Helsinki Housing Chief Warns Against Illegal Sublets

Maria Aspala, CEO of Helsinki City Housing Company Heka, has issued a clear warning that municipal rental apartments must not be used for short-term accommodation services. In an official statement, she emphasized that these homes are built and funded specifically to provide affordable, long-term housing for Helsinki residents, not as income-generating assets. Heka owns 55,400 apartments housing around 100,000 people, equivalent to the population of Lahti. According to Aspala, every illegally sublet unit removes a home from someone genuinely in need of affordable housing. While the scale of unauthorized subletting remains limited, cases typically surface through resident reports or staff observations. For isolated incidents, Heka issues warnings, but repeated or prolonged violations lead to lease termination. Since the end of 2025, Heka has fully banned short-term subletting. Previously, tenants could request permission once per year, with only about twenty such permits granted annually. Yet unauthorized use for lodging continued to occur. Aspala stressed that passing on an apartment undermines fair access to affordable housing. She underscored that fair access to affordable housing depends on using these units as intended—for stable living, not profit. "An affordable home is the foundation of life for many," she reminded.