When can I apply? How long is my application valid?
You may apply at the earliest three (3) months before you need the apartment. The application is valid for three months at a time, and must be renewed by e-mail after that, in case you have not received an offer by then. You will receive a confirmation to your e-mail after the application has been successfully sent.
Please note that our tenancy agreements begin from the 1st day of the month. Please select the preferable date considering that when applying. Unfortunately we give no discounts nor make no exceptions even if your arrival date is later in the same month.
Please note! Exhange studets have a fixed agreement, which always begins on the 1st day of the month. The ending date is fixed in the agreement and cannot be changed.
Where can I find information about the apartments?
The locations, the rent range, the floor layout plans and the possible additional fees of our houses can all be found on our website. Unfortunately it is not possible to deliver any lists of available apartments.
The exact information about the apartment and the rent will be sent with the offer.
I want to apply with my spouse/my friend. What should we do?
If you apply with your spouse, please fill in his/her information in the same application form, which you fill yourself.
If you apply with a friend, please fill in your own, personal application without your friend’s information, but do write his/her name in the “Other wishes” section of the form and ask your friend to fill in his/her own application with your name written in the same way in “Other wishes”.
Only one of the couple is a student, can we apply for a family apartment together?
Yes, it is sufficient that one in the couple studies full-time in Vaasa. However, the information as regarding both has to be entered into the application form, as well as information about possible children moving with the parents.
I applied for a shared apartment. Do I need to find a roommate myself?
No. VOAS will find a roommate. If you have wishes concerning roommates, please let us know that when applying. If possible we will try notice your wishes.
Is it possible for a student, who has already begun his/her studies, to get an apartment in August-September?
Unfortunately we are not able to guarantee an apartment for old students in August-September, since all apartments that are becoming free during this time are reserved for new students about to begin their studies. Persons who have begun their studies already earlier should apply for housing demand in July.
Which furniture is included in the furnished apartments?
The furniture includes a bed and a mattress (without a pillow, a blanket or a sleeping mattress), a desk and a chair, a lamp and a desk lamp, a wardrobe and a bookshelf and a trash bin. There is a fridge, an oven and a stove in every VOAS kitchen. In Linna apartments there are basic cutlery in the kitchen.
Which apartments are furnished?
Some 2-3 persons shared apartments ("box") are furnished but mostly we have unfurnished apartments. There are only 5 furnished studios and they are located in Linna. There is always a fridge, an oven and a stove in every apartment, even in the unfurnished ones.
Some rooms have their own kitchenette and/or a bathroom in the bedroom, but those apartments are not furnished.
Where are all the furnished rooms?
There are furnished rooms in Linna, Ahvenranta (houses J, L, M), Suviboxi, Olympia I and Tekla II buildings. The last one (Tekla II) is reserved only for degree students. If you wish to apply for a furnished room, please write it in your applications “Other wishes” section.
I already applied. When can I expect to receive an offer?
The offer can be made approximately a month or two before the lease should start. Please note that all our apartments will be rented from the 1st day of each month.
For example, if you have applied from 1 August, you may expect an offer during the end of June or in July. If you have applied from 1 September, you may expect an offer during July or August.
Can I change apartment?
You can apply for an apartment change by filling in the housing application. If you are able to move within one day you don’t have to pay for two rents.
When you get an offer for a new apartment, you accept it by paying the new security fee (old security will be returned to you after moving and final checking).
Changing fee 50€ will be charged in the first rent in case you change to a same kind of an apartment (for example from a studio to a new studio). Before accepting the apartment offer inform in case you need more time for moving! You can keep your old apartment e.g half of month and pay half rent together with the new apartments rent.
Is it possible for me to visit the apartment before I accept the offered apartment?
If there is a tenant living in the apartment, you can ask from housing office about showing of the apartment. In case the apartment or shared room is already empty, there is a possibility to check the apartment.I received the offer and have paid the security fee. What happens next?
After the security fee has been paid into VOAS bank account, the apartment is booked for you. You may sign the agreement after your arrival. Unfortunately it is not possible to send separate confirmation letter about the booking.
Please note that if you arrive later than on the first rent pay day, you should send message to VOAS and ask for the paying instructions in advance, around a week or two before the due date. The rent due date is always 6th day of the month.
When can I come and sign the tenancy agreement?
After paying the security fee. You can sign the tenancy agreement via electronic channels or at the housing office by reserving an appointment. For the signing of the tenancy agreement you will have to bring along a receipt of the paid security, a certificate on student status/admission to a school (an official and valid student card is also acceptable, if it has the newest label on it), as well as an official identification card.
When do I get the key?
The official time to get the key takes place after 12 o’clock on the first weekday of the month, i.e. not on weekends or evenings. You will need an identification card when you collect the key. If someone else gets the key for you (agreement must be signed in advance), then you should inform the Housing Office in advance of the personal data of this person.
I am arriving in the middle of the month. Do I get the key then?
Unfortunately it is not possible to give the key before the agreement has started, if the apartment is not already empty. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that beforehand. Please note this, if you arrive earlier than your agreement starts.
I am arriving/leaving in the middle of the month. Do I need to pay the whole rent for that month?
Yes. The rent must always be paid for the whole month, even if you would not arrive in the beginning of the month. We make no exceptions and give no discounts.
How do I get the internet in the apartment to work?
The internet is included in the rent in most apartments and all you need is a plug wire, which has to be bought yourself. More information about internet can be found here.
What is the Apartment card to be filled when moving into a new apartment?
The new tenant should inspect the apartment after the previous tenant has moved out. You will receive the form when signing the contract. The Apartment card should be returned within few days after moving in.
The caretaker does not change fluorescent tubes or light bulbs, they are at your own risk like the fuses too (apart from Puuvilla). Window cleaning is on the tenant's responsibility.
When should I cancel my agreement, if I am moving out?
A agreement must be cancelled one calendar month before departure. For example, if you want to move out in the end of December, you should return the cancelling form to VOAS office before the end of November. The cancelling form must be in VOAS office in time. Now you can also cancel the lease electronically here if you have finnish banking codes. An e-mail message is not a valid cancellation but it's possible to print out the cancelling form from our website and scan to our email.
If you have a fixed contract (for a certain period) the lease cannot be cancelled. The fixed contracts are primarily for exchange students and under aged tenants.
How can I return e.g. the key when the office is closed?
You can return e.g. keys, apartment cards or canceling forms to the letter slot at the housing office when we are closed. The letter slot for returning the keys are located on the inner yard of Raastuvankatu 11 on the left side next to the main door of the B-house
Can I turn the key over to the following tenant?
You can hand over the key to the next tenant. When you receive the key you also accept the condition of the apartment.
If you hand over the key directly to the next tenant, confirm with the housing office that the person in question is the next tenant. Always, after surrendering the key, inform the housing office that the key has been given to the new tenant.
When is my security fee returned?
The security is normally returned to the account notified by the tenant within one month from the date when the agreement ends (i.e. not from the date of moving out, were this to be a different date). For foreign account information please make sure that you have provided all the details needed for returning the security.
Can I apply for a security fee from Kela?
You can apply for a security fee from Kela, but please note that VOAS does not accept payment commitments. The security fee can only be provided by direct bank transfer.
