Housing company loans and the finance charge

Updated 8 October 2026

Many housing companies (taloyhtiö) borrow to build new buildings or to pay for large renovations. Each flat carries a share of the loan, and the owner pays it through a monthly finance charge.

The loan share and the debt-free price

A flat's listing shows two prices. The selling price is what you pay the seller. The debt-free price (velaton hinta) is the selling price plus the flat's share of the company loan. Transfer tax is 1.5% of the debt-free price.

The property manager's certificate (isännöitsijäntodistus) lists the company's loans and the flat's share of them. It is worth reading before you make an offer.

The finance charge

Owners repay the company loan and its interest through the finance charge (rahoitusvastike or pääomavastike). It comes on top of the maintenance charge (hoitovastike), which covers the building's running costs.

A company loan usually has a variable rate: a reference rate, often the 6-month or 12-month Euribor, plus a margin. The finance charge follows interest rates. Some companies protect their loans against rising rates.

Paying off your share

You can pay off the flat's loan share partly or fully in one payment. The finance charge then falls or ends, and you keep paying the maintenance charge. The property manager can tell you when the company accepts such payments.

When you compare flats, use the debt-free price. At the same debt-free price, a larger loan share means a lower selling price and a higher finance charge, which also covers the company loan's interest.

Example: two flats at €250,000

Two flats both have a debt-free price of €250,000, so the transfer tax is €3,750 for each.

• Flat A sells for €230,000 and has a €20,000 loan share.
• Flat B sells for €150,000 and has a €100,000 loan share.

Say the company loan has 25 years left at 3.5%. The finance charge is then about €100 a month for Flat A and €501 a month for Flat B. Over 25 years, the interest in the charge comes to about €10,000 for Flat A and €50,000 for Flat B.

With Flat B you borrow €80,000 less yourself, and the company loan carries that amount. The interest rates of your own mortgage and the company loan decide which costs less.

When you sell

The gain on selling your own home is tax-free when you have owned it and lived in it for at least two years.

In a taxable sale, you can deduct the loan shares you have paid from the gain if the company has recorded them as capitalised (rahastoitu) in its accounts. The property manager can confirm this. With the presumptive acquisition cost, 20% or 40% of the selling price, the actual costs are left out.

Work out your own case

The comparison on Asumisvalinta takes the debt-free price and the flat's share of the company loan from the sales listing. It shows year by year how buying does against renting and right of occupancy.

Compare a flat

Sources

• Mitä tarkoittaa rahoitusvastike eli pääomavastike?, Nordea, read 8 October 2026.
• Isännöitsijäntodistus asuntokaupassa, Oikotie, 20 February 2024.
• Transfer tax for buyers of a flat, Finnish Tax Administration, read 30 September 2026.
• Asunnon verollinen myynti, Finnish Tax Administration, page updated 3 July 2026, read 8 October 2026.
• Selling your home, Finnish Tax Administration, read 30 September 2026.