Buyer's due diligence checklist for Finland
Buyer's due diligence checklist before buying a homeOstajan tarkistuslista ennen asuntokauppaa
The documents and checks a buyer should complete before making an offer or signing a deed in Finland. It has one track for a flat in a housing company and one for a house on its own land, plus the energy certificate, permits and taxes that apply to both.
Use it before you make an offer, and again before you sign the deed. In Finland no notary checks the property for you. The buyer has a legal duty to inspect the home and read its documents, and cannot later claim for a defect that a normal inspection would have shown.
Reviewed October 28, 2026. Not legal advice. Have a notary or lawyer check your case before you sign.
Key facts
- Applies to
- Mainland Finland. Housing company shares (asunto-osake) and real property (kiinteistö). Åland has its own rules on acquiring land.
- Transfer tax on housing company shares
- The buyer pays 1.5% of the debt-free price within 2 months of the deed, or at signing with an agent (Act 931/1996; Tax Administration).
- Transfer tax on real property
- 3% of the price, paid before the buyer applies for registration of title (Transfer Tax Act 931/1996).
- Registration of title (real property)
- Apply within 6 months of the deed. If late, the transfer tax rises by 20% for each half year, up to double (National Land Survey).
- First-time buyer exemption
- Ended on 1 January 2024. Every buyer now pays the general rate (Act 931/1996, as amended by 21.12.2023/1185).
- Energy certificate
- Must be on view at the viewing and handed to the buyer, and the energy class must appear in the advert (Act 50/2013, § 6).
- Housing company maintenance plan
- The board gives a yearly written statement of maintenance needed in the next 5 years (Housing Companies Act 1599/2009, chapter 6, § 3).
- Unpaid charges of the seller
- The buyer is liable with the seller for unpaid charges for the transfer month and 5 months before (Housing Companies Act, chapter 3, § 7).
- Charges not in the certificate
- The buyer is not liable for unpaid charges due before the certificate date if the certificate does not mention them (chapter 3, § 7).
- Defects in real property
- Notify the seller within a reasonable time of finding it, at the latest 5 years after the handover (Code of Real Estate, chapter 2, § 25).
- Buyers from outside the EU or EEA
- Need a Ministry of Defence permit to acquire real property (Act 470/2019, §§ 1 and 2).
The checklist
Seller and ownership
Identify every owner and check that each one signsmyyjät
Flat: extract from the share register of the housing information systemosakehuoneistorekisterin ote
It shows who owns the shares and whether they are pledged or subject to restrictions.
Flat not yet in the system: paper share certificateosakekirja
Check the paper share certificate and the chain of transfer notes on it.
House: title certificatelainhuutotodistus
It shows the registered owner of the property. The seller should hold title before the sale.
Housing company documents (flat)
Manager's certificateisännöitsijäntodistus
Articles of associationyhtiöjärjestys
They set what the flat covers, how charges are calculated and who maintains what.
Repair duties in a small company
In a small company or a semi-detached house, shareholders may carry wider repair duties than usual.
Last financial statements and budgettilinpäätös, talousarvio
They show the company's debts, reserves and the charges you will pay.
Statement of maintenance needs for the next 5 yearskunnossapitotarveselvitys
Minutes of the latest general meetingsyhtiökokouksen pöytäkirjat
They show whether major repairs, such as a pipe renovation, are decided or planned.
Alteration and repair notices for the flatmuutostyöilmoitukset
Property records (house)
Encumbrance certificaterasitustodistus
It lists mortgages, registered special rights such as leases, and restrictions on sale or use.
Property register extract and mapkiinteistörekisteriote, karttaote
They show the area, the boundaries, rights of way and other easements.
Lease right certificate for a leased plotvuokraoikeustodistus
Local plan and building permitsasemakaava, rakennuslupa
Ask the municipality's building control whether the buildings have permits and what the plan allows on the plot.
Condition and energy
Energy certificateenergiatodistus
Your own careful inspectionostajan selonottovelvollisuus
The buyer must inspect the home, outbuildings, plot and boundaries before the sale.
Know what you cannot claim later
Condition inspection by a professional (house)kuntotarkastus
Note the deadlines for defect claimsvirheilmoitus
Permits, taxes and registration
Ministry of Defence permit for buyers from outside the EU or EEA (house)puolustusministeriön lupa
Registration of ownership (flat)omistuksen rekisteröinti, lainhuuto
Registration of title (house)lainhuuto
Apply for title within 6 months of the deed, or the transfer tax rises by 20% per half year.
Formalities
A due diligence list is a checklist by nature. In Finland the buyer, not a notary, collects and reads these documents.
- The seller, or the seller's estate agent, gives you most documents.
- For a flat, the housing company's manager (isännöitsijä) issues the manager's certificate.
- The National Land Survey keeps the register of share ownership and pledges.
- For real property, order the title certificate, the encumbrance certificate and the register extract from the National Land Survey.
- Ask for the documents close to the signing date, because the registers change.
Common mistakes
- Relying on the agent's brochure instead of the manager's certificate. The certificate states the loan share, the repairs carried out and the repairs planned.
- Skipping the minutes of the last general meetings. A decided pipe or facade renovation raises the charges you will pay.
- Missing the alterations that earlier owners made to the flat. Ask for the alteration notices kept by the housing company, especially for bathrooms.
- For a house, not reading the encumbrance certificate. It shows mortgages, registered rights such as leases, and restrictions on sale.
- Not commissioning a condition inspection of a house. The seller is often not liable for a hidden defect that the seller did not know of.
- Assuming the first-time buyer exemption still applies. Since 1 January 2024 every buyer pays transfer tax.
- Paying the transfer tax late or applying for title late. Both add surcharges.
Legal basis
- Asunto-osakeyhtiölaki 1599/2009, 3 luku 7 § (uuden omistajan vastuu), 6 luku 3 § (kunnossapitotarveselvitys) ja 7 luku 27-28 § (isännöitsijäntodistus, muutostyöilmoitukset)
- Asuntokauppalaki 843/1994, 6 luku (käytetyn asunnon kauppa)
- Maakaari 540/1995, 2 luku 25 § (virheestä ilmoittaminen) ja 11 luku (lainhuudatusvelvollisuus)
- Laki rakennuksen energiatodistuksesta 50/2013, 6 § (energiatodistus myynti- ja vuokraustilanteissa)
- Varainsiirtoverolaki 931/1996, 6 § (kiinteistö, 3 %), 7 § (maksuaika), 20 § (asunto-osakkeet, 1,5 %) ja 21 § (maksuaika, 2 kuukautta)
- Laki eräiden kiinteistönhankintojen luvanvaraisuudesta 470/2019, 2, 4 ja 5 a §
Sources
- Buying a used apartment
- Omakotitalon ostaminen
- Lainhuuto- ja kiinnitysrekisteri
- Olen unohtanut hakea omistuksen rekisteröintiä 6 kuukauden aikana
- This is how you can register the ownership of your apartment
- Ensiasunnon ostaja
- Varainsiirtovero
- Asunto-osakkeen ostaja: tee varainsiirtoveroilmoitus ja maksa vero
- Time limits for the registration of the ownership of an apartment
- HE 155/2026 vp: laeiksi rakennuksen energiatodistuksesta annetun lain ja rakentamislain muuttamisesta