Instructions for applying

Anyone can apply for an apartment of Soihtu Housing. Primary applicants for our apartments are students and especially members of the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä (JYY). 

Some of our properties are VARKE student housing locations (VARKE, former ARA, is the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland). Tenant selection criteria of VARKE specify the tenant selection to these student housing locations.

VARKE apartments are intended for people who participate in some of these education forms in Finland:

• university degree or postgraduate scientific degree
• a separate professional continuing education program
• vocational school
• high school curriculum and
• exchange studies in the University of Jyväskylä or the University of applied sciences (JAMK).

Please note that all the apartments that become available in August are reserved for new students, out of which our priority are the members of the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä (JYY). The tenant selection is made based on the information on the application.

We will send you an apartment offer when an apartment that meets your wishes is becoming available. In general, applicants get apartments faster in the spring and summer than in the autumn when new students are starting their studies, and studio apartments are in biggest demand. Apartments that become available in the beginning of August are reserved for new students each year. The members of the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä (JYY) are primary applicants.

Soihtu has a few different housing locations in Jyväskylä: Kortepohja Student Village, Soihtu Vehkakuja in Savela and Soihtu Korttelikylä in Mäki-Matti. Read more of these housing locations and the services that are included to the rent on our website. Notice, that some of our apartments are only for students.

You can have pets in all Soihtu apartments except the furnished apartments and building B at Soihtu Vehkakuja. Also, in shared apartments, you need to negotiate about pets with your flatmates.

You can apply for the apartment already today, just by filling the online form on our website. You can change the language of the application at the bottom-right corner of the page for correct translations.

Fill in the apartment application carefully so that we can look for an apartment that meets your wishes as well as possible. Notice, that the higher the possibility to get an apartment from Soihtu, the less you have narrowed your application.

In addition to personal details and your study info, the apartment size and the rent that you would like and when you need an apartment are important information. Please also make sure that you fill in your personal details on the application only once. Also, attach needed documents.

When a minor applies for housing, one must select Application for a minor from the application types. The application asks for the guardian’s details. As a minor, you also need to fill in the Guardian consent (below) and send it to Soihtu Housing via email, if you receive and accept an offer from us.

Credit status of every applicant is checked. However, poor credit history isn’t automatically a hindrance to getting an apartment, but their effect is considered case-specifically. If you have previous rental debt for Soihtu/JYY, please contact Soihtu Rents.

If you need special solutions for housing (e.g. you have a disability or you use mobility aids regularly), ask more about solutions for housing from the customer service of Soihtu Housing, we are happy to help you.

We approve these documents as a proof of your studies in Jyväskylä:

• My Studyinfo link (My completed studies) > Share study information > Select current/upcoming studies
  
  Please check the link before attaching it to the application. Make sure you provide a link to your current or upcoming studies. Your student status must be active/present. Note that a screenshot of your My Studyinfo page is not acceptable; you must attach the actual link to your study rights in the application.
• Study certificate from your educational institute in Finland (max. 3 months old). Academic year registration must be valid for the current and / or upcoming semester.
• Admission letter from your educational institute in Finland (max. 6 months old). This can be accepted only from applicants who have not yet started their studies and do not have access for Study certificate nor My Studyinfo. Notice, that the letter must state the educational institution, the student’s name & the date. A screenshot of an acceptance email is not a valid proof of studies. The document must be provided in pdf format, and must be signed by the admitting school in Finland.
• Kela’s valid study grant decision, which shows the name of the student and the educational institution

We will send the apartment offer by e-mail if an apartment corresponding to your application is becoming available. So please keep your contact information up-to-date and monitor your email regularly, as the offer expires quickly. Make sure that any emails sent from noreply@soihtu.fi don’t end up in your junk mail folder.

Because there is no queues for the apartments, it is not needed to contact customer service to check the situation of your application. If you wish, you can check the status of the application via Applicant’s online service (link below).

Usually, the apartments are offered when the previous tenant has terminated the tenancy agreement (with one full calendar month notice period), this means that the offers would be sent approximately one month before the agreement starts. For example, if you wish to get an apartment from the beginning of August, the possible offer will be sent to you in the end of June.

Please note that we will not notify applicants separately if we are unable to send an apartment offer from the beginning of the asked month.

If you need more information about living in Soihtu, check out the Housing Instructions on our website and follow our social media channels on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

If you want to edit your application, register to Soihtu’s applicant’s page with your online banking credentials. If you don’t have online banking credentials, you can visit our customer service to get the user credentials. Take a picture ID that is valid with you. After creating a username and a password, you can, among other things, add and delete buildings on your application and change other wishes regarding the apartment. Please note that filling in an application doesn’t automatically create you user identification to the applicant’s page.

Please note that if you have originally applied for an apartment without a Finnish ID number, you will have to contact our customer service to use our online services in the future.

The apartment application is valid for three months at a time. A week before it expires, you will receive an email reminding that the application is expiring. You can renew the application on the applicant’s page.

You can also edit or delete your application on the applicant’s page. Please remember to update your application correctly if there are any changes to your personal information (e.g. e-mail or address changes). If necessary, update the link to your My Studyinfo or an up-to-date study certificate (see section 2) on your application.

Once you have made changed, you must submit the modified application (Send button can be found on the last page of the application). You can see the changes under Open application for review.