New Finnish rental law could let landlords charge more for balcony smoking

Landlords may be able to charge tenants extra for permission to smoke on balconies, under a new Finnish rental law that took effect on October 1, real estate investor Ville Vesterinen told Yle.

The law bans smoking inside rental homes and on their balconies and yards unless the landlord agrees to an exception in the rental contract. Vesterinen, a Lappeenranta-based investor and entrepreneur with OVV Housing Services, said rental agreements are negotiable and could include a fee for allowing smoking.

Vesterinen, who has more than 100 rental apartments, said smoking bans were already written into his contracts. He expects the new rules could lead neighbours to monitor one another more closely, as residents question whether a tenant is allowed to smoke on a balcony.

The law could also create different rules for people living in the same apartment block: owners may still smoke on their balconies, while tenants may not, unless their contracts permit it. The ban on smoking in yards has also drawn criticism because some tenants, including those in terraced houses, may have to leave the property to smoke.

Lappeenranta Asuntopalvelut, a local housing company, has received dozens of comments about the law, both supportive and critical. Chief executive Veli-Matti Pulli said the company would consider building designated smoking areas case by case, taking account of smoke, distances from buildings, fire risks and possible disruption to neighbouring properties.

Kotkan Asunnot, a rental housing company in Kotka, plans to install smoking areas at properties where it can do so safely. Chief executive Juha Tiitta expects around 50 of the company’s roughly 70 rental properties to get one. The areas will initially be simple, with a rubbish bin and an ashtray, but delays mean residents currently have to smoke outside the properties.