To ensure the health, comfort, and safety of all the residents living in the student housings, you are required not only to follow the law, statutes, and city regulations, but also to the rules and regulations set by HOPS foundation board. Please read the rules and regulations section on HOPS website before proceeding.

You can apply for a student accommodation in Hämeenlinna using the online application form on HOPS website. Please notice that the application is valid only for three months. So if you need accommodation in August then apply at the beginning of May.

Both exchange students and international degree students need to apply for an accommodation. HAMK is not responsible for arranging apartments for students. Students studying in Hämeenlinna and Riihimäki are the first priority.

Student apartments with lifts and other special assistance are available. On the first page of the application form, you can tick the box of “lift” as one of the criteria. If you have other special requests, you can notify HOPS by filling in the special requests text box at the end of the application form.

If there is more than one applicant (e.g., friends or family members), you can also fill in other applicants´ information in the same form. If you are moving in with an unborn child, please attach a certificate of pregnancy.

If you are moving in with a pet, make sure to notify HOPS in the application form. Keeping household pets is allowed only with permission from the property manager and your roommate (if in a shared apartment). Pets are not allowed in Kampuskaarre location.

When you fill in the application online, please provide your email address, so that you can be offered  an apartment whenever one meeting requirements stated in your application is found. Your application is valid for three months.

The rents for HOPS student apartments are set by the housing foundation board. The rent includes electricity, heating, water, and internet (10 Mbit/s). Storage room unit, laundry room, and weekly public sauna (Juoksusauna) are also available. Please note that you need to have your own modem for the internet connection.

Monthly rent per type of apartment:

• Shared flats 304€  – 365€ / room
• Studios on average 502€

The rent can be increased in accordance with the regulations of the Housing Production Act and the Tenancy Act. The Foundation does not seek profits from student accommodation.

Summertime rent: you can keep your room in the shared apartments for half of the cost during June, July, and August. This only applies to shared apartments, but not studios. Every year, HOPS will send an information letter regarding this and if you want to pay half rent during summer, you must fill in a form and return it to HOPS. After that, you need to leave your keys to the property manager. You can leave your belongings in the room.

Most apartments for rent in Finland are unfurnished. Student apartments in Kampuskaarre and Hattelmala H2 do not offer any furniture. Furniture is available for apartments in other locations, which include an 80-cm wide bed frame (without mattress), a desk, a chair, and a bookshelf. In shared apartments, there are also a kitchen table and some chairs.

If you want to include basic furniture in your apartment, you need to mention it in the application or at the latest before you sign the lease to the property manager. If you would like furniture in your apartment or room to be taken away, you can report a problem on HOPS webpage and request the removal of the furniture.

If you need to furnish your apartment, you can check out the shopping opportunities section on HAMK´s living and leisure time Hämeenlinna webpage.

Other services including laundry, storage, sauna, parking, and common areas are available at the premises. See local info by HOPS for more information regarding the use of those services.

If you are offered a student apartment from HOPS, we recommend that you take it. The confirmation of accepting an offer is done by paying a deposit and signing a lease. Together with the apartment offer, an invoice for deposit payment will be sent to you. After you have paid the deposit, you will sign a lease agreement with HOPS.

Please make sure that you have banking services that allow you to pay deposit and rents for your accommodation. Cash is not accepted for such kind of payment in Finland. If you are not in Finland when you pay the deposit, you can either use online banking (if available from your local bank) or ask the clerk in the bank to make the transfer for you. You can send the payment receipts to HOPS after you have made the transfer.

Regarding signing the lease agreement with HOPS, if you do not have the Finnish banking credentials yet by that time, you can sign the agreement contract, scan the signed contract, and send it back to HOPS. If you have Finnish banking credentials, you can sign the lease electronically.

NB: If you cancel your rental agreement one month (or earlier) before your tenancy begins, you will get half of your deposit back. If you cancel your rental agreement later than that, you won’t get your deposit back.

The arrangement of how to receive keys to the apartment can be often quite complicated for some of our international students. Therefore, we recommend you to plan how to collect the keys before you arrive in Finland.

The key to your apartment can be collected from the HOPS office.

HOPS Hämeenlinna office

Sibeliuksenkatu 5, 13100 Hämeenlinna

Opening hours:

Mon -Thu: 9.00 – 15.30

Fri: 9.00 – 14.00

Sat – Sun: closed

If you arrive at a time when you cannot pick up the keys, one option is to stay in a hotel or a hostel. Here you can find the list of hotels and hostels in Hämeenlinna.

If you cannot acquire the key personally, you can contact the arrival team to help you collect it. Please notify HOPS the name of the person that is picking up the key for you.

Due to the COVID situations, visiting the office might not be available. You can call 0102287010 or send an email to hops@realia.fi in advance to evaluate the need to visit the office.

More information on arrangement of keys, lost of keys, and other keys related services, see local info by HOPS.

The rent is paid monthly, in advance by personal bank transfer by the 5th of each month at the latest. Remember to fill in the reference number when paying. The reference number is individual and personal. Should you face difficulties paying the rent, be sure to contact the accommodation manager, with whom you can also settle a delayed payment of your rent.

Exchange students can also pay rents for the whole period of your stay in advance, for example for the whole period of September 1 to December 15. This is made easier for exchange students so you do not need to pay the rent every month.

With most of HAMK´s student accommodation providers, it is not compulsory to purchase an additional home insurance. Consult the property manager for more information about the insurance coverage for your apartment.

You can also take out a home insurance on your own. Home insurance coverage depends on the contract and may include, robbery of property, damage to furniture or others. You can consider contacting one of the home insurance providers:

Pohjola

Fennia

If

Tapiola

The insurance providers might provide information online in Finnish and in Swedish only, but you can contact them via phone or email or by visiting their local offices, as the personnel usually is able to provide you with services in English.

If you need advice concerning student accommodation at Riihimäki campus area, you can contact HOPS´ service email hops@retta.fi. You can also contact the property managers below.

Maarit Kihlamo
Property manager
Tel. 010 228 7089
maarit.kihlamo@retta.fi

Päivi Orkola
Executive manager and property manager
Tel. 010 2287018
paivi.orkola@retta.fi

For more information, please visit HOPS´s local info and FAQ webpages.

If you need a place to stay for a short term (e.g., a few days before the start of your student apartment lease; you arrive outside office time for picking up your apartment´s keys) in Hämeenlinna, there are hotels and hostels available nearby the city center and the Hämeenlinna University Centre. See the list of hotels and hostels in Hämeenlinna.

If you are searching for a rental apartment from other housing providers, here are some of the options.

Lumo rental apartments Hämeenlinna (information available in English)

Vuokraovi Hämeenlinna (information available in English)

Asunnot Oikotie Hämeenlinna (in Finnish)

Please note that if you live in a rental apartment provided by private sectors, electricity, internet, and many other services are not included in the rent. In this case it is also compulsory to have a home insurance. You need to sign contracts with those service providers separately, and the Finnish ID card will be needed to finalize this process.