Frequently Asked Questions

No, you cannot. Only one email address can be saved for each owner in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System. If an apartment has several owners, an email address for communication with the housing company can be saved for each of them.

When acting on behalf of a death estate, the parties to the estate should apply for the registration of the ownership of the apartment owned by the estate. Enter the contact information of the death estate’s contact person in the registration application. There may be several contact persons. If there are several parties, you will require a power of attorney from the other parties if they do not participate in the shareholders’ meeting.  

If no clarification of ownership has been registered, the parties to the death estate will not be shown in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System. Parties to a death estate can submit their contact information. Please note that you need to prove that you are party to a death estate by presenting the estate inventory when participating in the shareholders’ meeting. You will also require a power of attorney from the other parties to the death estate if they do not participate in the meeting.  
 

You can apply for the registration of ownership based on a report from the housing company’s board of directors. The report is intended only for the registration of the ownership of the owner entered in the list of shares, and cannot be transferred like a share certificate.

The report must be in writing and dated and signed by the members of the housing company’s board of directors, and it must indicate that no share certificates have been printed for the apartment and no temporary certificates have been issued. In addition, the report must indicate who the owner listed in the list of shares is. The report is only valid when signed by the number of board members required to reach a quorum (usually more than half of the members). The property manager cannot provide the report.

Please note: In the case of a housing company established in or after 1992, the registration of ownership cannot be done with a report from the board of directors, because these companies were obliged to print share certificates. In such cases, the board of the housing company can issue a temporary certificate to the owner of the apartment for the purpose of registering ownership.

Request a power of attorney from the seller and ask them to also send the invitation to you.  

Submit your contact information to the housing company immediately after the transaction so that it has access to the information before your ownership has been registered in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System.  

Start by contacting the building manager to identify whether you can receive your invitation by email and whether the housing company has your email address. If the housing company does not have your email address, you can submit it by using the form. 

Ask the owner to submit their email address to the National Land Survey of Finland using the online form.

You have the right to copy, store and print out individual maps for private use and for a thesis or a final year Project. More information about terms of use.

It is worth completing the measurement despite the wrong-clicking and make the corrections only after that. You may accept the measurement by double-clicking or by clicking on the last measuring point again. After this, you may easily edit the measurement by clicking on and dragging any point to the right place. The distance or area is updated on the fly according to the changes.

In the search field, you may after the place name or address write the name of the municipality separated with a comma, for example ”Mustapuro, Kuusamo”.

One tool is active until you select another tool. You can also disable the selected tool by re-clicking its icon.

Submit geographic coordinates into the coordinate tool, including needed punctuation marks, that is degrees, minutes and seconds.

You may replace the degree sign ° with the letter d, e.g. 64d 20.356'

Coordinates in different coordinate reference systems are presented in various formats. The following are examples of coordinates used in the service and their presentation formats.

Plane coordinates and geographic coordinates in the ETRS89 coordinate reference system

Plane coordinates and geographic coordinates in the National Grid Coordinate System (KKJ)

The address search in MapSite is based on address data derived from the NLS topographic data system. The address in the dataset is a calculated address based on the line of the road, it is not the official address of the building or real estate unit.

The most precise scales of the background map material show the address numbers according to the Building and Dwelling Register maintained by the Population Register Centre. This data is maintained by the municipalities.

There can be inaccuracies in the location data of the map, because there are no exact coordinates for all boundary markers. The boundaries on the Cadastral index map are approximate. The boundaries are shown in more detail in cadastral survey documents and the terrain.

MapSite always shows the most recent aerial photo. The service receives the aerial photos through the WMTS interface. The interface does not make it possible for the information about photographing year to accompany the image. The index shows the photographing year (in Finnish)

In geoportal Paikkatietoikkuna you can watch historical aerial photos and see their photographing year.

Printouts from the Residential and Commercial Property Information System can be bought via the National Land Survey of Finland. Professional operators receive printouts through electronic services.

Check the price list for apartments.

The list of shares includes basic information about the housing company, its apartments and their owners.

Learn more about the list of shares and view sample printouts (in Finnish)

The printout of owner apartments contains basic information about an individual share group (for example, an apartment), as well as ownership, pledge and restriction information registered in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System. 

Learn more about the printout of owner apartments and view sample printouts (in Finnish)

The start date of ownership is the date on which ownership was transferred to the new owner, i.e. the date specified in the deed of sale, for example. The National Land Survey of Finland does not register the start date of ownership in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System. This date must be specified on the transfer tax form.

The date of entry in the list of shares is the date on which the owner of the apartment was entered in the list of shares and the Residential and Commercial Property Information System. If the ownership has not changed after the housing company transferred the list of shares to the Residential and Commercial Property Information System, the date of entry in the list of shares is only known to the housing company.

The transfer date of the list of shares is the date on which the housing company’s list of shares was transferred to the Residential and Commercial Property Information System. Starting from that date, the owner of an apartment has ten years to apply for the registration of ownership in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System.

It is possible to register several pledges and proportional pledges for the apartment. This means the apartment can be pledged to several different banks.

The pledgee bank applies for the registration of the pledge from the National Land Survey of Finland. The owner’s consent is required to register the pledge. Please also note that the pledgee will determine the value of the property and decide whether the property can be used as collateral.

The registration of a pledge can only be applied for by the pledgee, for example, a bank. The pledge is applied for using a form (in Finnish). 

Registering a pledge in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System requires the shareholder to have an electronic registration of ownership.

If your share certificate is held by a bank as collateral for a loan, you can authorise the bank to apply for the registration of a pledge on your behalf.

The pledgee (for example, a bank) can apply for a pledge either for the entire value of the share or in euros, limited to the desired amount. A fixed-term pledge is also possible.

The purpose of the restriction is to provide information about the housing company’s ongoing RS procedure and prevent the registration of entries and restrictions other than those from the custodian of safekeeping documents. The RS procedure is a security system in accordance with the Housing Transactions Act for the buyer of a new property that is still under construction. 

In the RS procedure, the custodian of safekeeping documents (a bank or the Regional State Agency) notifies the new owners of the shares, as well as pledges and possible restrictions, for registration in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System.

For example, the list of shares shows a widow’s right of possession, a right of use based on a will and enforcement.

See all restrictions shown in the list of shares (in Finnish)

In addition to the above, a printout of owner apartments shows bankruptcy, a notification by the custodian of safekeeping documents, and various expropriation or transfer restrictions, for example.

See all restrictions shown in the printout of owner apartments (in Finnish)

Yes, you can. If you want the cancelled paper share certificate, please specify so in the application. Returning the share certificate is subject to a fee, see the price list.

If the parking space has a separate share certificate, apply for the registration of ownership the same way as you would an apartment. In new housing companies (established in 2019 or later), the new owner applies for the registration of ownership of a parking space with the consent of the previous owner. 

If the parking space does not have a share certificate, you do not have to apply for ownership of the parking space separately because the apartment and the parking space are controlled with the same group of shares. The items controlled by the share group are shown in the articles of association and the apartment printout. 

If your paper share certificate is misplaced or damaged, request its annulment from the district court. Attach the district court’s decision on the annulment of the share certificate with the ownership registration application.

If you requested your share certificate to be annulled before your housing company transferred its list of shares to the Residential and Commercial Property Information System, your housing company must provide a new or temporary share certificate to replace the annulled one. Attach the certificate with the ownership registration application.

Check the price list for apartments.

The procedure depends on whether your housing company is already included in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System, and whether your apartment still has a paper share certificate or an electronic registration of ownership.  

You can check the instructions for each situation by responding to the service assistant’s questions.  

Apply for the registration of ownership from the National Land Survey. Application form (in Finnish).

To register your ownership, you need the seller’s consent. Attach a copy of the deed of sale or separate written consent and the seller’s contact information (telephone number and email address) to the application.

Alternatively, the seller can sign their consent to the application form for the registration of ownership. NLS will contact the seller to verify their consent.

Read more about the registration of ownership. 

If the apartment is pledged as collateral for a loan, please contact the bank.  

You must apply for the registration of your ownership within two months of signing the deed of transfer or transfer of ownership. Apply for the registration of ownership from the National Land Survey.

You can apply for the registration of ownership in the e-service:
- private customers (in Finnish or in Swedish)
- organisations (in Finnish or in Swedish)

The application must be accompanied by your original paper share certificate with a transfer note in your name. You can send your application and share certificate by mail or bring them to the National Land Survey’s service location anywhere in Finland. Please note that the share certificate is a transferable security and it is important to select a secure delivery method. For additional information, see the Posti website, for example.

Based on the application, the National Land Survey of Finland will register your ownership as an electronic registration of ownership in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System and cancel the paper share certificate at the same time. Do not cancel or destroy your share certificate yourself. 

Read more about the registration of ownership. 

If the apartment is pledged as collateral for a loan, please contact the bank.  

The registration can be rushed for a justified reason (for example, a housing transaction is coming up).

Please contact the National Land Survey’s customer service by phone or using the online form if you need faster registration. 

Yes, you do. For more information, please see the price.

The information about the owner will be updated in the list of shares once the National Land Survey of Finland has received a notification from the Finnish Tax Administration on the payment of the asset transfer tax. If there is a problem with your payment – such as you having accidentally paid the wrong amount of tax – the information about the new owner will not be updated in the list of shares. Check with the Finnish Tax Administration whether there is anything to correct on the transfer tax form or the payment of the tax.

If you are the current owner of the apartment, you have 10 years to apply to the National Land Survey for the registration of ownership of the apartment. This means that you will convert your paper share certificate into electronic form. Apply for the registration of ownership from the National Land Survey. Application form (in Finnish).  

Your original paper share certificate is required as an attachment to the application. You can send your application and share certificate by mail or bring them to the National Land Survey’s service location anywhere in Finland. Please note that the share certificate is a transferable security and it is important to select a secure delivery method. For additional information, see the Posti website, for example. 

Based on the application, the National Land Survey of Finland will register your ownership as an electronic registration of ownership in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System and cancel the paper share certificate at the same time. Do not cancel or destroy your share certificate yourself. 

Read more about the registration of ownership. 

Application processing times can be found on the Application processing times.

If your share certificate is held by a bank as collateral for a loan, you can authorise the bank to apply for registration on your behalf. However, there is no rush to apply for the registration of ownership. 

If your share certificate is stored in a bank safe but not as collateral for a loan, you can contact the bank and agree whether to apply for the registration of ownership yourself or authorise the bank to do so.

Residential and Commercial Property Information System data are mainly public, but publicity is not the same as unlimited access to data. The data in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System contain personal data, the disclosure of which is regulated by law.  

The housing company’s list of shares is public. In other respects, the data of the Residential and Commercial Property Information System are disclosed for the purposes specified in the law.

When your housing company’s list of shares has been transferred to the Residential and Commercial Property Information System, the housing company will notify the shareholders. You can contact your building manager or the NLS customer service to check whether your housing company’s list of shares has been transferred to the Residential and Commercial Property Information System. 

Housing companies founded in 2019 or later are automatically included in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System.

Mutual real estate companies established in or after 2019 are automatically added to the Residential and Commercial Property Information System.

Mutual real estate companies established prior to 2019 may join the Residential and Commercial Property Information System at their discretion. The company must amend its articles of association, i.e. include in the articles of association a provision stating that the company’s shares are included in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System. After this, the company must transfer its list of shares to the Residential and Commercial Property Information System.

The National Land Survey of Finland will inform the housing company information of the change of ownership and the details of the new owner.

The Residential and Commercial Property Information System is home to information about ownership, pledges and restrictions of housing companies – for example, their apartments and parking spaces. 

There are around 90,000 housing companies and 1.5 million apartments in Finland, and information about them all will be saved in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System. At the same time, the paper share certificates of owner apartments will be replaced by electronic registrations of ownership.

Update the housing company’s postal and email address in the e-service of the Finnish Patent and Registration Office. The specified contact details are used to inform the housing company of the registration of a new owner in the Residential and Commercial Property Information System so that the redemption procedure can be started.

Update the details of the responsible persons on the  website of the Finnish Patent and Registration Office.

The Residential and Commercial Property Information System improves the availability and reliability of information about apartments and ownership.  

Comparable, centralised and comprehensive information about housing companies, owner apartments in them, or the ownership and pledges of owner apartments has not previously been available. Centralised information benefits society and enables the development of digital services.