Fair Rental Practises
FAIR RENTAL PRACTISES REQUIRES TAKING A HOME INSURANCE
According to fair rental practices the tenant should always get a home insurance regardless of whether it be stipulated in the rental agreement conditions or not. The tenant’s home insurance covering legal protection and liability insurance should be perceived as part of residential costs. A small increase of basic living costs improves considerably living security and covers personal property damages and temporary housing in case of an accident.
An updated version of Fair Rental Practices directions has been published in the spring of 2008. The directions capture the tenants’ and lessors’ tenancy principles perceptions according to which they wish to act on. The updated Fair Rental Practices directions have been made by the Central Union of Tenants, The Finnish Association of Landlords, The Finnish Real Estate Federation, and RAKLI – The Finnish Association of Building Owners and Construction Clients.
Further information: www.vuokralaistenkeskusliitto.fi and www.asuminen.fi
HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR FIREALARM’S FUNCTIONALITY?
During the first phases of a fire, imperceptible combustion gases emerge. These gases cause concussion and death to anyone in the flat within the first few minutes. The fire alarm detects such gases and gives an alarm signal giving you and your family time to save yourselves.
It is the tenant’s responsibility to see that there is a functioning fire alarm device in the flat by replacing dead batteries with fresh ones, for instance. Any security device is of no significance unless its functionality is maintained.
IS YOUR BATHROOM UNDERFLOOR HEATING WARMING UP THE ENTIRE FLAT?
Quite a few of our flats’ bath and sauna facilities are equipped with an electrically functioning underfloor heating. The electricity consumption of such a device goes to the tenant’s own electricity meter and is not included in the rental payment. The tenant has been informed of this in context of making the rental agreement. When appropriately adjusted, the underfloor heating consumes approximately 500 kWh of electricity per year. Ideal bathroom temperature is 23 C, which is about 1-2 degrees higher than in the rest of the flat. Please make sure that the bathroom door is not kept open if you maintain a bathroom temperature that is higher than that of the other rooms of the flat. The heat will evade into the other rooms through an open bathroom door. This way you will be paying the heating of the rest of the apartment with the use of an underfloor heating.
Sorting out waste
Proper waste handling begins already before any waste has been produced. When deciding to buy something, you are also making decisions concerning subsequent waste production.
Instructions on sorting out household waste:
Mixed waste is to be put into a container or bin reserved for it.
Recycling paper is to be put into an appropriate container or bin reserved for it. This container is exclusively for paper obtained through the letterbox and no other types of paper waste should be put there. (this applies to plastic coated paper as well)
Cardboard boxes and food supplies boxes are to be disassembled and put into the blue cardboard recycling container or mixed waste container.
The bio waste container is for decomposing waste only; plastic material including grocery store’s plastic fruit bags must not be put there.
Furniture is to be taken to the dumping ground or recycling centre by the tenant him/herself. Many recycling centres also have a pick-up service.
Computers and other household electric appliances must be taken to a recycling centre (”Kierrätystori” on Teollisuuskatu 5-7, for instance) by the tenant him/herself. Many recycling centres will accept them for free.
Reasonable waste sorting will reduce waste handling costs and diminish the pressure to increase rental payments.