You can check your property’s information, including road rights, in the e-service (in Finnish).
If you need information about a property other than your own, you can purchase a property extract or certificate in the e-service (in Finnish).
The National Land Survey of Finland’s (NLS) purchase price register includes information about the prices of completed property transactions. For information about individual property transactions, contact the customer service.
For more information about permitted building rights, contact your municipality.
The NLS does not maintain information about underground pipelines and cables, including water and sewage pipes, as well as electric cables. Several municipalities maintain a map of pipelines and cables in their areas. You can also request such a map from pipeline and cable owners such as local water and grid companies. Certain private service providers also scan underground pipelines and cables, and show their locations in the terrain.
Rights of use and restrictions
Properties may involve various rights, including the right
- to use a road,
- to use public areas (e.g. water area), and
- to keep a boat in a designated place.
You can exercise these rights as the property owner. Some rights go back a long way, and they are no longer relevant, including flax soaking places.
Properties may also be subject to various restrictions that affect their use. For example,
- control of a property may be divided between several parties through an agreement.
- a property may include a leasehold with tenants.
- a property may include a road, which owners of other properties can use.
- a property may include a power line, the area around which is subject to restrictions.
Where can I see what rights and restrictions a property has?
You can check your property’s information free of charge in the NLS e-service (in Finnish).
- Identifying information about all rights of use and restrictions are shown, including the type and identifier of a right or restriction. There are many types of rights of use and restrictions. The most common rights of use and restrictions as well as their explanations are listed in a table.
- The extent of the information shown depends on the type of right or restriction.
- Rights of use and restrictions are shown on a map if their location is known. You can click items on the map to view more detailed information. For example, you can click a right of use on the map to see which properties are encumbered by the specific right of use and which properties can use it.
To view information about properties other than your own, you can buy extracts and certificates in the e-service.
My property includes a road right – what does it mean?
There are two types of road rights:
- a private road maintained by a road association, and
- a road right.
A road association can be established to manage and maintain a private road. With regard to other road rights, holders of the right to use the road maintain the road otherwise by a mutual agreement without establishing a road association.
You can check your property’s road rights in the e-service.
- For private roads maintained by a road association, you can see the properties through which the road travels, i.e. the properties encumbered by the road right. Road associations have up-to-date information about holders of road rights and road users. For the name and address of a road association’s contact person, call the NLS customer service.
- You can buy a register extract for a private road maintained by a road association if the road travels through your property. The extract indicates the name and identifier of the road association, the name of its contact person (if provided), and a list of the properties through which the road travels. The extract also shows whether the road association’s rules are in the NLS’s archives.
- For road rights, the service shows the properties through which the road travels, i.e. the properties encumbered by the road right. It also shows the entitled properties whose owners have the right to use the road.
The e-service’s map displays all private roads in an area using dashed lines. You can also click items on the map to view more detailed information.
The most common rights of use and restrictions
The most common rights of use and restrictions as well as their explanations are listed in the table below.
| Right of use or restriction | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Keeping vehicles | The right to keep vehicles on land owned by someone else, for example, for parking or other storage. |
| Keeping cars | The right to keep cars on land owned by someone else, for example, for parking or other storage. |
| Cable, pipe, or conduit | The right to place and use, for example, a water or sewage pipe, an electric or telecommunication cable on land owned by someone else as well as the right to maintain and repair the cable, pipe or conduit. |
| Access to road in detailed plan area | The right to pass through land owned by someone else to one’s plot. |
| Usufruct | The right to use land owned by someone else, for example, the premises of a building, a route, or a parking space. |
| Dock | The right to use and keep a dock on a land or water area owned by someone else. |
| Loading area | The right to use land owned by someone else for loading and unloading and for parking vehicles temporarily. |
| Nature reserve, private | An area established on private land where the use of the area has been restricted to protect nature. |
| Right of way according to the Highways Act | A part of a highway where the road management authority has built, for example, a bridge or a tunnel. |
| Lateral clearance area | An area of a highway’s curve or junction where the road management authority may fell trees and bushes to ensure road safety. |
| Highway buffer zone | An area alongside a highway where the use of the area has been restricted due to road safety or maintenance. Read more about highway buffer zones on the Traffic Customer Service’s website (in Finnish). |
| Timber storage | The right to use land owned by someone else for storage and processing of timber, for example, in connection with logging or transportation. |
| Restricted area around railway tracks | An area alongside a railway where the use of the land has been restricted due to railway safety or maintenance. Read more about restricted areas around railway tracks on the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency’s website. |
| Environmental support agreement | An agreement for committing to protect ecologically valuable environments for a fixed term. The restrictions of the use of the land have been defined in an agreement. |
| Electric cable | The right to place and use an electric cable on land owned by someone else as well as the right to maintain and repair the cable. |
| Conduction of household water | The right to conduct water through land owned by someone else for one’s own use, for example, from a well or a spring to a building. |
| Taking of household water | The right to take water from land owned by someone else, for example, from a well or a spring. |
| Road management authority’s right to drainage ditch | The road management authority’s right to lead water away from a highway through land owned by someone else as well as maintain and repair structures related to the conduction of water. |
| Conduction of water to drain land | The road management authority’s right to lead water away from a highway through land owned by someone else as well as the right to maintain and repair structures related to the conduction of water. |
| Landing place for boats | The right to use land owned by someone else for storing or launching boats. |
| Water pipe | The right to place and use a water pipe on land owned by someone else as well as the right to maintain and repair the pipe. |
| Sewage pipe | The right to place and use a sewage pipe on land owned by someone else as well as the right to maintain and repair the pipe. |
| Power line | The right to place and use a power line intended for the transmission of electricity on land owned by someone else as well as the right to maintain and repair the line. The capacity of the power line is usually 110 kV or more. |