Housing

A well-functioning housing sector promotes the opportunities of all people to lead a good life and have a home that meets their needs in varying life situations. The aim of the Ministry of the Environment is to ensure an adequate supply of different types of housing options on the housing market, steer the construction industry and housing into a direction that is environmentally sustainable, and enhance the opportunities of residents to influence their housing conditions.

At the Ministry of the Environment, the responsibility for housing rests with the Department of the Built Environment. Subsidies, grants and guarantees related to housing and building are granted by the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA), which also steers and supervises the use of the State-subsidised building stock of ARA.

  • Rented housing legislation »

    In Finland, the state supports the production of affordable and social rented housing by paying interest subsidies on loans taken out for this purpose and issuing a state guarantee for them.

  • Cooperation Programme to Halve Homelessness »

    Finland has been implementing modern homelessness policies ever since the 1980s. In the current programme, the key objective is to strengthen the homelessness work of local authorities through the use and development of social services.

  • Right-of-occupancy housing »

    Right-of-occupancy housing is a mix between rental and owner-occupied housing. The Right-of-Occupancy Housing Act underwent a reform in spring 2021, and the new Act entered into force on 1 January 2022.