Ownership of an apartment can be indicated by either a paper share certificate or an electronic registration of ownership in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System.
Before a housing transaction
- Inspect the apartment for sale.
- Check with the seller whether there is a paper share certificate or an electronic registration of ownership for the apartment.
- Ask for the building manager’s certificate from the seller and verity that the seller is specified as the owner of the apartment in the certificate.
- Always check the owner-apartment printout. If the apartment still has a paper share certificate, also check the excerpt from the list of shares. The printouts show information about the apartment’s ownership, pledges and restrictions that determine whether the apartment can be sold. Request the printouts from the seller or estate agent.
- Please note: Before completing the transaction, ask the seller for a power of attorney to attend the housing company’s annual general meeting, as the deed of sale is not sufficient proof of your right to attend the meeting. The housing company will check the ownership data from the Residential and Commercial Property Information System, but the registration of your ownership can take several months.
After the transaction
- Submit a transfer tax return and pay tax in the Finnish Tax Administration’s MyTax service. If an estate agent is involved in the housing transaction, they will advise you on how to pay the transfer tax and submit the transfer tax form to the Finnish Tax Administration. Please note: You must pay the transfer tax before applying for the registration of your ownership.
- Apply for registration of the ownership of your apartment in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System. If you have taken out a loan from a bank for the housing transaction, the bank will usually apply for the registration of ownership on your behalf.
- By answering the questions in our interactive instructions, you can check how to apply for registration of the ownership of your apartment in various situations, for example, when your apartment has a share certificate or a record of ownership.
See also
Time limits for the registration of the ownership of an apartment
If the housing company is still under construction, familiarise yourself with the RS procedure in housing transactions.
Information and instructions about buying and selling an apartment on the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority's website.