The demand for student housing exceeds the amount of available apartments at the moment
This autumn the demand for student housing is much higher than Soihtu has apartments to offer. Apartments of Soihtu are primarily meant for students. Some of our residential properties are government-subsidized rental apartments (so-called ARA apartments), whose tenant selection follows the ARA’s tenant selection guidelines (based on the Interest Subsidy Act) and Housing guidelines of JYY.
Soihtu Housing service point receives inquiries about the availability of apartments every day, so we compiled answers to the most frequently asked questions in this article.
There is no actual queues to the apartments
There are no actual queues to the apartments. The tenant selection for these apartments is made based on needs. The needs assessment takes into account, among other things, the applicant’s need for an apartment, income and wealth. Apartments are primarily offered to those who are most in need of housing. This may mean that even if an applicant who has an apartment in Jyväskylä has filled out an application last spring, he can’t get an offer for an apartment applied by a student who does not have an apartment in Jyväskylä yet – even if this applicant has sent the application later.
The tenant selections for student apartments are made based on the information provided on the application, so it is important to keep the application updated and check the attachments, such as the certificate of studies, carefully. We send the applicant an apartment offer when an apartment that matches the applicant’s wishes is becoming available, if the applicant meets the application criteria for that object. However, not all applicants in urgent need of an apartment can be guaranteed an apartment at the moment, as the demand is very high at the moment.
Apartments are offered when they become available – often at the end of the month
It is difficult to assess why apartments become available, because they can be offered when the previous tenant has terminated the tenancy agreement. Termination notices are delivered to Soihtu throughout the month, but they often focus on the end of the month. Termination must be done at least one calendar month before and the tenancy agreement can only end at the end of the month. This means that when the previous tenant gives notice of the termination during September, the apartment will be available from the beginning of November at the earliest. In general, it is easier to get a student apartment in the spring and summer than in the fall when new students start their studies.
We always send the apartment offer via email, so it is important to keep the application and contact information up to date and monitor the email regularly, because the apartment offer expires quickly. Soihtu will not inform applicants if we are unable to offer an apartment at the beginning of the desired month.
Who can apply?
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).
ARA 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).
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