The legislation governing the rental of residential premises will be amended on 1st October 2026.
The aim of the reform is to clarify and specify the rights and obligations of tenants and landlords and to update the legislation, which dates back to 1995.
The reform will also bring changes to TYS practices. Below you can find more information about the key changes to the legislation and their impact on TYS tenants.
Smoking ban in all TYS housing locations
As a result of the legislative amendment, smoking in rental apartments will in future only be permitted with the landlord’s separate permission.
TYS will not grant exemptions, so as of 1st October 2026, smoking will be prohibited in all TYS rental apartments, on balconies, in apartment-specific outdoor areas, and in other private indoor or outdoor areas associated with the apartment. Smoking is also prohibited in common areas, including exterior corridors, stairwells, lifts, basements, common rooms, saunas and laundry facilities.
The ban applies to smoking as well as the use of other tobacco products intended to be smoked or otherwise heated, and to the use of e-cigarettes.
Report everyone living in the apartment
In future, tenants must notify the landlord of all persons living in the apartment. If there are people living in your apartment who have not been reported to TYS, please report them without delay. You can report tenants using the New party to the tenancy agreement form on the Tenant Pages. The notification requirement applies to both adults and children living in the apartment.
If the person is a subtenant or a tenant under a secondary lease, you must fill in the Apply permission for subletting form on the Tenant Pages.
Please report all persons currently living in your apartment to TYS by the end of October at the latest. If a new person moves into your apartment later, always notify TYS without delay.
Failure to report persons living in the apartment is a breach of the tenancy agreement and may result in termination of the tenancy agreement. Please also note that tenants are not permitted to transfer the apartment, in whole or in part, for another person’s use at any time without TYS’s permission.
Changes to tenancy termination periods
An important point for tenants is that the tenant’s notice period remains unchanged at one month for open-ended tenancy agreements.
The landlord’s notice period will in future depend on when the tenancy agreement was signed:
Tenancy agreements signed before 1st October 2026
For current tenants whose tenancy agreement was signed before the legislation enters into force on 1st October 2026, the landlord’s notice period will remain unchanged. For tenancies lasting less than one year, the notice period is three months, and for tenancies lasting at least one year, the notice period is six months.
Tenancy agreements signed on or after 1st October 2026
For tenancy agreements signed after the legislation enters into force, the landlord’s notice period will be three months for tenancies lasting less than two years and four months for tenancies lasting at least two years.
Move-in and move-out dates
The move-in date is the first weekday of the month, and the tenant’s obligation to pay rent begins on the start date of the tenancy agreement, as before.
The move-out date will in future depend on when the tenancy agreement was signed:
Tenancy agreements signed before 1st October 2026
For current tenants whose tenancy agreement was signed before the legislation enters into force on 1st October 2026, the move-out date is the first weekday of the month. The keys must be returned to TYS on the move-out date by 9 a.m. at the latest.
Tenancy agreements signed on or after 1st October 2026
For tenancy agreements signed after the legislation enters into force, the move-out date is the end date of the tenancy agreement. The keys to the apartment must be returned to TYS by the end of the move-out date.
In internal transfers, the move-out date is the same as the move-in date of the new apartment. The keys to the old apartment must be returned by the end of the day.
Access to apartments and apartment inspections
TYS or a representative of TYS, such as a property maintenance provider, has the right to access the apartment, for example, to monitor its condition and upkeep or to carry out repairs and alterations.
For non-urgent visits to the apartment, the tenant will be notified by email at least seven days in advance. In urgent situations or situations requiring immediate action, the apartment may be entered without separate prior notice if necessary.
TYS inspects the apartments of all tenants moving out. No advance notice is given of inspections related to moving out, and the inspection is always carried out using a master key unless the tenant has prohibited the use of a master key.
Notices related to the tenancy
The legislative amendments also allow for wider use of electronic channels for notices related to the tenancy, such as notices of termination and rent increases.
Under the new legislation, the channels used must be agreed individually with each tenant. TYS will provide more information on how tenants can choose their preferred method of receiving notices once the necessary changes have been made to our systems and are available to tenants.
Questions about the legislative changes?
If you have any questions about the legislative changes, you can contact TYS Customer Service by email at office@tys.fi or by phone at 02 275 0200.
You can read more about the legislative changes on the website of the Ministry of Justice: The Residential Leases Act
