1. Rental period
The tenant will gain possession of the apartment at the beginning of the rental period; however, the move-in date is always the first weekday of the month in which the contract takes effect. The liability to pay rent starts on the date on which the rental period starts based on the rental contract. The rental contract is signed for an indefinite period or, subject to the requirements specified later, for a fixed period. Once the tenant has gained possession of the apartment, he or she must report any defects in the condition of the apartment to the lessor within two weeks in a manner specified by the lessor. If the previous tenant has neglected to clean the apartment before moving out, the lessor must be notified of this immediately.
2. Rent
The administrative board of the lessor will verify the unit rents charged for the residences (i.e., €/rented m2/month) and the total rents. The tenant must pay the total rent of the apartment or part of the apartment that has been calculated based on the unit rent. If the apartments of the residence have been graded, the tenant accepts, by signing this contract, that this grading can be applied or modified during the validity period of the rental contact.
3. Other charges
In addition to the rent, the tenant agrees to pay any valid extra charges verified by the administrative board of the lessor that are excluded from the rent. Such include equipment, electricity, sauna, parking space, and water charges. The lessor reserves the right to specify the rent in a manner that allows for charging electricity and water charges based on consumption.
4. Changes to the rent and other charges
Rents charged for state-subsidized rental apartments are regulated in section 13 of the Act on Interest Subsidy for Rental Housing Loans and Right of Occupancy Housing Loans (604/2001) and in section 7 of the Act on the Use, Assignment and Redemption of State-Subsidized (ARAVA) Rental Dwellings and Buildings (1190/1993). The contents of these two acts are identical. The cost price principle is applied to the specification of apartment rents. The maximum amount of rent charged from the tenants for the apartment is the sum that is needed, in addition to other income, to cover expenses resulting from the financing and good management of the real estate and related premises. In addition, the rents can be used to raise capital for upcoming renovations and maintenance and servicing costs.
5. Notifying on changes to rent and other charges
The tenant will be notified of any changes to the total rent of the apartment or part of an apartment or to extra charges in writing either by post or by email using the email address provided by the tenant two months before the reviewed rent will take effect. Rents will be reviewed at the beginning of each calendar year. Apartments reserved for exchange students are an exception, as their rent will be reviewed annually at the beginning of August.
6. Making the payments
Rent and other invoices and payment reminders are sent to the tenant by email to the email address provided by the tenant. Rent invoices can also be sent as e-invoices. The tenant must ensure that the email address listed in the lessor’s electronic system is kept up to date. The rent and other fees are paid in advance by the 6th of each calendar month to the bank account or recipient specified by the lessor. If the tenant fails to make the payments by the specified due date, a penalty interest will be changed in accordance with the Interest Act. Penalty interest is invoiced every six months and the invoice is delivered by email. In addition, the tenant must pay any expenses resulting from the collection of the delayed payments.
7. Deposit payment
When the tenant rents an apartment, he or she must pay to the lessor a deposit payment as a security for fulfilling his or her liabilities under the rental contract. No interest will be paid to the deposit payment. The lessor will return the deposit payment to the tenant once the rental contract has ended if the tenant has returned the keys to the apartment to the lessor, the apartment is handed over in a normal condition, there are no overdue rents of other fees, and the tenant has fulfilled all other obligations under the rental contract. The lessor can use the deposit payment to settle any outstanding claims without hearing the tenant on the matter. The tenant cannot use the deposit payment to cover the final rent payment.
8. Reviewing the right of occupancy
The tenant will provide, at a time to be specified later, the information specified in the lessor’s apartment allocation criteria that affects his or her right of occupancy and gives the lessor permission to acquire his or her student information from the school. The lessor can terminate the rental contract if the tenant has graduated and his or her rental contract has not been extended for further studies (subject to an application), or the tenant has quitted his or her studies. The now specified right of the lessor to terminate the rental contract also applies to a fixed term rental contract, and the contract ends following a notice period referred to in section 9.
9. Termination of the rental contract
When the rental contract is terminated by the lessor, the notice period is three (3) months. If the rental contract of the apartment has remained in force without interruptions for the minimum of one year before the notice is given, the notice period is six (6) months. When the tenant terminates the contract, the notice period is one (1) calendar month. The notice period is calculated from the last day of the month in which the notice is given. The rental contract must be terminated through the tenant pages or in writing in a verifiable way. The lessor will terminate the contract with a separate notification. During the notice period, the lessor has the right to inspect the apartment. Unless otherwise has been agreed upon in section 8, a fixed term rental contract is binding on both parties and any termination of the contract is subject to separate negotiations.
10. The right of the lessor to access the apartment
The Act on Residential Leases (481/1995/AHVL2) will be applied to the rental contract. Where required or in a situation that require immediate measures, the lessor’s representative has the right to inspect the apartment without a prior consent of the tenant. TYS inspects the apartment of all tenants who are moving away; in case of dormitories, the common premises and the room of the tenant who is moving away will be inspected. No preliminary notification will be submitted of such inspections.
11. Other terms and conditions
Office fee confirmed by the administrative board of the lessor is to be paid for every rental agreement. The tenant agrees that his or her name will be added to the residence’s resident list. In a dormitory, each room is meant for one person only (the tenant). Accommodating persons who are not specified in the rental contract is prohibited. The equipping of the apartment excludes a dishwasher, washing machine, and microwave oven. Should any of the above be found in the apartment when the tenant moves in, the lessor must be notified of this. If the tenant fails to report such devices to the lessor, he or she is deemed to have assumed responsibility for the devices and any related connections. The tenant is liable for acquiring and maintaining a fire alarm. In addition, it is recommended that each tenant takes out a home insurance policy.
12. Additional terms
In addition to this contract, provisions of the Housing Production Act and the Act on Residential Leases, instructions of the housing authorities, and the lessor’s apartment allocation criteria will be applied to the tenancy. In addition, the tenant must follow the rules and regulations of TYS, the valid pricelist for separate payments, compensation pricelist and the distribution of responsibilities chart found on TYS website, and various maintenance and servicing instructions of the building. Smoking is prohibited in the apartment and in common areas (stairwells, lifts, basement and club premises, sauna and washing premises). The tenant must clean, care for, and maintain the apartment and the apartment-specific yard area, if any, carefully. Where required, the lessor has the right to clean or otherwise tidy the apartment at the tenant’s expense. The tenant must only use normal household appliances in the building; a prior consent must always be acquired from the lessor for the use of any other equipment or devices. In case of dormitories, the residents are jointly responsible for the cleaning of common areas and for the condition of furniture and equipment. The tenant is aware of the fact that the lower level of the B-House is rented to the Student Union of the University of Turku. Smoking on the balconies is not allowed in the Aitiopaikka, Haliskylä, Nummenranta,
Ikituuri and Tyyssija residence. Smoking and pets are not allowed in the Tavasti residence. Pets are not allowed in shared apartments.
13. Key
The tenant will receive the key/keys to the apartment on the move-in day at the latest. Making copies of the keys is prohibited. The tenant will be responsible for the keys he or she has received. If a key is lost, the lessor has the right to charge the tenant a fee covering the cost of delivery and possible serialisation of the new key. The key must be returned to the lessor according to the instructions provided by the lessor. Once the tenant has returned the keys to the lessor, he or she has handed over possession of the apartment. The liability to pay rent continues until the end of the contract period even if the tenant had handed over possession of the apartment earlier.
14. Additional
The rental contract will be executed in one counterpart. Once the contract has been signed, the tenant will be given the paper version of the contract and the lessor will store a copy of the same in its electronic system. Alternatively, the rental contract can be signed electronically, in which case both parties will have an electronic copy of the contract. The time-stamps will verify the electronic signature.
