Real estate

The real estate market in Finland increasingly attracts foreign commercial investors and real estate developers. The same applies in regard of individuals moving to Finland or wishing to own a summer cottage at one of the (over) thousand lakes in Finland for family or other personal reasons.

The law on real estate differs from country to country, and this also applies in regard of Finland . The most common form of owning real estate is to own certain or all of the shares of a company owning the rights and interest in the land and buildings. Summer and recreation cottages are, however, often owned directly by the individual person.

When planning a real estate investment in Finland both real estate law and corporate law thus need to be taken into consideration.

Formal requirements and notary system

The Finnish law contains less formal requirements on real estate transactions than for example German law. Transactions concerning real estate need to be made in writing and confirmed by a publicly authorized person or notary public (the so called “kaupanvahvistaja”). Ownership rights, liens and encumbrances need to be registered with the appropriate register. Parties to a real estate deal ought to seek assistance and legal advice on their own. The role notaries have in German or Switzerland usually lays with lawyers, banks or real estate agents.

We have accompanied both commercial and private real estate transactions and litigated various matters.

Real estate management

Commercial and privately owned real estate and dwelling houses require management. We at VSK offer the necessary know-how and one of our partners is licensed professional house manager.