If you move away or change your apartment for another Lumo apartment, it is important to terminate the tenancy agreement well in advance and to take care of matters related to moving out, such as the final cleaning and returning of the keys.
Termination of tenancy agreement
The easiest way to terminate a tenancy agreement is to use the online services for residents. Notice of termination can also be served by submitting a completed notice of termination form to the Lumo Home Centre (EN: Notice of Termination of Lease). The notice period begins and is binding when the written notice of termination has been submitted to the Lumo Home Centre. You will receive a confirmation letter in response to your electronically submitted or mailed-in notice of termination within three days of the notice of termination being received. The letter will be sent by e-mail or by mail to your home address. If you have not received the letter, please contact the customer service.
TERMINATING A NON-FIXED-TERM TENANCY AGREEMENT
The period of notice for non-fixed-term tenancy agreements is one (1) calendar month. The lease ends on the last day of the month. The date to vacate the apartment is the end date of the tenancy agreement.
Starting from June 2018, non-fixed-term agreements usually include a provision concerning the earliest possible starting date of the notice period, which means that you commit to staying in the apartment for at least six (6) months. When you sign a lease for a newly constructed property, you always commit to a minimum term of twelve (12) months.
If you want to terminate your tenancy agreement earlier than that, we will charge a contractual penalty equivalent to one month’s rent at the end of your agreement. The term of notice is one month once the condition of tenancy duration is fulfilled.
Example:
Your agreement takes effect on 1 June 2018, which means that the first possible date of termination for the tenancy agreement is 1 October 2018. If you want the agreement to be terminated on 30 November 2018, you must give the notice of termination on 31 October 2018 at the latest.
When the lessor terminates the tenancy agreement, the notice period is three (3) calendar months during the first year of tenancy and six (6) calendar months thereafter. However, we do not terminate tenancy agreements unless the resident fails to fulfil their obligations; for example, by not paying rent or by causing a disturbance to the building’s other residents.
TERMINATING A FIXED-TERM TENANCY AGREEMENT
The ending date of a fixed-term tenancy agreement is specified in the agreement. Neither party can terminate a fixed-term tenancy agreement before the end of the term.
Electricity contract
Don’t forget to notify your electricity provider about moving out of the apartment and about your new address. The terms of notice vary between different companies, so make sure to check the term of notice from your own electricity provider.
Electricity contracts by Helsingin Energia can also be terminated online.
Broadband
Don’t forget to terminate your broadband agreement or to transfer it to your new address. The termination and transfer times of broadband agreements vary between different providers, so it’s a good idea to contact your broadband provider well before moving in order to verify their service times.
Apartment inspections and viewings
Soon after receiving your termination notice, we will start looking for a new resident for your Lumo apartment. This means that personal viewings may be organised at the apartment for potential Lumo residents.
We will also conduct an inspection of your Lumo apartment before the termination of your tenancy agreement. We will always notify you of the inspection time in advance by text message or phone.
We always inform the resident about the schedules of viewings and inspections beforehand. If the resident is not home at the time of the viewing or inspection, we use the master key for entering the apartment. In such a case, if you have a security lock installed, please leave it unlocked.
If there are pets or other obstacles to consider in the apartment, we ask the resident to immediately contact the person carrying out the inspection or our customer service.
Lumo customer service
tel. +358 (0)20 508 5000
e-mail asiakaspalvelu@lumo.fi
IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN MOVING OUT
- After removing light fixtures from the ceiling, reinstall the ceiling socket covers, lamp plugs and screw terminals back in their places.
- The inlet and outlet pipes of the dishwasher must be plugged in order to avoid water damage. If you have removed a cupboard in order to install a dishwasher, the cupboard must be put back in its place. This will not be required, however, if you know that the new resident moving into the apartment has a dishwasher.
- Wall plugs etc. must be left in their places, as detaching these may cause large holes that require patching. If the apartment door has a security lock or a peephole, these must also be left in place.
- Remember to also hand over the key for the security lock when returning the keys.
- The user manuals of household appliances (and the Household Folder) must be left in the apartment.
Returning the security deposit
After the tenancy agreement has ended, the security deposit potentially paid in the beginning of the resident’s Lumo residency will be refunded on the resident’s bank account. The conditions for refunding the security deposit are that the apartment is in good condition, all the keys have been returned and there are no unpaid rents.
If it is observed that the apartment requires any additional work related to the final cleaning and/or repairs (such as rekeying of the locks), the resident will be invoiced for such works in line with the actual costs incurred. We do not invoice our residents for repair costs caused by normal wear and tear.
More information on the criteria for invoicing and examples of work that residents are most commonly charged for can be found here: Criteria for invoicing residents
Checklist for movers
There are many things to remember as you prepare to move.
Don’t forget to:
- submit a notification of change of address to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and Posti via posti.fi/changeaddress/
- terminate your electricity contract
- terminate the broadband contract for your current apartment
- change your home insurance policy to the new address
- clear out anything you may have in storage
Impact of the resident’s death on the tenancy agreement:
Directions for the parties to an estate
1. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE TENANCY AGREEMENT IF THE RESIDENT DIES?
According to the section 46 of the Finnish Act on Residential Leases, the lease shall remain in effect on the previous terms if the tenant of a residential apartment dies. This means that the estate of the deceased resident is liable for fulfilling the condition of the rental conditions (payment of rent, taking care of the apartment, etc.). The estate may either let the tenancy agreement continue normally, or terminate the tenancy agreement. If the estate terminates the tenancy agreement, the estate’s liability of fulfilling the conditions of the tenancy agreement ends at the end of the month following the month in which the tenancy agreement has been terminated.
If the deceased resident has rented the apartment together with a spouse or live-in partner, the estate and the spouse/partner share the right to terminate the tenancy agreement. Both parties also have the right to terminate the tenancy agreement for their part.
The person who has rented the apartment together with the deceased resident has the right to continue the tenancy relationship unless the lessor has a legitimate reason to object this. The same right to continue the tenancy relationship belongs to the spouse/partner of the deceased resident who is living in the apartment, any children belonging to the family, and the parent of the deceased resident or of the spouse/partner. The person willing to continue the tenancy relationship must inform the lessor about this in writing within three (3) months of the deceased resident’s passing. After the lessor has been notified, the estate’s liability related to fulfilling the conditions of the tenancy agreement ends, and the liability is transferred to the person who has submitted the notification.
2. HOW DOES THE ESTATE OF THE DECEASED RESIDENT TERMINATE THE TENANCY AGREEMENT?
If the estate does not want to continue the tenancy agreement or a person who has been living with the deceased resident wishes to continue living in the apartment, the estate should terminate the tenancy agreement as soon as possible in order to be exempted from its responsibilities related to the tenancy agreement.
If the estate does not want to continue the tenancy agreement, it must provide the lessor with a written notice of termination. Signatures are required from all parties to the estate. Alternatively, powers of attorney must be provided by those parties that do not sign the notice of termination. An extract from the civil register stating the deceased resident’s date of death and provided by the resident’s final place of residency must be attached to the notice of termination. The extract from the civil register can be obtained from the parish registry or registry office of the deceased resident’s final place of residency.
After the estate has terminated the tenancy agreement (the whole agreement or only the part of the estate), the estate’s liability of fulfilling the conditions of the tenancy agreement ends at the end of the month following the month in which the tenancy agreement has been terminated.
Further information related to these instructions can be obtained by contacting our customer service.
Cleaning on moving out
You must carry out the final cleaning of your apartment when moving out before handing over the keys. If the final cleaning is inadequate or has not been carried out at all, we have the right to have the apartment cleaned and invoice you for the costs incurred.
Please consider the following issues with regard to final cleaning:
Kitchen
- Clean the inside and outside of the cooker and refrigeration devices, including the backs, and defrost and remove any ice from the refrigeration devices
- Clean the kitchen cabinets inside and out
- Clean the outlet vents
Bathroom and toilets
- Clean the toilet seat and washbasin
- Clean the floor drains
- Clean the outlet vents
Sauna
- Wash the benches
- Clean the floor drains and outlet vents
Walls and floors
- Clean all floor surfaces using a vacuum cleaner and a mop, or wipe them using a damp cloth. Remove any stains that have formed on the surfaces of doors and walls. Clean the interior surfaces of windows.
Apartment door
- Clean and wipe both inside and outside surfaces of the entrance door(s) to the apartment
Storage and other areas
- Tidy up the balcony and the front- and back-yard areas
- Clean all the storage facilities associated with the apartment (including the storage for movable property) using a vacuum cleaner
Returning your keys
The resident must deliver the eys of the Lumo apartment to the key register administrator, where the keys are acknowledged as received and handed over to the next resident against their signature. All additional keys must also be returned, including keys for the security lock, keys for any storage facilities, parking space/car park as well as any keys, key cards or tokens for the laundry room.
I have lost a key/keys, what should I do?
In a situation where the keys are not found by the moving day, we must rekey the locks and charge the former resident for the costs entailed. The rekeying of locks is always carried out with the incoming resident’s security in mind.
What to do if your moving date is during the weekend or on a holiday
Handing over the keys on weekend or public holiday – when the new resident is known
If you move out on a weekend or a public holiday, we will give the new resident your contact information so that you can agree with them about the time when the keys will be handed over to them. The old and new resident agree about the specific time of handing over the keys between themselves. Note! If you want to absolutely prohibit the handover of your contact information, please contact our customer service.
A written receipt is prepared about the handover of keys, which must be delivered to the administrator of the key register. The former resident is in charge of delivering the receipt and must do so on the following working day. By delivering the agreement on handing over the keys, the former resident is exempted from their liability related to the returned keys.
Agreement on handing over the keys
Handing over the keys on weekend or public holiday – when the new resident is not yet known
If the new resident is not yet known and an agreement on the issue has been made with the local Lumo Home Centre, the keys can be returned on the morning of the next weekday.
Lumo customer service
tel. +358 (0)20 508 5000
e-mail asiakaspalvelu@lumo.fi
Contact information for Lumo Home Centres
Criteria for invoicing residents
According to the Act on Residential Leases (ARL) and the tenancy agreement, the tenant must take good care of their rented apartment. Section 25 of the ARL states that the tenant is responsible for reimbursing the lessor/landlord for any damage to the apartment that the tenant may have caused either intentionally or through neglect or other carelessness. However, the tenant is not responsible for normal wear and tear.
If the condition of the apartment at the time of transfer is unsatisfactory and we have to arrange cleaning or repair work on your behalf, such as changing a lock, you will be charged for the work in line with the incurred work and material costs. You will not be charged for normal wear and tear. In addition to the time spent on measures related to charging the tenant, the charge will also always include the processing fee indicated below.
Resident invoicing rates