Nearly one in three detached houses stands empty in Multia

Nearly 28.5 per cent of detached houses in Multia are unoccupied, the highest share in mainland Finland, Yle reports. The municipality has fewer than 1,400 residents and almost 200 empty houses.

Residents and a real estate agent say a lack of jobs, declining services and few families with children have contributed to the situation. Across Finland, 25 municipalities have at least one in five houses standing empty.

“It’s not a good thing to have habitable houses sitting empty in villages,” said Timo Pienimäki, who has lived in Multia all his life. He said the employment situation was a central reason people were leaving. Empty homes are especially common in outlying villages, while the Nikara area has attracted families with children, he said.

Real estate agent Heli Tuomaala, who has sold homes in Multia, said properties can take from four months to more than a year to sell. Some remain on the market for years. Many are houses built between the 1960s and 1980s, which she said do not match buyers’ preferences for newer homes requiring less renovation.

Interest in Multia is currently low, Tuomaala said, with few property sales this year. She also pointed to declining services and limited public transport, including a lack of regular connections to Keuruu and larger towns.

The situation is painful for 74-year-old Eila Ruokonen, who also blames the lack of jobs. She said the Kunnantupa, a local building that housed a shop for producers and craftspeople as well as a municipal information point, closed in March after water damage. The association that operated there has had its lease terminated, and the municipality plans to sell the building in a condition requiring demolition.

“The information point was like Multia’s soul,” Ruokonen said. She hopes the municipality will attract more jobs, residents and families with children. She and her husband still live in the house they built in Kopola, despite being encouraged to move to the village centre.

Pienimäki recalled that Multia has changed considerably over the past 10 to 20 years. The municipality now has one shop and one bank, he said, as well as a self-service fuel station. He said he enjoys life in the small community, where people know one another and can get help when needed.