Asuminen | Vuokranantajan lyhenevä irtisanomisaika huolettaa vuokralaisten edunvalvojaa

Anne Viita, executive director of the Finnish Tenants' Association (Vuokralaiset ry), has voiced concerns over the shortening of landlords' notice periods, a key change in the rental law reform recently confirmed by President Alexander Stubb.

Under the current law, landlords must provide three months' notice for tenancies under one year, and six months for those exceeding one year. The new reform reduces the longer notice period from six months to four months, but this will only apply after a tenancy has lasted at least two years. Viita expressed that "families would have particularly needed the longer six-month notice period."

Viita sees both positive and negative aspects in the overall reform. While the Tenants' Association advocates for a stronger protection of the home for renters, she disagrees with the landlords' association's view that the tenants' one-month notice period is disproportionate to the landlord's notice period. "For one, it is a source of income and an investment object, while for the other, it is a home," Viita stated, emphasizing that "the protection of the home should be strong for the tenant."

The reform also alters the moving day, which will now coincide with the lease termination date, rather than being the next business day as previously stipulated. Viita questioned the practical implications: "If the lease ends on December 31, according to the current law, the moving day would be January 2, the next business day. With the change, the moving day would be December 31. Rental relationships usually start on the first day of the month, so where will the tenant sleep between the night of December 31 and January 1?"

On a positive note, Viita welcomed the reform of notification procedures, which will allow for electronic delivery without requiring the tenant's explicit confirmation of receipt. She also found the two-week deadline for returning rental security deposits and the written requirement for landlords to announce rent increases to be positive changes. The introduction of a new ground for termination – extremely reprehensible behavior or violence within or near the apartment building – was also seen as a welcome restriction to serious cases only. The new law is set to take effect on October 1, 2026.