Application instructions
AYY student housing is applied for through the Domo system. Read the instructions and complete the application in the system. In Domo, you can also find approximate floor plans and detailed information about apartments and rents.
Processing of applications and resident selection
The processing of AYY housing applications and resident selection follow regulations set by law and authorities regarding the resident selection for ARAVA rental housing. Housing offers are made based on the applicant’s need and urgency, rather than a queue system. We cannot estimate the timing or likelihood of receiving a housing offer and are therefore unable to respond to inquiries regarding them.
As part of the application process, we conduct a credit check. A poor credit record does not necessarily prevent you from obtaining an apartment. However, in such cases, a deposit equivalent to 2-3 months’ rent will be required, and the initial lease will be fixed term. If necessary, we may request additional information regarding a poor credit record. International students are advised to update their Finnish social security number in Domo to enable a credit check and potentially avoid the deposit payment.
Who can apply?
Housing is primarily intended for members who are pursuing their degree at Aalto University and have the right of residence. The duration of the right of residence is based on the normative duration of studies. Persons admitted to Aalto University’s bachelor’s and master’s programmes are granted the right of residence for a total of five years. Living in AYY housing requires both AYY membership and a valid right of residence, unless otherwise specified.
Students admitted to Aalto University’s bachelor’s and master’s programmes receive a total of five years of right of residence. Students admitted to the master’s programme only are granted a right of residence for two years, starting from the time they first attend Aalto University. Students pursuing a master’s degree and relocating from Mikkeli to the metropolitan area are granted a total of two years of right of residence.
The right of residence begins when the student’s study right starts at Aalto University. If your right of residence has been incorrectly registered in the Domo system, please contact the housing services.
Students selected for Aalto University’s joint degree programme are granted a total of one year of right of residence for the duration of their joint degree in Finland. If a student continues their studies in Finland after this year, it will not affect the right of residence granted to them. However, the right of residence is not compensated for the period spent studying abroad.
The right of residence for exchange students is determined based on the granted study right. For the autumn term, contracts are made until the end of December at the latest, and for the spring term, contracts are made until the end of June.
Doctoral students are not automatically granted the right of residence but they can apply for AYY housing through Domo. Housing is offered to doctoral students only when no degree students are applying for available apartments. If a person without the right of residence is offered housing, a limited right of residence of up to two years can be applied for the apartment in question. The duration of the right of residence is considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the demand for housing.
If you are applying for an apartment as a family, (i.e., with a partner or children), only one of the applicants needs to be an AYY member with the right of residence. You can apply for a family apartment with your partner and children, but not with your parents or other relatives. When applying with friends, all applicants must be AYY members with a valid right of residence.
Apartments for friends
A joint liability rental agreement may impact housing allowance, as typically, only one housing allowance is granted per shared household, and it is influenced by the income of both residents. However, residents in apartments for friends may be eligible for separate housing allowances if Kela reviews them as separate households. Tenants with a joint liability rental agreement must draft a mutual possession agreement for the apartment and submit it as an appendix with their housing allowance application to Kela.
The possession agreement can be conveniently drafted among the tenants. Please ensure the agreement is updated whenever residents change. The possession agreement includes the validity period of the agreement, rental agreement attachment, the parties involved in the agreement, how the apartment is divided among the tenants, how rent payments are made, and the division of responsibilities for other expenses.
If you are applying for an apartment as a family, When applying for AYY housing as a minor, please attach a completed Guardian’s consent (pdf) form to your application. On the form, the guardian gives their consent for you to apply for AYY housing. AYY will review the guardian’s credit record.
The guardian is responsible for the lease and its obligations until the dependent turns 18. Any agreement made will be for a non-fixed term. Once the tenant reaches the age of 18, the lease obligations will automatically transfer to the tenant. Both the applicant and the guardian must sign the lease.
Currently, applicants without the right of residence and membership can apply for the following properties in Helsinki: Pohjavedenkatu 4, Tuhkimontie 2, Turkismiehentie 8 and Kirkonkyläntie 10. The apartments are managed by Kiinteistömaailma, and vacant apartments can be found at kiinteistomaailma.fi, www.vuokraovi.com and vuokrahelsinki.fi. Applications and inquiries regarding these apartments should also be directed to Kiinteistömaailma.
When can I apply?
As a new degree student, you can apply for housing as soon as you have confirmed your place of study.
Please attach a screenshot of your confirmed place of study from Studyinfo service to your Domo profile. Your full name must be visible in the attachment. The mobile version of the Studyinfo may not display all the required information, so we recommend taking the screenshot using a browser on a computer. If you are a first-year non-attending student, you can apply for housing no earlier than six months before your studies begin. The earliest possible move-in date is 1 June.
International degree students can apply for AYY housing once they have received their admission letter from Aalto University. The letter must be attached to the application.
As an exchange student, you can apply for housing once you can provide proof of your exchange student placement at Aalto University. Before receiving a housing offer, you must become a member of AYY. To pay the membership fee, you will need your Aalto University student number. You can find your student number in Sisu after activating your Aalto IT account. The university will send an activation message one month before your study right begins.
When creating a Domo account, please select ‘exchange student’ as your student type and attach confirmation of your exchange student placement. You can submit your application no earlier than three months before your desired move-in date. The earliest possible move-in date for the autumn term is 1 August, and the earliest possible move-in date for the spring term is 1 January. For exchange students, we mainly offer housing in Turkismiehentie 8 building in Pitäjänmäki, Helsinki or shared housing. However, shared apartments are mainly reserved for degree students. A deposit is required from all exchange students.
How to apply for housing
Please read the instructions below and take your time to complete the application and gather the necessary information.
Create your Domo account at domo.ayy.fi. Fill in your basic information carefully, and only include your legal name when you create your profile. If you do not have an Aalto University student number yet, you must attach proof of acceptance to the place of study.
Please note that the Domo system does not support hotmail email addresses. Therefore, AYY recommends using aalto.fi email address, for example.
Income
You must disclose information on your income and wealth when creating a Domo account.
Student financial aid, income support, or a housing allowance are not considered as income. Income includes earned income and capital income, such as wages, salary supplements, adult education and training allowances, income from abroad, the taxable value of fringe benefits, unemployment allowance, labor market subsidy, rent, interest and dividend income, spousal support, and pensions.
In all resident selection situations, the incomes of applicants are compared, and the income of the applicant household is considered alongside wealth and housing needs when prioritising applicants. When determining income, the permanent gross monthly income of individuals in the household is taken into account.
If your earned income varies each month, calculate your average monthly income using your earnings from the current year, and enter that amount in your application.
Wealth
The considered wealth includes assets at the time of application, as well as assets that the applicant has disposed of by selling or donating during the year preceding the application. Earned income is not considered as assets. Wealth includes, among others, shares in a housing company, real estate, funds, securities, and other assets. When evaluating wealth, we take into account liabilities associated with assets belong to the applicant household, such as outstanding mortgages. When moving to the Helsinki metropolitan area from other parts of Finland for work or studies, an owner-occupied apartment is not considered an asset if the apartment is located more than 80 km from Helsinki and if the applicant resides in the apartment. However, any property investments owned by the applicant are always taken into account when assessing wealth.
If there are significant changes in your income or wealth, please remember to update them on Domo — applying for housing based on incorrect information may result in rejection of your application or withdrawal of your housing offer.
Please note that you can submit only one application, either alone, as a family, or with a friend, i.e. a maximum of 3 valid applications at once, 1 application per application type.
Additionally, please mention whether your application includes children with whom you are applying for housing. You cannot proceed further with your application until you have completed section 2 regarding children.
Choosing apartments
AYY’s apartments are grouped on Domo into housing groups based on the type (e.g. studio) and location (e.g. Jätkäsaari). You can also refine the housing search down to individual apartments. You can find more information on apartments on Domo by clicking on the icon (orange magnifying glass) on the right side of the apartment address. Remember to define the maximum rent you are willing to pay. If you do not specify a price, you may be offered apartments of any price range.
If your need for housing is urgent, please apply for all eligible apartments. This is the only way to be considered for the very urgent or urgent category in the urgency ratings. The more apartments you include in your application, the higher your chances of securing housing. However, please note that you cannot apply for apartments larger than two rooms on your own, and two-room apartments are primarily offered to applications with multiple applicants. When selecting apartments, it is crucial to choose only those that you are willing to accept
Include your preferred move-in date in the application
You can choose whether you need an apartment as soon as possible or at a later date. AYY will not offer you housing before the date you have provided. Select as your preferred move-in date the earliest date you are ready to take possession of the apartment. You can specify a move-in date for your application up to six months in advance. Exchange students can select a move-in date up to three months in advance.
Add attachments to your application
Based on the reason for the need for housing, Domo will ask you to add attachments that confirm your situation to the application. After submitting your application, you can still submit additional attachments by editing your application.
Check your application
Finally, please check that all information in your application is correct. If it turns out that you have applied for housing on incorrect grounds, your application may be rejected or the housing offer may be withdrawn.
Processing of applications
Housing applications are processed by AYY housing services, and you can see on Domo when your application has been processed.
Editing of applications
If you want to update the reason for the need for housing or increase the number of apartments you are applying for, please submit a new application.
You can also edit your application: remove apartments from your application or postpone the preferred move-in date. However, these measures may affect the urgency rating of your application.
If your income or situation in life changes in a way that affects the urgency of the need for housing, please submit a new application.
Resident selection
In resident selection, priority is given primarily to student union members with right of residence. Priority in offering housing is given to homeless individuals and others in extremely urgent need of housing, followed by those in urgent need of housing, and then other members.
Validity of application
Your housing application is valid for three months from the date of submission. The Domo system will send you email reminders when your application is about to expire, and you can renew your application on Domo. In this case, you must also always update your profile information.
Accepting the housing offer
You will receive housing offers via email and SMS, so it is very important to keep your contact details up to date on Domo. Please keep checking your email.
In the urgent and very urgent categories, the application is valid until the first housing offer is made. If you reject an offer or let it expire, your application will automatically be moved to the non-urgent category. The urgency category may also change if there is a change in the reason for needing housing.
If you want to accept the apartment offered to you, please accept the offer within the time frame specified in the offer.
You can accept the offer by uploading the signed lease to the Domo system. The signed agreement will be reviewed by housing services and digitally signed. The signed agreement becomes binding immediately. If you are asked to pay a deposit, this must be paid when the offer is accepted and the deposit receipt must be submitted with the contract. If the offer is not accepted and the requested deposit is not paid by the deadline, the offer will no longer be valid and we will offer the apartment to the next applicant.
Please pay attention to the layout and quality of the agreement you have uploaded, as it is your official rental agreement. All tenants of the apartment must sign the same agreement, as only one file can be uploaded to Domo.
Rejection or expiry of a housing offer
If you do not wish to accept an apartment offered to you, please reject the offer as soon as possible so that we can offer the apartment immediately to the next applicant. Receiving a new housing offer may take a long time, especially during periods of high demand for housing.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you can accept the offer via email. We are not responsible for situations where the applicant has not responded to a housing offer due to the message being redirected to the spam folder, for example.
Is it possible to see the apartment in advance?
The apartment offered to you is typically still occupied when you receive a housing offer. If the offer includes the contact details of the current tenant, you can arrange to visit the apartment with them. However, if the current tenants have not granted permission to AYY to share their contact details, it is not possible to visit the apartment in advance.
If the offer email indicates that the apartment is vacant, it may be possible to visit the apartment. In this case, please contact AYY Housing Services.
Processing of applications
In resident selection, priority is given primarily to student union members with right of residence. Priority in offering housing is given to homeless individuals and others in extremely urgent need of housing, followed by those in urgent need of housing, and then other members. Resident selection criteria follow the guidelines of the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA) and the municipalities in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The urgency of the applicant’s housing needs is determined on the basis of the information provided in the application.
For two-room and larger apartments, priority is given to applications from multiple applicants, where all have right of residence and are degree students at Aalto University.
First-year degree students starting their studies are typically offered shared housing. They are also given priority to shared apartments over other applicants if the applicants in shared apartment applications are otherwise in exactly the same situation.
Housing need category
Category 1 – Homelessness Immediate need for housing
Explanation
Applications where applicants are homeless. Homelessness must be proven. In applications submitted by more than one person, all applicants must be homeless. Homeless applicants are considered to be (situation at the time of application):
- Temporarily living with relatives or acquaintances due to a lack of housing
- living in a hostel or other temporary accommodation
- living outdoors and in temporary shelters
- living in night shelters
- living in care and nursing homes
- living in sheltered home or crisis accommodation
When applying as a homeless person, apartments cannot be excluded from the application without a valid reason. The urgency level may be reduced or not granted if the applicant excludes apartments without an acceptable explanation.
This category remains valid only until the first housing offer or until the urgency of the application expires. If the applicant rejects an offer or allows it to expire, the application will automatically be moved to the general category.
Category 2 – Very urgent need for housing
Applications from applicants with a very urgent need for housing.
- the applicant is at risk of homelessness through no fault of their own. There is a risk of homelessness if:
- the applicant has received a notice of termination
- the applicant becomes homeless due to the demolition of their housing
- the applicant becomes homeless due to the forced sale of the owner-occupied housing or
- the applicant’s current housing has been declared uninhabitable by a public authority
- the applicant is moving to a municipality where they have a place of study but no housing. Those living outside
Espoo, Helsinki, Vantaa or Kauniainen.
- the applicant lives in very cramped conditions (ARA’s definition on very cramped conditions)
Very urgent need for housing must be proven. In applications with multiple applicants, the situation of all applicants is considered when defining housing needs.
The category is valid only until the first housing offer or until the urgency of the application has expired. If the applicant rejects the offer or allows the offer to expire, the application is automatically moved to the general category.
Category 3 – Urgent need for housing
Applicants have an urgent need for housing:
- the applicant has a fixed-term lease that cannot be renewed
- the applicant is 18 years of age or older and lives with their parents in a municipality within the metropolitan area (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa)
- the applicant’s housing costs are unreasonable in relation to their income (ARA’s definition on unreasonable housing costs)
- the current housing is too small, with more than two persons per room
- Applicants applying for apartment transfer within AYY. Applicants applying for an apartment transfer must attach a certificate and/or explanation justifying their need for the transfer. If the applicant has lived in their current apartment for less than 2 years, the reasons for the apartment transfer must be compelling.
The urgency of the housing need must be proven with attachments. In applications with multiple applicants, the situation of all applicants is considered when assessing the urgency of the housing need.
If an applicant excludes apartments from their application without an acceptable explanation, the applicant’s situation will not be considered urgent.
Urgency scores are valid only until the first housing offer or until the urgency of the application expires. If the applicant rejects an offer or allows it to expire, the application will be processed according to the general housing need and no longer considered urgent.
Please note! Applications for two-room apartments submitted by a single applicant are not considered urgent.
Category 4 – General need for housing, no specific time limit or urgency
Other AYY member applicants with a valid right of residence.
For example, applicants who:
- have a long and/or difficult commute to their place of study
- are in the process of starting a family and do not live together
- current housing is unsatisfactory for other reasons.
No right of residence
Applicants have a membership but no valid right of residence, for example, if the original right of residence has expired or if the applicant is a doctoral student. The applicant’s children, parents, or (common-law) spouses are not considered when assessing if the criteria are met.
Maximum wealth limits calculated in accordance with recommendations by ARA (in euros):
In Helsinki from 1 Jan 2025
| 1 person | 2 persons | 3 persons | 4 persons | 5 persons |
| 89 000 | 126 000 | 204 000 | 209 000 | 214 000 |
In Helsinki, when the number of people in the applicant household increases, the wealth limit is increased by EUR 5,000 per person. The wealth limits are reviewed once a year and changed if necessary due to changes in housing prices.
In Espoo from 1 Jan 2025
| 1 person | 2 persons | 3 persons | 4 persons | 5 persons |
| 75 000 | 94 000 | 125 000 | 135 000 | 145 000 |
In Espoo, when the number of people in the applicant household increases, the wealth limit is increased by EUR 10,000 per person. The wealth limits are reviewed once a year and changed if necessary due to changes in housing prices.
If the applicants have a child or children, they will be prioritized for apartments suitable for family housing. The number of children is taken into account in the consideration. The certificate of pregnancy is also taken into account.
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