Can I take a subtenant in Finland?
Yes — half the flat is your statutory right. Under the Residential Tenancy Act a tenant may hand over at most half of the flat to a subtenant without the landlord's permission, provided it causes the landlord no significant harm. The trap is exactly at that line: handing over the whole flat is re-letting, which always needs the landlord's consent — and without it, it is a classic termination ground. Remember too that you become a sublandlord: you answer to the landlord and the housing company for your subtenant's disturbances and damage, and sublet income is taxable capital income. In an owner-occupied flat, subletting is your own business — the housing company cannot ban it.
📋 The rules
- A tenant may sublet up to half the flat without permission — provided no significant harm or disturbance results.
- Handing the whole flat to someone else requires the landlord's consent — otherwise it's a breach of contract.
- A sublease is its own tenancy: you become a sublandlord with duties (notice periods: 14 days for the subtenant, 1–3 months for the sublandlord).
- Sublet income is taxable capital income — deduct the corresponding share of your rent and costs.
- The subtenant's disturbances are your responsibility towards the landlord and housing company.
🔓 Exceptions
- Housing benefits: a subtenant affects them — report changes to Kela immediately.
- Student and municipal housing can carry stricter contract terms on subletting — those terms bind.
- The half-the-flat rule is not unlimited: if the subletting causes the landlord significant harm or disturbance, the right to hand over part of the flat no longer protects you.
⚠️ Penalties
Unauthorised re-letting of the whole flat is a termination ground: the lease can end immediately, with damages on top. Undeclared sublet income brings back taxes, even if the money only covered your own rent. Damage and disturbance caused by the subtenant is collected from you — to the landlord and the housing company you are the responsible tenant, even when someone else made the noise. A change not reported to Kela can affect your housing benefit retroactively. And when you want the flatmate out, the sublandlord's notice periods bind you.
📎 Sources
- Finlex · Act on Residential Leases 481/1995 →
- Minilex · Subletting →
- KKV · Rental housing — tenant's rights and obligations →
❓ Frequently asked questions
Do I need permission for a flatmate?
Not if you hand over at most half the flat and cause no significant harm — that is your statutory right. Telling the landlord anyway is fair and practical, and it heads off avoidable disputes later.
Can I sublet the whole flat for the summer?
Only with the landlord's consent — handing over the whole flat is re-letting, and without permission it is a termination ground. Get the consent in writing so the wording never becomes your problem.
What are the sublease notice periods?
The subtenant may terminate with 14 days' notice. The sublandlord's notice period is 1 month when the sublease has lasted under a year, and 3 months once it has run for more than a year — plan around that.
Is sublet income taxed?
Yes, as capital income from the first euro. You may however deduct the share of your own rent or maintenance charge and costs attributable to the subtenant, so often only the difference is taxed.
Am I responsible for my subtenant's behaviour?
You are — to the landlord and the housing company you remain the tenant, and your subtenant's noise or damage lands in your name. Choose your flatmate carefully and put the sublease in writing.
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