Students will be moved under the general housing allowance on the 1st of August 2017, meaning that the entire household’s income will affect the amount of the allowance. Below you can find the specific instructions for applying. The instructions apply to AYY tenants.

Shared apartment or a furnished shared apartment

AYY is drafting personal rental agreements to shared apartments, meaning that each tenant forms their own household. If you live in a shared apartment, apply for housing allowance alone. The income of other tenants does not affect the amount of received housing allowance.

 

Studio or a studio in a shared apartment

If you live alone in a studio or a studio in a shared apartment, your household only consists of you alone. People living in studios in shared apartments are not affected by the income of other tenants. People living alone apply for housing allowance alone.

If, however, you share a studio or a studio in a shared apartment with someone else, you consist of a shared household. Kela will always decree these households to be cohabiting, and the income of each person will affect the allowance. Apply for the allowance jointly.

 

Duplex, Three-room apartments and four-room apartments

 

Current situation

AYY is making friend- and family rental agreements to duplexes and three-and four-room apartments, which all have shared responsibilities. This means that people living in friend- and family agreements form one household, and the income of all will affect the allowance. People living in a duplex, three-room or four-room apartment with a shared rental agreement must apply for the allowance jointly.

If you are the only primary tenant in a duplex, three-or four-room apartment, and you have sub-letted a part of the apartment to one or more people, you may apply for the housing allowance alone. The sub-letters may also apply alone, if each sub-letter has their own separate sub-let rental agreement.

If you live alone, the situation is same as with people living in studios, and you may apply for the allowance alone.

AYY upcoming actions

AYY is currently undertaking a project to increase communal living. As a part of this project, apartments with several bedrooms are being converted to shared apartments and we are creating means where shared apartments could be applied to in the same way as friend apartments now. The aim is that on a long term AYY would have only shared apartments, shared studios, studios and family apartments available to its tenants. The timetable for these changes will be published to the tenants when they become relevant.

 

Useful links

You may apply for the general housing allowance starting from August 2017 already at the Kela web service.

http://www.kela.fi/web/en/changes-to-student-financial-aid

http://www.kela.fi/web/en/general-housing-allowance

http://www.kela.fi/web/en/general-housing-allowance_eligibility-review

 

If you need more information, you may contact the housing office at asuntotoimisto@ayy.fi