Finnish government encourages student cohabitation to reduce housing costs

The Finnish government is looking to encourage students to move towards cohabitation arrangements. Cohabitation here refers to voluntarily sharing an apartment with one or more individuals who are neither relatives nor partners. This initiative is linked to a reduction in housing allowances for students, prompting the government to steer them from private studios to more affordable shared accommodations.

According to Virpi Hiltunen, a negotiator at the Ministry of Education and Culture, cohabitation could also address issues of loneliness among students. The plan involves shifting students from general housing support to a housing supplement under study grants starting in August next year. The proposed legislation suggests that this change could affect around 156,000 students if their housing costs remain at their current levels. In the Helsinki metropolitan area, for example, housing support would decrease by nearly €100 per month, capped at €296.

While cohabitation is a familiar concept to many students through shared apartments, not all students are keen on pursuing this option. Tuomo Maunuksela from Jyväskylä shared his reluctance to return to a shared living situation, citing past experiences with noise disturbances and limited privacy. He noted that the experience can highly depend on the compatibility of roommates.

In response to the potential housing changes, institutions like the Central Finland Student Housing Foundation (KOAS) have noted a trend towards renovating shared spaces into private studios. The current demand for student housing remains high, with approximately 2,400 applications in the KOAS system alone.

Ultimately, while the government aims to promote shared living to reduce costs, students are not forced to leave their current apartments, though they will need to reconsider their housing finances.