How to apply for housing
How to apply
You can apply for AYY housing in the Domo system. On Domo you will find floor plans and more detailed information about apartments and rents. You can also update your application in Domo. Housing offers are sent by e-mail and SMS, and the apartment is accepted by signing a contract upon acceptance of the offer. At the end of this page you will also find important advice for new students.
How to Apply for Housing
AYY processes housing applications and selects residents based on legal provisions and official guidelines for the resident selection of state-subsidized rental buildings. To apply for AYY student housing, you must have confirmed your place of study at Aalto University and be enrolled in full-time, degree-granting programs at Aalto University. Thus, the right of residence in student union housing is held by those members of the student union who study full-time.
The application is valid for three (3) months, and you will receive an email notification before the application expires. In case your application expires, please submit a new one.
Applications are reviewed daily and housing offers are made based on the need for housing and urgencies, rather than a simple waiting list.
As part of the application process, we will check credit information. Having a bad credit record does not necessarily hinder you from obtaining accommodation, but it could lead to a renter to request a deposit and make a fixed-term tenancy agreement. If necessary, we may request additional information concerning a bad credit record.
You can apply for housing through the Domo system, which provides indicative floor plans and more detailed information on apartments and rental costs. You will also find instructions for new students at the bottom of this page.
If you are in urgent need of housing, you are not able to exclude a significant number of apartments from your application. The Domo system prevents the application from being sent unless there are enough apartments for the urgency rating of the application. If you have a weighty reason for not being able to move into some apartments, please attach a certificate to your application.
Furthermore, it is essential to always attach a written certificate of the urgent need for housing to the application. The urgency is only valid until the first housing offer.
To prove your place of residence for urgency purposes, you can retrieve your own address information from the website of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and take a screenshot of the information.
Sign in to Domo system>>
To submit a housing application, take a moment to prepare yourself by collecting the necessary information, including details about your place of study, income and other required documents.
Firstly, Create a Domo Account
Create your own Domo account at domo.ayy.fi. Please be careful when creating an account and applications, as providing false information may result in the rejection of your application or the withdrawal of a housing offer. Please fill in your basic details accurately and only use your official name when setting up your profile. If you do not yet have an Aalto University student number, you must attach a proof of the acceptance of the place of study.
Please note that the Domo system does not support hotmail email addresses. Therefore, AYY recommends using aalto.fi email address, for example.
Disclosure of income and wealth
You must disclose information on your income and wealth when creating a Domo account.
Income
Income includes earned income and capital income, such as wages, salary supplements, adult education and training allowances, income from abroad, the taxable value of fringe benefits, unemployment allowance, labor market subsidy, rent, interest and dividend income, spousal support and pensions.
The income of the applicant is compared in all resident selection situations and the income of the applicant household is taken into account, together with the need for housing and wealth, when setting the priority of the applicants.
When determining income, the permanent gross income of the household per month is taken into account. Student financial aid, income support or a housing allowance are not counted as income. If your earned income varies monthly, calculate your monthly income based on your earned income for the current year and include the amount on your application.
Wealth
The considered wealth includes wealth at the time of the application, as well as assets that the applicant has disposed of by selling or donating during the year preceding the application. Earned income is not counted as assets. Wealth includes, among others, shares in a housing company, real estate, funds, securities and other assets. When determining wealth, we take into account liabilities related to the applicant household’s assets, such as a remaining mortgage. When moving to the Helsinki metropolitan area from other parts of Finland due to work or studies, an owner-occupied apartment is not regarded as an asset if the apartment is located more than 80 km from Helsinki and if the applicant lives in the apartment in question. A property investment owned by the applicant is always taken into account when assessing wealth.
If there are significant changes in your income or wealth, please remember to correct them in Domo — if it turns out that you have applied for housing on wrong grounds, your application may be rejected or your housing offer withdrawn.
Please note that you can only have one application, either alone, as a family or with a friend, i.e. a maximum of 3 valid applications at the same time per application type.
Please also mention whether the application includes children with whom you are applying for housing. You cannot proceed any further with your application until you have answered section 2 regarding children.
The choices you make will affect the apartments you can apply for. In principle, all apartments that meet your criteria will be included in the application. If your need for housing is urgent, add as wide a range of housing as possible to your application. If you need to add information to your application, you will have to submit a new application.
You will find more instructions in the Domo sidebar when making your application.
Choosing apartments
AYY's apartments are grouped in Domo into apartment groups based on the type of apartment (e.g. studio apartment) and location (e.g. Jätkäsaari). You can also narrow down the search for apartments to the accuracy of individual apartments.
If your need for housing is urgent, please apply for all possible apartments to which you are entitled to apply. This is the only way to qualify for the very urgent or urgent category in the urgency ratings. The more apartments you have selected for your application, the better your chances of getting housing. Please note that you cannot apply for larger than two-room apartments on your own, and priority of two bedroom apartments will always be given to applications with more than one person.
You can find more information on properties in Domo by clicking on the icon (orange magnifying glass) on the right side of the address of the apartment.
Include your preferred move-in date on the application
You can choose whether you need an apartment as soon as possible or at a later date. AYY will not offer you housing before the date you have provided. If your need for housing is urgent, please enter the earliest possible date. You can set the date of your application for your move up to six months from now.
Add attachments to your application
Based on the reason for the need for housing, the application will ask you to add various attachments to your application. In addition, you can add one optional attachment to your application.
After submitting your application, you can still submit additional attachments by editing your application.
Check your application
Finally, please check that the information on your application is correct. If it turns out that you have applied for housing on wrong grounds, your application may be rejected or the housing offer withdrawn.
Sign in to Domo system>>
Processing of applications
Housing applications are processed by AYY's housing services, and you can see in Domo when your application has been reviewed.
Modifying of applications
If you want to update the reason for the need for housing or increase the number of apartments you are applying for, please submit a new application.
You can also modify your application: remove apartments from your application or postpone the move-in date. However, these measures may affect the urgency rating of your application.
If your income or situation in life changes in a way that affects the urgency of the need for housing, please update your Domo account information and application with the information.
You may also provide additional information about your situation by attaching new attachments to your application, in which case it will be reviewed to assess the urgency.
Resident selection
AYY housing is primarily allocated to low-income members of the Student Union who need housing and have the right of residence. When offering housing, priority is given to the homeless, followed by those in urgent need of housing and then to other members. The resident selection criteria follow the guidelines of the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA) and the municipalities in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
Information for those transferring their apartment within AYY can be found on a separate page: apartment transfer.
Validity of application
Your housing application is valid for three months from the date of application. The Domo system will send you email reminders when your application is about to expire and you can visit Domo to renew your application.
Please note! If you have submitted a former type of application (i.e. submitted your application before 24 Oct 2023), please submit a new application when your application expires.
If you do not renew your housing application, the application will be deleted from the system and you will have to submit a new application.
Sign in to Domo system>>
Accepting the offer
Housing offers will be sent to you by email and SMS, so it is very important to keep your contact details up to date on Domo. We ask you to keep track of your email.
In urgent and very urgent categories, the application is valid until the first housing offer or until the urgency of the application expires. If you reject an offer or allow an offer to expire, your application will automatically be dropped into the non-urgent category.
If you want to accept the offer, please accept the offer within the time period specified in the offer.
You can accept the offer by uploading the signed lease to the Domo system. The signed contract will be checked by housing services and digitally signed. A signed contract is binding immediately.
Please pay attention to the layout and quality of the attachment you have uploaded, as this attachment is your official rental agreement. All tenants of the apartment must sign the same agreement, as only one file can be uploaded to Domo.
Rejection or expiry of a housing offer
If you do not wish to accept an apartment offered to you, please reject the offer as soon as possible so that we can offer the apartment immediately to the next applicant. If you reject the offer or allow the offer to expire, your application will no longer be considered urgent.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you can accept the offer by e-mail. If you are unable to check your email at a certain time, for example due to travel, please inform housing services. In this case, we can give you enough time to respond to the offer if necessary. We are not responsible for a situation in which the applicant has not responded to a housing offer because the message has gone to the spam folder, for example.
Payment of rent in apartment transfer
When AYY offers you transfer from one AYY apartment to another, you do not have to pay double rent, as long as you sign the automatic notice of termination created by Domo on time.
When you sign a lease for another AYY apartment as AYY’s tenant, Domo will automatically create a notice of termination for the current AYY apartment to prevent the leases from overlapping. However, you must sign the notice of termination on time.
Is it possible to see the apartment in advance?
The apartment offered to you is usually still occupied when you receive a housing offer for the apartment. If the offer includes the contact details of the current tenant, you can agree to visit the apartment with them. If the current tenants have not given AYY the permission to hand over their contact details, it is not possible to visit the apartment in advance.
If the offer email includes information that the apartment is vacant, it may be possible to visit the apartment. In this case, please contact AYY Housing Services.
Resident selection and eligibility
All members of the Student Union can apply for AYY housing, but housing is primarily offered to degree students who are AYY members and have a remaining period of housing right. Degree students studying at Aalto University are granted housing rights on the basis of the target period for completing their degree.
Living in AYY housing requires AYY membership and a valid right of residence, unless otherwise mentioned.
Undergraduate students
Those selected for Aalto University's Bachelor's and Master's degree programs are granted a total of five years of the right of residence. Students admitted into a Master's program alone are granted two years of the right of residence from the first year of attendance at Aalto University. Students in Mikkeli are also granted a total of five years of the right of residence, starting from bachelor’s studies.
The right of residence period is calculated to begin when a student enrolls for attendance at Aalto University for the first time. Any previous studies at TKK/HSE/TaiK do not affect the right of residence.
If your right of residence is incorrectly recorded in the Domo system, please contact housing services: [email protected].
Exchange students
The right of residence for exchange students is determined by the study rights they have been granted. In the autumn semester, contracts are concluded until the end of December at the latest, and in the spring semester until the end of June.
Doctoral students
Doctoral students at Aalto University are not entitled to AYY housing, even if they are members of AYY. Members can still apply for housing in Domo, but priority is given to members with a valid right of residence. If a person with no right of residence is offered housing, a limited right of residence of up to two years may be granted. The duration of the right of residence is considered on a case-by-case basis.
Right of residence in family and friends' apartments
If you are applying for housing as a family, i.e. with a partner or children, it is sufficient for one of the applicants to be an AYY member with the right of residence. When applying with a friend, all applicants must be AYY members with the right of residence.
Housing without membership
AYY does not currently offer housing to non-members.
AYY housing is allocated primarily to low-income members of the Student Union who are eligible for housing. Priority is given to the homeless, followed by those in urgent need of housing and then to other members. The criteria for selecting residents follow the guidelines of the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA) and the municipalities of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
Information for those who transfer apartments within AYY is available on a separate page: apartment transfer.
Applications are processed according to the ARA model, based on categories of urgency. In principle, the need for housing, wealth and income are equal criteria for prioritizing applicants. In resident selection, priority must be given to those with the most urgent need for housing and those with the least means.
The category where an application is placed is determined on the basis of the information provided in the application.
Within the same urgency category, income and wealth are taken into account when providing housing. If applicants are in exactly the same situation, housing will be offered to the applicant who has waited the longest.
Below are examples of the criteria for classifying applications according to the ARA guidelines:
Category 1: homelessness
Homeless applicants include those who are (at the time of application)
- Temporarily living with relatives or acquaintances due to lack of housing
- Living in a hostel or other temporary accommodation
- Living outdoors and in temporary shelters
- Living in night shelters
- Living in care and nursing homes
- Living in sheltered home or crisis accommodation
Category 2: very urgent
The applicant is at risk of becoming homeless through no fault of their own. There is a risk of homelessness if
- The applicant is given a notice of termination for their current housing
- The applicant becomes homeless due to the demolition of their housing
- The applicant becomes homeless due to a forced sale of the owner-occupied housing or
- The applicant's current housing has been declared uninhabitable by decision of a public authority
- The applicant is moving to a municipality where they have a place of study but no housing.
Those living outside Espoo, Helsinki, Vantaa or Kauniainen. - The applicant lives in very cramped conditions.
Category 3: Urgent
- The applicant has a fixed-term lease which cannot be renewed
- The applicant is 18 years of age or older and lives with their parents in the municipality where they are applying for housing
- The applicant has housing costs that are unreasonable to their income
- Housing is too small, more than two persons per room
- Applicants applying for apartment transfer within AYY for weighty reasons
Category 4: general
Other AYY member applicants with a valid right of residence. For example, applicants:
- who have a long and/or difficult route to their studies
- who are in the process of starting a family and do not live together
- whose current accommodation is unsuitable for other reasons
How the urgency categories work:
Housing need category | Explanation |
Category 1 – Homelessness |
Applications in which applicants are homeless. Homelessness must be proven. In applications submitted by more than one person, all applicants must be homeless. The category is valid only until the first housing offer or until the urgency of the application has expired. If the applicant rejects the offer or allows the offer to expire, the application is automatically dropped into the general category (4). However, if the offer could not be answered for a serious reason independent of the applicant, the person may be returned to Category 1. When applying as a homeless person, apartments cannot be excluded from the application without a valid reason. The level of urgency may be reduced or refused if the applicant excludes apartments from the application without an acceptable explanation of the reasons for the exclusion. (see earlier examples of application classification) |
Category 2 – Very urgent |
Applications in which applicants have a very urgent need for housing. The resident selection guide of ARA and the guidelines for monitoring the resident selection in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area are applied when determining the need for housing. A very urgent need for housing must be proven. With applications from several persons, the situation of all applicants is considered when determining the need for housing. The category is valid only until the first housing offer or until the urgency of the application has expired. If the applicant rejects the offer or allows the offer to expire, the application is automatically dropped into the general category (4). However, if the offer could not be answered for a serious reason independent of the applicant, the person may be returned to Category 2. Applications for two-room apartments by a single applicant are not considered very urgent. When applying for a very urgent housing, the applicant cannot exclude apartments from the application without a valid reason. The level of urgency may be reduced or refused if the applicant excludes apartments from the application without an acceptable explanation of the reasons for the exclusion. (see earlier examples of application classification) |
Category 3 – Urgent |
Applications in which applicants have an urgent need for housing. The resident selection guide of ARA and the guidelines for monitoring the resident selection in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area are applied when determining the need for housing. The category also includes those who wish to transfer their apartment at AYY, if there is a justified and proven reason for the transfer. The urgent need for housing must be proven. With applications from several persons, the situation of all applicants is considered when determining the need for housing. The category is valid only until the first housing offer or until the urgency of the application has expired. If the applicant rejects the offer or allows the offer to expire, the application is automatically dropped into the non-urgent category (4). However, if the offer could not be answered for a serious reason independent of the applicant, the person may be returned to Category 3. Applications for two-room apartments by a single applicant are not considered urgent. When applying for urgency, it is not possible to unreasonably exclude apartments from the application without good reason, and the number and variety of the applied apartments are considered when granting them. The level of urgency may be reduced or refused if the applicant excludes apartments from their application without an acceptable explanation of the reasons for the exclusion. Applicants applying for apartment transfer must submit a certificate or a report on the reasons. For those who have lived in their current apartment for less than 2 years, the reasons for apartment transfer must be weighty. (see earlier examples of application classification) |
Category 4 - General | Default category, general need for housing (see earlier examples of application classification) |
Category 5 - No right of residence | Applicants have a membership but no valid right of residence, for example when the original right of residence has expired or if the applicant is a doctoral student. The applicant’s children, parents or (common-law) spouses are not counted for meeting the criteria. (see earlier examples of application classification) |
Maximum wealth limits calculated in accordance with recommendations by ARA (in euros):
In Helsinki from 1 Jan 2024
1 person | 2 persons | 3 persons | 4 persons | 5 persons |
93 000 | 133 000 | 216 000 | 221 000 | 226 000 |
In Helsinki, when the number of people in the applicant household increases, the wealth limit is increased by EUR 5,000 per person. The wealth limits are reviewed once a year and changed if necessary due to changes in housing prices.
In Espoo from 1 Jan 2024
1 person | 2 persons | 3 persons | 4 persons | 5 persons |
75 000 | 94 000 | 125 000 | 135 000 | 145 000 |
In Espoo, when the number of people in the applicant household increases, the wealth limit is increased by EUR 10,000 per person. The wealth limits are reviewed once a year and changed if necessary due to changes in housing prices.
Moving back into AYY housing
This section applies to persons who are moving back into AYY housing and have given up their AYY housing and lived in another municipality due student exchange, JOO studies, internship or military service. The exact date of the return must be provided in the application at least three months before the return. The move-in date must be less than two months from the end of studies, internship or military service.
Children
If the applicant(s) have a child or children, they will be prioritized for apartments suitable for family housing. The number of children is taken into account in the consideration. The certificate of pregnancy is also taken into account.
First-year students
First-year degree students starting their studies have priority over other applicants for cellular accommodation, while in cellular applications applicants are otherwise in exactly the same situation.
All applicants are members of AYY with right of residence
For two-bedroom and larger apartments, where applicants are otherwise in exactly the same situation, priority will be given to applications from more than one person, all of whom have a remaining period of eligibility and are degree students at Aalto University.
Exchange students
Exchange students can apply for accommodation when they can prove that they have received an exchange place at Aalto University. AYY requires that exchange students must be members of AYY before they can be offered accommodation. An exchange student will always be offered a cellular flat. Other exceptional reasons related to the need for accommodation may also be taken into account in the selection process and a certificate must be attached to the accommodation application.
Special circumstances
Other exceptional reasons related to the need for housing can also be taken into account in resident selection. In general, a certificate of the reasons must be provided in Domo.
New students
As a new degree student, you can apply for housing as soon as you have accepted the place of study in a binding manner. When creating a Domo account, you need to attach proof that you have accepted a place of study at Aalto University. For example, you can attach a screenshot of Studyinfo service. Your name must also appear in the attachment. Please note that Studyinfo may not display all the information required for the attachment in the mobile view — we therefore recommend that you use a computer to get a screenshot (you can find an example image at the bottom of the page).
International degree students can apply for AYY housing after they have received a letter of acceptance from Aalto University. They must attach the letter of acceptance to their application.
As an exchange student, you can apply for accommodation when you can prove that you have received an exchange place at Aalto University. You must become a member of AYY before you can be offered accommodation. When creating your Domo account, please select exchange student as your student type and attach a certificate of your exchange place. This could be an email from Aalto University, for example. Please note that the attachment must show that you are the one who has been awarded the exchange place, i.e. the screenshot or email must contain some of your contact details. For exchange students, we offer cellular accommodation.