“Renting a home has never been this easy. The whole process only took a few minutes!”

Kojamo’s Area Director Ville Kilpi is on his computer browsing customer feedback about the Lumo webstore. The service has won a lot of praise for being quick, convenient and easy to use.

“The webstore has been very enthusiastically received,” Kilpi says.

Some 10,500 homes have already been rented via the webstore during just over three years of operation. More than 60 per cent of the Lumo apartments in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area are rented via the webstore. For newly constructed and renovated properties, the share of apartments rented via the webstore can be as high as 90 per cent.

“The webstore’s popularity was not a big surprise. After all, people are increasingly looking to use digital services that make life easier.

When the webstore was first launched, Kojamo expected that it would be mostly used by young people. However, Kilpi points out that the service has become a favourite among people of all ages looking for a new home.

“The age distribution is well-balanced. Many of our older customers have also found their way to the webstore. The users include both women and men, families with children and people living alone.

More than 60 per cent of the Lumo homes in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area are rented via the webstore.

Kilpi says customers are actively using the webstore in every city, but the service is used the most in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, where demand is also the highest.

“The webstore means that you don’t have to go to an open house with 20 other people to see the apartment and then worry about whether you’ll be selected as the tenant or not,” Kilpi explains.

The webstore is also actively used by the current tenants of Lumo buildings. People’s changing life circumstances can create the need to find a new apartment.

“The webstore is a convenient tool when you want to move to a different Lumo building in a new neighbourhood,” Kilpi adds.

Finding a home in the Lumo webstore is very quick and easy. You can search the listings based on criteria such as location, apartment size or the monthly rent.

When you find the right apartment for your needs, you can rent it right then and there.

Online banking codes are needed to log in to the service. The system automatically checks the customer’s credit history. They can then review the terms of the tenancy agreement and simply click the “rent” button.

When renting an apartment, the customer needs to pay the first month’s rent using online banking. Payment can also be made with a credit card if the user’s account balance is insufficient to cover the cost.

“You don’t need to put down a deposit. We aim to arrange a viewing to the new apartment within three business days of the tenancy agreement being made,” Kilpi explains.

The webstore offers a satisfaction guarantee. If the apartment does not suit your needs, you can cancel the tenancy agreement and receive a full refund of the rental payment you made.

“We try to provide comprehensive information on the apartments using photos and text descriptions. In some cases, however, viewing the apartment in person reveals that it does not suit the customer’s needs,” Kilpi says.

The tenancy agreements signed on the Lumo webstore are fixed-term agreements with a term of six months. For newly constructed properties, the term is one year. The fixed-term tenancy agreement is then extended as an agreement valid until further notice, provided that both parties wish to do so.

Flexibility is another advantage of the Lumo webstore. The customer can choose the date of moving in from a range of available dates. The start of the tenancy agreement can be as late as the 15th of the following month if the apartment is currently vacant or will become vacant at the turn of the month.

“For example, if you sign a tenancy agreement in May, the starting date can be pushed as far as the 15th of June depending on your needs,” Kilpi explains.

For people moving from one Lumo apartment to another, their previous home is usually listed on the webstore right away for new prospective tenants to find. In such circumstances, you can nevertheless negotiate to stay in your old apartment until your next home becomes vacant.

According to Kilpi, another feature that makes the Lumo webstore worth visiting is advance information on newly constructed properties that are not yet available for rent.

“The webstore provides customers with the opportunity to register for advance marketing and sign a tenancy agreement when the property’s date of completion is confirmed,” Kilpi says.

Based on the feedback received thus far, the Lumo webstore fulfils the customers’ wishes.

“But of course we’re always looking for ways to make it even better,” Ville Kilpi concludes.