According to the Helsinki student housing foundation Hoas, of 5,000 thousand applicants for affordable student housing, fewer than half – some 1,500 – were able to acquire housing for August and September.
In an effort to relieve the housing crunch, which is said to be particularly bad in Helsinki, Hoas is trialing a system whereby tenants can give a shorter than usual notice period before moving out . Students who want to leave a Hoas flat at the end of August can now give notice of the move in mid-August.
Hoas was founded by student associations in the capital region to help full time secondary and tertiary students find accommodation. It currently rents out some 9,000 flats to 18,000 tenants.
Over in Turku, the student village foundation of Turku Tys said the housing situation looks much better.
The foundation has been able to provide homes for 1,200 students, leaving just around 500 applicants without housing. However Tys noted that many of the latter are Turku residents. The foundation said it will be able to provide homes for these applicants during the month of November.
