Preliminary sale agreement checklist for Finland
Checklist for a preliminary agreement on real property, and for the step from accepted offer to deedKiinteistön kaupan esisopimus ja kaupan valmistelu: tarkistuslista
A preliminary agreement (esisopimus) on real property binds only in the form of the sale: written, signed and confirmed by a public purchase witness, or made in the electronic trading service. For a flat, the accepted offer already binds both parties. This checklist covers both cases.
Use it for a house or plot on its own land when the parties agree on the sale but cannot sign the deed yet, for example while the buyer waits for a building permit, the division of a plot or a loan. Use the last group when you buy a flat in a housing company and the seller has accepted your offer: it lists what to settle before you sign the deed of sale.
Reviewed October 28, 2026. Not legal advice. Have a notary or lawyer check your case before you sign.
Key facts
- Applies to
- Mainland Finland. Real property (kiinteistö), and housing company shares (asunto-osake) for the step after an accepted offer. Åland has its own rules on acquiring land.
- Form for real property
- Written, signed by both, confirmed by a public purchase witness, or made in the electronic system (Code of Real Estate, chapter 2, §§ 1, 7).
- Mandatory content
- The latest date for the sale and the conditions for making it. The price can be left to be set later by stated criteria (chapter 2, § 7).
- Default validity
- 5 years from signing if the agreement sets no term (chapter 2, § 7).
- Remedies
- A party can sue within the term to force the sale on the agreed terms and claim damages (chapter 2, § 7).
- Informal agreement on real property
- Does not bind. The party who refuses pays the other's reasonable costs. Earnest money above those costs is returned (chapter 2, § 8).
- Fixed compensation
- The parties can still agree a fixed compensation for withdrawal (chapter 2, § 8).
- Accepted offer on a flat
- Binds both parties. The party who withdraws loses at most 4% of the price (Housing Transactions Act, chapter 3, §§ 3 and 6).
- Buyers from outside the EU or EEA
- A Ministry of Defence permit for real property, applied for before the transfer or within 2 months of confirmation (Act 470/2019, §§ 2, 4).
The checklist
Decide which document you need
Check whether you buy real property or housing company shareskiinteistö / asunto-osake
For real property, ask whether you can sign the final sale at oncekauppakirja
Choose a public purchase witness or the electronic trading servicekaupanvahvistaja, Kiinteistövaihdannan palvelu
Form and signatories (real property)
Both parties, or their agents, sign in the witness's presencekaupanvahvistajan läsnä ollessa
Check the written power of attorney of any agentvaltakirja
Get the spouse's written consent if the property is the couple's homepuolison suostumus
Check whether the buyer needs a Ministry of Defence permitpuolustusministeriön lupa
A natural person who is not an EU or EEA citizen needs a permit to acquire real property.
Check the permit rule for a company buyer
Check the citizenship ban since 15 July 2025
No permit is granted to a person whose only citizenships are of states named by government decree.
Check the residence permit exception
Content of the draft (real property)
Parties, property identifier and any separate areakiinteistötunnus, määräala
Latest date for the saleviimeinen kaupantekopäivä
Conditions on which the sale will be madeehdot, joiden täyttyessä kauppa tehdään
Price, or the criteria that will set itkauppahinta
The parties can leave the price open only if the agreement states how it will be set.
Earnest money or fixed compensation and what happens on withdrawalkäsiraha, vakiokorvaus
Mortgages and their releasekiinnitykset, panttikirjat
Handover date, costs and risk until the salehallinnan luovutus
After signing (real property)
Track the conditions and the latest sale datemääräaika
If the other party refuses the sale, you must sue before the term ends.
After the final sale, pay the transfer tax and apply for titlevarainsiirtovero, lainhuuto
Housing company shares: from accepted offer to deed
Treat the accepted offer as bindinghyväksytty ostotarjous
Check the draft deed of sale against the offerkauppakirja
The deed should state the parties, the company, the share numbers, the flat, the price and payment.
Check the dates and the tax in the deed
Record defects the seller has reportedmyyjän ilmoittamat viat
Write major known defects into the deed so both parties know what the price covers.
Arrange release of the seller's pledge and the share certificateosakekirja, panttaus
Pay the transfer taxvarainsiirtovero
Register the ownershipomistuksen rekisteröinti
The National Land Survey records the new owner only after the tax is paid.
Register a paper share certificate in time
Apply for registration within 2 months of signing the deed, or a late fee is added.
Formalities
A private template does not bind on real property. The witness or electronic service makes the valid document, so a buyer needs a checklist to review it. For shares, the accepted offer does this.
- For real property, make the preliminary agreement in the form of the sale itself (Code of Real Estate, chapter 2, § 7).
- Both parties sign a written agreement. A public purchase witness (kaupanvahvistaja) confirms it in the presence of everyone who signs.
- Or both parties approve an identical electronic agreement in the National Land Survey's trading service (Kiinteistövaihdannan palvelu). No witness is needed.
- The agreement must state the latest date for the sale and the conditions on which the sale will be made.
- An agent who signs for the seller needs a written power of attorney.
- A spouse must consent in writing if the property is the couple's common home.
- For housing company shares, no form is required. The accepted offer and the deed of sale are private documents. Make the deed in writing.
Common mistakes
- Signing a private preliminary agreement on a house without a public purchase witness. It does not bind the seller to sell (chapter 2, §§ 7 and 8).
- Paying large earnest money under an informal agreement on real property. The seller must return the excess over reasonable costs, but you may need a court.
- Leaving out the latest date for the sale. The law requires it, and without a clear date neither party knows when to sue.
- Writing vague conditions, such as "if the bank agrees". State the condition, the deadline and what happens to the earnest money if it fails.
- Forgetting the mortgages on the property. Agree how the seller releases them and hands over the mortgage deeds at the sale.
- Skipping the Ministry of Defence permit check as a buyer from outside the EU or EEA. If refused, transfer the property within 6 months after it is final.
- For a flat, letting the closing date pass. A buyer who does not sign the deed on time can lose the earnest money.
Legal basis
- Maakaari 540/1995, 2 luku 1 § (kauppakirjan muoto), 3 § (valtuutus), 7 § (esisopimus) ja 8 § (korvaus kaupasta vetäytymisestä)
- Maakaari 540/1995, 9 a luku (sähköinen kaupankäyntijärjestelmä)
- Asuntokauppalaki 843/1994, 3 luku 3, 5 ja 6 § (käsiraha ja vakiokorvaus)
- Laki eräiden kiinteistönhankintojen luvanvaraisuudesta 470/2019, 2, 4 ja 5 a §
- Avioliittolaki 234/1929, 38 ja 39 § (puolison suostumus yhteisen kodin luovutukseen)