Furniture and renovation

Painting 

AYY offers its members the opportunity to paint one accent wall. When living in AYY housing, you can paint a wall once, even if you live in several apartments.

A few issues to remember when painting a wall:

• It is not permitted to paint the floor and ceiling.
• It is not permitted to paint radiators, power sockets and skirting boards.
• You can only use paints from the painting set you have received.
• It is not permitted to paint doors or windowsills.
• If there are defects or other painting needs in your apartment, please contact AYY’s real estate sector via this electronic form.
• Painting the walls in new buildings or renovated locations is not permitted before the two-year warranty period has ended. Currently, none of AYY’s properties are under a warranty period.

You can pick up the paints and painting equipment from Stark Olari or Stark Herttoniemi. A more detailed listing of the equipment in the painting set can be found on the payment commitment form. Only take those products of the set that you need. For example, if there are no holes in the accent wall, you will not need putty or a spatula.

Read painting instructions for interior walls to ensure a high-quality result. You can find instructions for painting an accent wall online.

Painting common areas in shared apartments 

You can also paint one accent wall in the common areas of shared apartments if all residents agree on the painting.

If you want to paint the common areas of your shared apartment, please contact AYY Housing Services to get a payment commitment form for purchasing paints.

If the common areas of the shared apartment have been renovated by AYY, you are not allowed to paint an accent wall.

Environmentally friendly paint options

Please prefer paints that have an eco-label or certificate, such as the EU Ecolabel or the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. The paint shop staff are happy to tell you about paint options that are as environmentally friendly as possible. Responsible painting also includes proper waste disposal. It is a good idea to think in advance how much paint you will need. The less paint you have left over, the less its disposal will burden the environment.

Recycle and dispose of your surplus paint by saving the environment with the following tips:

• Could your surplus paint be used by a neighbour or friend, for example?
• A carefully emptied metal can should be disposed of in the metal waste, while a plastic can should go into the energy waste.
• Paint cans containing liquid paint are hazardous waste. Hazardous waste should be taken to a hazardous waste collection point, such as a municipal waste disposal site or Sortti station.
• Do not pour liquid paint into the drain, into nature, or place it in the waste bin. Hazardous waste that is disposed of improperly causes environmental damage. In sorting issues, HSY waste guide provides guidance and advises the nearest recycling point: https://www.hsy.fi/en/residents/pages/default.aspx
• Dry paint waste can be disposed of with mixed waste. Small amounts of liquid paint can be evaporated by leaving the lid open. 

Putting up artwork and shelves

Nail holes and picture hooks are part of the normal wear and tear of rental apartments, so light objects can be placed on the walls of AYY apartments in reasonable limits.

In case of larger projects, such as installing sturdier brackets for shelves or a television on the wall, these modifications must be returned to their original state, and the walls should be cleaned when vacating the apartment.

Flooring work

All flooring work in the apartments is the responsibility of AYY Real Estate Sector. This means that, unfortunately, residents are not allowed to install new laminates in the apartments.

If the floor is in particularly poor condition, please contact AYY Real Estate Sector via this contact form.

Furniture

All AYY housing is unfurnished. This means there are no beds, tables or ceiling lights in the apartment. However, the apartments have all fixed furnishings in the bathroom and kitchen (sink, fridge, stove, etc.).

You can find cheap or free furniture at recycling centers (Kierrätyskeskus) or from Telegram group @aaltomarketplace or Facebook group Teekkari Village's Marke, for example.