Construction surge in Lappeenranta drives sudden demand for 25 rental homes

Lappeenranta is scrambling to find 25 rental apartments for workers arriving within days to build a new data centre in the Pajarila district.

Ville Vesterinen, a rental broker with OVV Asuntopalvelut, said his phone began ringing off the hook in early summer as contractors sought multiple units on tight deadlines.

“One Friday we got a call saying they needed homes for 25 people by the following Wednesday,” Vesterinen said. The sudden spike in demand coincides with the start of construction on the Nebius-Polarnode data centre, a project backed by a Dutch investor and a Finnish development firm.

OVV Asuntopalvelut has already leased dozens of apartments—mostly two- and three-room flats—to contractors who house their crews in shared units. Vesterinen expects demand to rise again when the next construction phase begins and says some workers may eventually be housed across the border in Imatra.

Lappeenrannan asuntopalvelu, the city-owned rental company, reports a handful of inquiries and leases tied to the project and says it has a range of apartment sizes citywide to meet any surge.

Mika Penttilä, owner of LKV Koti-idea, said his office has not yet seen a noticeable impact; student rentals remain the summer priority.