Termination of lease and moving out

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.

The many Lumo services and customer benefits make moving out easier for you. Read more about the moving service, moving-out clean-up service and flexible switching.

The easiest way to terminate a tenancy agreement is to use the My Lumo service for residents. You can also terminate a tenancy agreement by submitting a completed and signed notice of termination form to Lumo Home Centre. Please note that you cannot terminate your tenancy agreement with an incomplete e-mail. You always need to attach the completed form to the message. Please send an email containing personal information in encrypted form.

The notice period begins and is binding when the written notice of termination has been submitted either in the online service for residents or physically to Lumo Home Centre. You will always receive a letter of confirmation regarding the termination. The letter will be sent by mail to your home address as well as by e-mail if you have provided us with your e-mail address. If you have not received the letter, please contact our customer service.

The period of notice of a tenancy agreement is at least one entire calendar month, but you can terminate the agreement as soon as you have decided to move – you do not have to wait until the end of the month. If, for example, you send your notice of termination on the 5th day of the month, your agreement will end on the last day of the next month. The date to vacate the apartment is the end date of the tenancy agreement, which is usually the last day of the month.

Non-fixed-term agreements usually include a condition on the first possible start date of the period of notice. For our properties, the earliest possible start date of the notice period is eleven (11) months after the start of the tenancy agreement. The notice period is one (1) month. This means that the tenancy agreement will be valid for at least twelve (12) months. In some of our properties there is a six (6) months minimum period of living, when the earliest possible start date of the notice period is (5) months after the start of the lease agreement. You can check the earliest possible starting date of the notice period from your tenancy agreement.

However, termination of the tenancy agreement is always possible in accordance with the contractual penalty (1 month’s rent) stated in the agreement.

Keep in mind that Lumo homes always have an option to switch from one Lumo home to another. Lumo residents can move from one Lumo home to another after six (6) months of living. Home exchangers have no notice period and are not required to pay the contractual penalty. After the switch the new tenancy agreement will be valid for at least 6 or 12 months depending on the minimum period of living in the new property. We also offer Lumo residents various services that make moving easier. Please contact our customer service if you have questions about switching homes or moving!

Example:

Your agreement takes effect on 1 June 2024, so you can start the notice period on 30 April 2025 at the earliest, which means the agreement would end on 31 May 2025.

If the lessor terminates a non-fixed-term tenancy agreement, the notice period is three (3) calendar months during the first year of tenancy and six (6) calendar months thereafter. However, we only terminate agreements if the resident neglects their obligations, for example failing to pay rent or disturbing other residents in the building.

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.

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.

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.

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.

• 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.

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

There are many things to remember as you prepare to move.

Don’t forget to:

• submit a notification of change of address to the Population Information System and Posti via posti.fi/changeaddress/
• terminate your electricity contract
• terminate the broadband contract for your current apartment
• terminate your electric vehicle charging service contract
• change your home insurance policy to the new address
• clear out anything you may have in storage

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.

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. Please send an email containing personal information in encrypted form.

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.

When moving out, you must carry out the final cleaning of your apartment before handing over the keys. If the final cleaning is deemed inadequate or has not been carried out at all, we have the right to have the apartment cleaned and to invoice you for the costs incurred.

Move out cleaning service

If you wish, you can also order move out cleaning service through us. By using the service, you can easily get your apartment cleaned up while ensuring that its condition corresponds to the terms of agreement. The service is available in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and the surrounding municipalities as well as Hämeenlinna, Turku, Tampere, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Kuopio and Oulu.

Kitchen

• Clean the stove surfaces, back wall, oven, oven knobs, bottom drawer and baking trays and racks. Remember also clean the sides and back of the stove.
• Clean the kitchen cabinets and their handles inside and out. Remember to remove any crumbs and stains left in the drawers.
• Clean the exhaust air valves and, if applicable to your apartment, extractor hood and grease filter.
• Clean the dishwasher both inside and out, if there is one. Remember to clean the dishwasher filter as well.
• If you installed the dishwasher yourself, remove it and ensure that the water supply and drain hoses are properly sealed. Reassemble the cabinet that may have originally been in place of the dishwasher.
• Clean the inside, outside, back wall, and gaskets of the refrigeration units. Vacuum the back of the refrigerator if possible.
• Defrost the refrigeration units of ice. After defrosting, turn off the appliances and leave the doors open.

Bathroom and toilet

• Wash the toilet seat, washbasin and taps.
• Clean the mirror and any cabinets.
• Wash the shower walls, if applicable.
• Clean the walls and floors of the shower corner.
• Wash the showerhead and its hose, as well as the soap holder.
• Clean the floor drains.

Apartment sauna

• Wash the sauna benches.
• Wash the glass surfaces on the sauna door.
• Clean the floor drains and air outlet vents.

Walls, windows and floors

• Clean all floor surfaces and baseboards using a vacuum cleaner and a mop, or wipe them using a damp cloth.
• Remove stains on the surfaces of doors and walls, and remove wall stickers, if there are any.
• Wipe the light switches and power sockets.
• Clean the interior surfaces of windows. Remove dust and dirt on the windowsills and window casings. Remember to close all the windows.
• Remove dust and dirt on the radiators and heating pipes.
• Remove surface dust on all the exhaust valves in the apartment as well as their surroundings without removing the valve plate or grate.

Doors, cabinets and shelves

• Wipe doors and cabinets, including handles both inside and out.
• Wipe the shelves in the wardrobe, if there is one.
• Wipe the surfaces of any other shelves or counters as well.

Storage, balconies and apartment yards

• Empty and clean the balcony and/or private apartment yard.
• Empty and vacuum any storage facilities connected to the apartment.

Return the keys to your Lumo home no later than the last day of your tenancy agreement. You can view the details of our key management partner on the Contact us or House & facilities pages within the My Lumo service. We will also send you more detailed information about the key return by email when you terminate your tenancy agreement.

If your Lumo home's key return is handled at the key management partner's premises, please check their office opening hours before returning the keys.

If your Lumo home's key return point is a key locker, you will receive detailed return instructions from our key management partner.

Please return all keys related to your Lumo home at the same time. These may include keys for the security lock, a separate storage unit, a parking space or car park, a laundry room reservation lock, a laundry room key card, or a token.

Our key management partner maintains a record of the property's keys. If the original keys are not returned, we will rekey the property's locks. The cost of rekeying will be charged to the former resident. We always rekey the locks to ensure the safety of the new resident.

Any security deposit will be refunded in accordance with the terms of the agreement upon return of the keys.

If your moving day falls on a weekend or public holiday, you may give permission for your contact details to be shared with the new resident. You can also give this permission via the notice of termination. The outgoing and incoming residents can then agree between themselves on the exact time for handing over the keys.

The outgoing and incoming residents should jointly complete a written agreement on handing over the keys, which the outgoing resident must submit to the key management partner no later than the next working day. Once the outgoing resident submits the key handover agreement, they are released from responsibility for the returned keys.

If there is no new resident for the terminated apartment and you have agreed this with a Lumo homes representative, you may return the keys on the morning of the next working day after your tenancy ends.

If your Lumo building uses a key locker, always return the keys no later than the last day of your tenancy agreement. You will receive detailed return instructions directly from our key management partner.

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 damages 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 resident, the charge will also always include the processing fee indicated below.