The club room and yard of Uuno Kailaan Katu 5 in Vermonniitty, Espoo is buzzing with people, despite the autumn rain that is whipping the ground and the wind that is trying to snatch the canopy set up to protect the food and drinks on offer. The popularity is explained by the housewarming party for the building’s residents. It is an opportunity for the residents to get to know Lumo services and meet the property manager of the building, for instance.

There are all kinds of dishes on offer from salads to sausages. There is even a dog bar for the building’s four-legged residents.

Tua with her three Miniature Pinschers is rushing by. She moved to the building three days before the party.

“The move was so easy, and our new home is just as it was supposed to be. The location is perfect regarding the distance to work for the adults in our family. In addition, it was a pro for me that pets are also welcome to the building,” she says.

Vermonniitty is located in the vicinity of the neighbourhood of Leppävaara, close to Vermo Race Track. Shopping Centre Sello with its cinemas and other services is within walking distance. The residential area is urban but still close to nature: both the Tali outdoor exercise area and the seashores of Laajalahti are close.

It was the nature and excellent transportation connections that attracted the Ala-Luhtala family to the area. They moved in only a week before.

“We were looking for a larger home and decided upon this area because of its great connections that work for us. We weren’t familiar with the area in advance but there are many opportunities for exercising outdoors and the sea is also close by,” says Eetu Ala-Luhtala who came to the housewarming party with his son.

The residents have moved into to the new and shiny Lumo homes at Uuno Kailaan katu 5 in two batches: the first ones in June, and the next in early September. The other near-by buildings are still under construction, but the peaceful courtyard is already perfect for children’s games.

Ala-Luhtala believes that their family will stay in the area for a long time.

“Our son is only a year and a half old but he already loves it here. He goes to the balcony and yelps with excitement when he sees different cranes and excavators! It’s also nice to see that many other families with children have moved in here,” says Ala-Luhtala.

Uuno Kailaan katu 5 has four staircases and 7–8 floors, depending on the staircase. In all, the building houses 135 completely new homes. One of these is the apartment of the Seppä family – their first home in Espoo. In addition to four rooms and a kitchen, the apartment has a sauna and two balconies. The view from the living room balcony opens all the way to Leppävaara.

“The setting sun in the evening is beautiful here, and the balcony has become a favourite spot for all of us,” says Suvi Seppä when giving a tour of the apartment.

The Seppä family, too, decided to move to Vermonniitty because of the excellent transport connections.

“We moved here from a detached house in Janakkala a few months ago. The commute was long, and now we can get to work in reasonable time. We have been positively surprised at how quiet living in an apartment building is. We can’t hear the neighbours at all. In addition, we have large windows so the apartment is full of light and spacious,” says Seppä.

There is a flurry by the club room door opening to the courtyard as the residents at the housewarming party will soon hear about the shared-use facilities of the building, Lumo resident benefits and the My Lumo service where residents can conveniently pay the rent and submit maintenance requests, for instance. In the end, every last seat of the club room is filled.

Also Anni and Olli, depicted in the topmost photo of this article, have recently moved to Vermonniitty. They thought that the most convenient way of paying rent is through the My Lumo application.

Mikko and Leila Naskali moved into the building only a week before, and they are also present at the housewarming.

“It was really nice to hear about residents' activities and other benefits. We already tested the My Lumo service, and it seems that messages travel smoothly through it,” says Mikko Naskali.

The couple was originally thinking about moving into a larger apartment in Vantaa but in the end, they couldn’t resist the temptation to change scenery and move to Espoo. Finding and booking their Lumo home from the webstore was easy.

“We found the apartment online from the Lumo webstore and fell in love with the area and the modern look of the building. Our new home is full of light, and the light-coloured floors only accentuate the impression,” says Leila Naskali.

The shared facilities the building have surprised the Naskali couple positively. In addition to the club room, the ground floor at Uuno Kailaan katu 5 houses laundry and drying rooms, three saunas as well as apartment-specific storage facilities, outdoor equipment storage rooms and separate storage space for prams.

“We have already had a little look around the shared facilities and it has been great to notice that the bike storages, for instance, are very spacious. Urban living has clearly been considered here, as well as the fact that many households probably have more than one bike,” adds Leila Naskali.

The residents of the Vermonniitty area have a Lumo car share vehicle available, and the residents can rent it at a lower price. You can use the car share vehicle with a fee that is based on the reservation time. In addition to that, you have to pay for the used fuel. Booking the car online is easy and convenient.

The car share is a topic of interest in many tables. The convenient location of the new home and the car share vehicle have also sparked a conversation about the necessity of their own car in the Seppä family.

“The location is so central that we have thought about giving up our car. And anyhow, renting a car is easy if we ever need one,” says Seppä.

The autumn wind is only picking up but the happy chatter at Uuno Kailaan katu continues. Many are meeting their neighbours for the first time, and there is still plenty of food on the barbecue for seconds.

“This event was a nice surprise, and we learnt many new and useful things. We have lived in a Lumo home before, but now I’m thinking about joining the resident’s activities for the first time. This club room also seems like a nice place where you could organise different kinds of events in the future,” says Leila Naskali.