Evictions rise across Finland as unpaid rent drives removals

Enforced evictions in Finland rose nearly 7 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, with the steepest increases in Turku, Oulu and Pori, Yle reports. Unpaid rent is the main reason for evictions, and families with children are also affected.

Turku resident Rami Almi has experienced about six evictions. Several years have passed since the last one. At the time, daily substance use left him unable to pay rent.

“An eviction is a desperate situation and a severe blow. You feel helpless and unsafe when you know you are about to lose your home,” Almi said.

After his last eviction, Almi was homeless for about five years, often sleeping in stairwells and newspaper recycling bins. He has since got his life under control and lives with his wife and five-month-old daughter. He now works as a trained lived-experience specialist and service adviser at Varsinais-Suomen Sininauha, an organisation in Southwest Finland.

Almi says people need more support with managing everyday life. He also warns that rental offers with heavily discounted rent for the first few months can give tenants a misleading impression of what they will be able to afford once the price rises.

Janne Nyman, a senior district enforcement officer in Turku, said evictions involve people of all ages. When children or people needing assistance are at risk, enforcement officials must contact social services so the situation can be resolved without leaving anyone on the street.

In an estimated 90 to 95 per cent of eviction cases, the court ruling is based on unpaid rent, Nyman said. The second most common ground is what he described as a disorderly lifestyle. He said this balance has remained largely unchanged for a long time.

Unemployment and changes in people’s circumstances can also contribute to rent arrears. After a divorce, for example, income may fall while expenses remain the same. Nyman questioned whether landlords always check tenants’ credit records carefully or require a deposit.

Sari Heino, who manages a joint homelessness project run by the City of Turku and the Southwest Finland wellbeing services county, said cuts to housing support and other benefits are among the wider changes contributing to evictions. High unemployment in the Turku region is also affecting people’s ability to pay rent, while housing costs have not fallen alongside incomes.

A count in June 2026 found 86 people experiencing long-term homelessness in Turku, up from 76 in a count in November 2025. Heino said social services can provide some help with rent arrears, but they are often informed too late, after eviction proceedings have begun.

Some landlords in Turku do not require a rental deposit. Joo Kodit, which has about 1,100 rental homes in the city, is one of them. Its commercial director, Heta Kärki, said many of the company’s tenants are young and may not have several months’ rent available in advance. The company does not consider dropping deposits a key factor in preventing evictions; it says checking tenants’ ability to pay and speaking with them are more important.

Joo Kodit checks applicants’ credit records and ability to pay, and speaks with them at least by phone if a meeting is not possible. If a tenant cannot afford a two-room flat, the company may offer a one-room flat instead. The company recorded 11 evictions in its Turku homes during the first half of 2026, or about one a month.