The new Limited-liability Housing Companies Act

THE NEW LIMITED-LIABILITY HOUSING COMPANIES ACT

EFFECTIVE FROM 1 JULY 2010

THE HOUSING COMPANY MUST BE NOTIFIED OF ALL RENOVATIONS

Changes in the Limited-liability Housing Companies Act brings the shareholder the following responsibilities:

The shareholder must notify his/her housing company (and the manager) of all renovations carried out in the apartment that may have effect on the constructions of the building or on the neighboring apartments.

The shareholder must leave a written notification to the manager before any renovation work is done. All necessary clarifications and construction solutions must be enclosed with the notification.

Basic written notification templates are available at the Perkkaan Huolto office.

The housing company’s board estimates whether the shareholder’s renovation plans are in accordance with the good building practice. If necessary, the board gets an expert’s opinion on the renovation plans and supervises the work.

The shareholder applying for a permission to renovate is in charge of expert’s fees and all other possible costs.

The housing company maintains a register of all the apartments’ renovation notifications.

The renovator must be in contact with the manager about the renovations well in advance.

The housing company’s board meets normally five times a year, thrice in spring and twice in fall.

Waterproofing works (e.g. in the bathroom) are only allowed for licensed professionals.

When redoing the kitchen cabinet, it is forbidden to cover the air-conditioning vent and to connect the cooker hood with the exhaust vent.

Any changes in the water and sewage systems may only be done by professionals.

When redoing the floors, the appropriate regulations must be followed, especially when it comes to soundproofing. If the soundproofing is found to be poor, the floor must at the utmost be torn out and the soundproofing done again.

WALLPAPERING AND PAINTING NEED NOT BE REPORTED.

CHANGES IN MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITY

The housing companies are completely in charge of toilet seat maintenance (including the bowl and tank), whereas earlier they were only in charge of the seats’ operating mechanisms.

The shareholder, on the other hand, is responsible for his/her balcony’s floor and inside walls.

THE HOUSING COMPANY’S BOARD’S  OBLIGATIONS

The new Act obliges the board to plan its actions in more detail. The board must present a maintenance plan in the shareholders’ meeting.

The plan explains in detail the maintenance needs that essentially affect a particular apartment, the management charge or other costs.

The plan is firstly presented in the boards’ spring meeting. The first version is not, however, a complete list but an early estimate of future repairs.

This means that official condition assessments need to be done more, because reliable assessments cannot be made by visual estimates. 

THE NEW TABLE OF RESPONSIBILITIES (VASTUUNJAKOTAULUKKO)

The new Table of Responsibilities is available at the Perkkaan Huolto office for five Euros.

Board