Kodit service, you will find all important information and documents in one place. Through the portal, you can easily view your contracts, track fee or rent payments, and submit maintenance requests directly from your device.

Our knowledgeable customer service team assists with all practical situations, such as key handovers, parking space reservations, and apartment inspections. Water billing and resident communications are also handled smoothly through our direct service channels, ensuring you always receive the support you need at every stage of your tenancy.

Right-of-occupancy housing provides a secure, flexible, and long-term way to live without the major risks of home ownership. Obtaining a national queue number is the clear first step on your journey to a new home, and the shared digital application process ensures fairness for all applicants.