This document provides an overview of real estate transactions in Finland. It discusses buying land, forest estates, built real estate, and stocks in housing or commercial real estate companies. The key points are that Finland has a clear national real estate registration system, transactions require involvement of a public notary, and there are no legal limitations for foreigners to own real estate in Finland. Revenue taxes are 4% for land/forest estates and 2% for stock transactions. Buyers must verify ownership records, zoning plans, and technical/financial details before purchasing.

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REAL ESTATE MARKET in FINLAND
Market situation
Real estate transactions in Finland

2. NestorPartners / 1.2.2007
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Basic facts about a real estate transaction in Finland
Real estate
Land lot or forest estate
Built up real estate
Buying stocks of a housing or commercial real estate company
2
Terho Salo
Kotka 5.6.2013

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 It is very safe to do real estet transactions in Finland, because our real estate
registration system is very clear and witout any rat holes
 We have a nation wide register of all real estate properties in Finland. This
register is kept by state owned surveyor-general office
 Each real estate has its own distinctive number, for instance 540-455-4-35
 The register includes information who is the owner, are there any servitudes,
like debts, right to go thorough the land etc
 All real estate are also in a digital register including exact facts about the
location of each cornerpoint of the real estate, the number of the corner points
and of course the exact area.

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Buying a land lot or a forest estate
To be sure that you can use the real estate in the future in intended way, you
must be acquainted with the city plan or the shore plan of the area. These are
seen in the municipality, where the real estate is located.
Especially, if the land lot is by a lake side, you should be careful,
because building near water is heavily guided nowadays in Finland
The transaction needs to be done in front of a public notary. He will convey
the information about the new owner to the official real estate register.
The ownership of the seller can be checked from the land ownership
certificate, which is available in surveyor-general office. They also have a list
of potential servitudes of the real estate.
The revenue tax for a real estate is 4% in Finland.

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Buying aready built real estate
The basic facts are the same as buying a land lot or a forestry estate
A copy of the land owners certificate is essential and it should not be older
than three months. To day you can hoover the certificate from the home
pages of surveyor-general office on the spot.
The official purpose of the real estate can be verified in the construction
permission granted by the municipality.
If there is an idea of chancing the intended use of the real estate, it is advised
to consult the municipality city planning officials before signing a binding
contract for the real estate.
The owner is obliged to give to the buyer sufficient information about the
tecnical and economic situation of the real estate before final signing of
transaction.

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Buying stocks of a housing or commercial real
estate company
These real estate companies are separate juridical entities. They are obliged
to hold a register of their stocks and and the owners of these stocks. The
register consists also a list of apartments belonging to the company and which
stocks give the right of possession to each apartment. (Property manager
certificate).
This certificate includes also information about tecnical details of the real
estate and debts and potential servitudes etc.
The stock sertificates of the company must be printed in Finnish Bank.
When the transaction of stocks of an apartment takes place the seller must
sign in to the back page of the stock certificate the change in ownership and
give the certificates to the new owner.
Property manager will then sign in the company register the new owner of the
stocs.
The revenue tax in a stock transaction is 2%.

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When a foreigner buys a real estate in Finland
There are no legal limitations for a foreigner or a foreign company to own real
estate or stocks of a real estate company in Finland
If the buyer is a company, it must acquire certificates from its home country
about its legal existence. Detailed information about dese documents can be
obtained from the home page of surveyor-general office. They have also
pages in Russian language.
In Finland it is not possible to do real estate transactions using cash money,
but money transactions must be operated through banks, either by bank
account transfer or by a bank verified check.

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