Student housing shortage hits Helsinki and Tampere
Applications increase in both university cities
A shortage of student accommodation has been reported in Helsinki and Tampere for this autumn. The number of applications handled by the student housing foundations of the two cities has grown sharply.
"We have received about 5,200 applications, of which more than 4,000 have come from first-year students. The number of applications has been significantly higher than in the past two years", says Anna Lassus of the Foundation for Student Housing in the Helsinki Region (HOAS).
From last year, the number of applications received by HOAS has grown by more than 1,000.
In previous years, many students have not succeeded in getting accommodation in August or September. This year more students than before will still be queueing for digs when the term has begun.
"In practice, a slightly larger number of students will now have to wait until early October. Hopefully we will be able to offer them accommodation then", Lassus says.
Most of today's students want a one room flat of their own, but not all foundations rent them to beginning students, who are offered shared apartments instead. Lassus says that there are plenty of free rooms available in shared apartments, as well as flats specifically for families and groups of friends.
In Tampere the situation is made more complicated by refurbishing work that is still underway in a large student apartment building. Consequently, the local student housing foundation has about 200 fewer dwellings to distribute than it normally does.
"At the same time, there are 700 more applicants than last year", says director Timo Lehto of the Tampere Student Housing Foundation (TOAS), explaining the dilemma.
In other large university cities the housing situation is not as difficult as it is in Helsinki and Tampere.
"The number of applications has not grown in Turku, although this has reportedly happened in other places. Our situation is similar to that in previous years", says Pirjo Lipponen-Vaitomaa of the Turku University Village Foundation.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 6.8.2007 - TODAY |
 Student housing shortage hits Helsinki and Tampere |
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