Frequently Asked Questions

Maintenance and Repair Responsibilites

I don’t know which home repairs are the responsibility of the housing company and which the shareholder’s, can you help me?

You can familiarize yourself with the division of responsibility of the housing company and shareholders, for example, from Braleva’s Maintenance and Repair Responsibilites Chart.

Waste bins of the housing company

The mixed waste, cardboard and paper recycling and bio waste bins of our housing company’s waste station are over filled with waste, and they have not been emptied for several weeks.

Please contact the real estate manager or inform the house managing agency. The real estate manager manages the housing company’s waste collection agreements, and the maintenance companies do not have information about these agreements. A request for additional emptying or reclamation will be sent to the right place through the real estate manager.

Bidet shower/shower hose

My apartment’s bidet shower is leaking, and the shower hose is cracked. Will you come fix it?

According to the maintenance and repair responsibilites chart, bidet showers and shower hoses with the shower heads are the responsibility of the owner of the apartment. The tenant should be in contact with the owner of the apartment. Shower hoses are standard sized and new pieces can be bought easily, for example, from local hardware stores.

Fuses/electricity

The electricity was completely or partially cut off from my apartment, what should I do?

In case the electricity was cut off only from your apartment, check the fuses of your apartment and the validity of your electricity contract. Please contact the maintenance company, if the fuses and the electricity contract are in order. If the stairwell does not have power, the power cut might concern the whole building/area. Caruna’s website (Espoo)has a fault map that shows local power cuts from the area of the electricity company, that you can check out. The fault map of Helen Electricity network’s area (Helsinki) can be found from Helen’s website.

TV-/Internet problems

My TV and internet connection stopped working, can you help?

We recommend firstly contacting the service provider in order to investigate the issue with the TV and internet connection. If the antenna socket is broken, please contact the maintenance company.

You find more information about Telias’s webpage here, DNA’s webpage here and Elisa’s webpage here. If you have antenna TV, then you get more information about Digita’s webpage.

Cleaning the floor drain

The floor drains of my bathroom are not draining properly, can you come unclog it?

According to the housing company’s maintenance and repair responsibilites chart, unclogging the floor drain (from hair etc.) is the responsibility of the resident. If cleaning the drain does not help, the clog might be deeper. If this is the case, please contact the maintenance company. If the customer wishes, they can order unclogging of the floor drain from the maintenance company for an additional fee. Instructions for unclogging the drain can be found, for example, from he website of the Marthas.

Ventilation window

The ventilation windows of the living room and kitchen are not closing; can you fix them?

The ventilation window is almost entirely, with its mechanisms, the responsibility of the owner of the apartment (if you live in a rental apartment, please contact the landlord). The housing company is only responsible of the outer glass, its frame and hinges. We recommend trying lock oil on the locking mechanisms. It often helps, if the window is stiff to close. Otherwise we recommend contacting a lock shop/ window manufacturer/ renovation store, if the window needs bigger repair.

Radiator functionality

My apartment is cold, and the radiators feel cold, could I get heat to my apartment?

Do you have a thermometer at home with which you can monitor the temperature in your apartment? We recommend getting a thermometer, with which you can monitor the temperature in your apartment.

Room temperature, measured correctly (1 meter from walls and floor). Indoor temperature recommendation is +20-22°C. If the room temperature is between 20-22°C, then the heating works normally.

Remember to check that the thermostats of the radiators are fully open and that there are no curtains or furniture in front of them preventing the thermostat from working correctly.

If the apartment has reached the recommended temperature, the radiators shut down temporarily. When the thermostat detects that the apartment’s temperature is lower than the recommendation, the radiator starts to heat up again. The apartment’s radiator’s temperature may vary between 22-38°C and it will still emit heat to the apartment. Hand’s temperature is +35-36°C, so it is normal, that the radiator feels cool to the hand.

Heat outage

There is no warm water coming out of the apartment’s faucets and the radiators have gone cold, what do I do?

The fault has most likely resulted from a district heat outage that a maintenance person cannot fix. You can check possible district heat outages in your area (Espoo) from Fortum’s website or call them on their free fault report number 0800 190 090 (24h). In Helen’s area (Helsinki) the district heat outages can be found from Helens website or you can call them on a free fault report number 0800 160 602 (24h).

Water outage

There is no water coming out of the apartment’s faucets, what do I do

The housing company might have a temporary water outage due to renovation. Usually, such outages are reported on the housing company’s bulletin board or on the doors of the stairwells. It is good to check them before calling the maintenance company. If the housing company does not have any information about the water outage, there might be a larger water outage in the area. You can check for water outages from HSY’s website or call their fault report number 09 1561 3000 (24h).

Parking space

Where can I get a key to a parking space?

You can use autopaikat form or contact Braleva’s customer service asiakaspalvelu@braleva.fi or tel. 09 801 3044.

Sauna shift

How can I book a sauna shift?

You can use sauna shift form or contact Braleva’s customer service asiakaspalvelu@braleva.fi or tel. 09 801 3044.

Traction

The sidewalk in front of the stairwell has not been sanded, who can I call?

Please contact the maintenance company, whose contact information can be found from the stairwell. If this issue repeats, send a message to the real estate manager or the real estate secretary.

Lift

The lift is not working, what do I do?

Call the maintenance company and inform them about the issue. In case you have been trapped in the lift, call the lift maintenance directly. You can find their number in the lift.

Racket

My neighbour is playing loud music and is causing ruckus in the middle of the night, what do I do?

In case of serious disturbance, call the police. Send the real estate manager or real estate secretary a message as well.

Leaking water appliance

My apartment’s faucet is leaking, should I inform someone?

If your apartment has leaking faucets or toilet seats, you should inform the maintenance company immediately. Even the smallest leak in a water appliance can cause great costs in the long run.

Water leakage

I noticed a water leakage in my apartment, who should I call?

If your heating system, domestic water piping or sewer is leaking, contact your maintenance company immediately, even during the on-call duty. The maintenance company will come check the situation and order a plumber. This way the damage can be minimized.

Fire alarm

Who is responsible of the fire alarms of the apartment?

The resident/shareholder of the apartment is responsible for making sure that the apartment has one functional fire alarm per 60 m2 starting on each floor. In case the fire alarms are connected to the power grid, they are the responsibility of the housing company, which means that also changing the batteries is the company’s responsibility.

Moving

braleva asiakaspalvelu

When moving remember to also make a notification of move to the house managing agency and property maintenance. Notification of move that should be made to the register office and post is not automatically forwarded to the real estate management agency nor the maintenance company.

Why?

  • Your name will be added to the door and the nameplate
  • You can book sauna and laundry room shifts or a car space
  • The housing company/maintenance can open a door for you with a master key

We recommend that you make the notification of move with a form that can be found on our website, so that all the necessary information will be correct.

If you are moving away from your housing company, it is important to make a notice of intention to leave. This will ensure that you will no longer be registered for, e.g., water-, sauna shift-, and car space charges. With the form you can also report the water meter reading from your apartment, provided that you have been using a meter.

Checklist for a Mover

  • Make a notification of move within a week from your moving day. At the earliest it can be made a month before the moving day.
  • Forward your mail to the new address and inform your new address to companies that send you bills. Many big companies update client address information from the Population Information System. However, you are responsible for ensuring that the bills end up in the right address during your move and are payed on time.
  • Get a removal van and moving help in time. Moving companies have busy schedules, especially on weekends and at the turn of the months.
  • Inform the housing company of your move.
  • In order to avoid a network outage, arrange the transfer of the internet connection with an operator in time.
  • Make a new electricity contract at the same time when you terminate the old one. Tender out the electricity contract before making a new one!
  • Check the situation with your home insurance: is it sufficient for the new apartment.
  • Fire alarm is a cheap life saver and it is prescribed by law as mandatory for all apartments. A fire alarm should always be operational, and it must be located on the ceiling, not for example on the wall. Remember to test the fire alarm when it has been installed!
  • Remember to cancel a possible sauna shift and car space.

Please remember to also empty the attic, basement and garage and clean the spaces! Please take the redundant and/or broken belongings to the recycling or the closest sort-station. The waste collection of the housing company is only meant for waste generated from daily use. The housing company can charge a shareholder/resident for causing extra costs.

Share Register Note

BRALEVA arkisto

Have you received shares in a housing company? Please remember to deliver necessary documents to the house managing agency for the share register note!

Acquisition of shares in a housing company usually means the transfer of shares from a donor to a recipient due to a transaction, gift, inheritance or a will. Shares in a housing company may also remain in the undivided estate. The transfer of shares due to acquisition will be registered to the share register of the recipient. In practise, the house managing agency of the housing cooperative will make the official share register note, thus the necessary documents for the registration should be send to the house managing agency.

Why?

The recipient of the share has a right to use shareholder’s rights in the company only after he/she has been marked to the share register or he/she has notified the company, that he/she has received the company’s shares and has presented reliable evidence. A new shareholder cannot, for example, participate a shareholders’ meeting and exercise their voting rights there before a proper share register note, unless he/she has reliable evidence of the transfer of ownership with them in the meeting. Also, an alteration work permit or property manager’s certificate cannot be requested / ordered until the ownership is clear.

Necessary documents

A share certificate or its copy with appropriate endorsements (housing managing agency does not make endorsements) is always required for a share register note. The only exception to this is the entry of an undivided estate to the share register, in which case it is not necessary to have an endorsement for the estate in the share certificate. Otherwise, the documents required depend on how the shares have changed owners.

The most common cases are discussed below. This makes it easy for the recipient of a share in a housing company to deliver all the necessary documents at once. The real estate secretary of your housing company will be happy to help you with any additional questions you might have.

Housing transaction:

  • A share certificate or its copy with appropriate endorsements from seller to buyer
  • Contract of sale
  • Tax administrations certificate of payed transfer tax, transfer tax return signed by a real estate agent or an electrical transfer tax return with the acknowledgement of the tax office
  • If necessary, an extract from the population register, which indicates whether the seller is married or unmarried, or spouse’s consent to the sale of the apartment used as a shared home

Undivided estate:

  • Share certificate (in order to verify that it is in the possession of the estate)
  • Deed of estate inventory
  • Report on family relationships, if deed of estate inventory has not been separately confirmed by the magistrate

Distribution of inheritance:

  • Share certificate or its copy with appropriate endorsements
  • Deed of estate inventory
  • Report on family relationships, if deed of estate inventory has not been separately confirmed by the magistrate
  • Deed of distribution of inheritance
  • Transfer tax return stamped by tax office or electrical transfer tax return with the acknowledgement of the tax office, if funds outside the estate have been used to obtain a share in a housing company

Gift acquisition:

  • Share certificate or its copy with appropriate endorsements
  • Deed of donation
  • If necessary, an extract from the population register, which indicates whether the seller is married or unmarried, or spouse’s consent to the donation of the apartment used as a shared home

Divorce/partition:

  • Share certificate or its copy with appropriate endorsements
  • Legal deed of partition
  • Transfer tax return stamped by tax office or electrical transfer tax return with the acknowledgement of the tax office, if funds outside the estate have been used in the partition

Testament acquisition:

  • Share certificate or its copy with appropriate endorsements
  • Will in its entirety, i.e. including information of validity and the testament’s certificates of service of notice and certificates of innocence
  • Deed of estate inventory
  • Report on family relationships, if deed of estate inventory has not been separately confirmed by the magistrate
  • Report on the payment of transfer tax redeemed with funds outside the estate.

Renovating

braleva tekniset isännöitsijät suorittavat valvontaa

A shareholder may carry out maintenance and alteration work on the premises under his/her control that will not cause damage or inconvenience to the company, neighbours or buildings. According to the law, if the alteration or repair work could affect the structures of the house or the neighbouring apartments, the company (the board and real estate manager) must be notified in advance.

Things to Consider When Renovating:

  • always check if the job requires a permission from the company
  • check whether the job requires a construction permit
  • make or have someone else make the plans concerning the renovation in advance
  • renovations subject to licence must be reported to the company before starting the renovation by filling an alteration work notification form from your housing company’s pages for residents, the report should not be done via phone
  • the renovators and the plans for the alterations must be presented with the report
  • the company has a right to request further clarification of the plans or even reject the presented plans
  • work must not be started before the property manager has granted permission
  • neighbours should be notified well in advance about repairs that cause racket or water outages
  • renovations must always comply with good construction practice and the conditions set by the building permit and the company
  • make an agreement with the company about the supervision of the work
  • with renovations that require a construction permit report the employee information to the tax administration before the final inspection
  • with renovations that require a construction permit order a final inspection from a construction permit authority

Renovator’s Checklist:

  • alteration work notification (online form at the housing company’s home page)
  • insurance during the renovation
  • planning
  • construction permit
  • choosing the contractors
  • supervision of the housing company
  • schedule
  • hot work permit
  • mapping of hazardous substances
  • reporting water interruptions
  • cleaning and demolition waste
  • stairwell protection and cleaning
  • waste and skips
  • disturbing renovation noises/working times
  • notifying the neighbours
  • using and protecting the lift
  • storage of goods and demolition waste
  • official regulations and instructions
  • good construction practise

Notifying About Renovation

Due to the current Housing Companies Act, a resident has new obligations to notify the company of his/her renovations and the company has a right and obligation to supervise, that the renovations comply with good construction practise. The purpose of this new law is to safeguard the rights of both the resident and the company.

Make a notification well in advance

Notify the house managing agency about the renovation in written form well in advance, at least one month before the planned renovation date. It is a good idea to reserve enough time for processing and possible additional clarifications; there will be no costs for the shareholder for submitting an application for permit.

It is easy to make a notification by filling an online form on the housing company’s pages for residents.

Notification processing

A technical expert will check the technical implementation of the modification work and will request additional clarifications if necessary. The board will then process the application and state their opinion to the housing manager.

Work subject to licence cannot be started without a written permission from the housing company.

Alteration work that does not require a notification

Minor surface renovations such as painting or wallpapering walls of dry rooms do not need to be notified to the housing company.

Alteration work that only requires a notification to the housing company

  • Replacement of kitchen appliances
  • Renewal of kitchen furniture, when water- or air-conditioning equipment nor the floor is involved
  • Replacing the floor material in dry rooms with the same material.

Alteration Work Subject to Licence

A written permission from the housing company is required for renovations that affect or may affect the heating system, water supply, electricity, sewerage or acoustics. There must be plans for alteration work subject to licence and the work must be carried out by licensed professionals in the field. 

Apply for Alteration Work Permit Well in Advance

Make a written application for permit to alteration work to the house managing agency well in advance, at least one month before the planned renovation date. It is a good idea to reserve enough time for processing and possible additional clarifications; there will be no costs for the shareholder for submitting an application for permit.

It is easiest to apply by filling an online form at the housing company’s pages for residents.

Alteration- and Repair Work Subject to Licence Include e.g.

  • Work that may affect the sound insulation, e.g. installing parquet or laminate in place of a plastic carpet
  • Replacement, repair or removal of toilet, bathroom or sauna coatings and furniture if the work affects waterproofing, water- or electric lines or sewerage
  • Work that require cutting off water, such as replacing or installing pipes, drains or water appliances (faucet, toilet seat)
  • Installation- or alteration work concerning sewer-, water-, electric-, heating and air-conditioning systems
  • Installation of a washing machine or dishwasher, if there is no connection to the machine’s electric line, water- or sewer hose
  • Installation, replacement or removal of fixed electric lines
  • Changes to the load-bearing structures
  • Demolition, relocation or removal of light partition walls if they have fixed water, sewer or electrical lines
  • Work concerning the apartment’s front door
  • Renewal and alteration of kitchen furniture
  • Modifications to the balcony, glazing, surface painting, tiling, installation of a heat pump or air conditioner
  • Actions requiring a construction permit, such as changes in intended use, construction of a sauna, changed in load-bearing walls and merging of apartments

A shareholder must investigate whether the work requires a permit from a building official and make sure to apply for it. A power of attorney from the housing company is necessary for applying a construction permit. If you are uncertain whether the work is subject to licence or about your obligation to notify, contact your housing manager.

Beginning the Work

Modifications and repairs that do not require a building permit or a permission from the housing company can be started after the notification. Work subject to licence can be started only after receiving a written permit from the housing company and possible conditions from the housing manager. Supervision and necessary initial inspections of work subject to licence must be agreed on before starting the work. Repair work requiring a construction permit can be begun only after receiving the construction permit. 

Duty and right to supervise alteration work

The company has a legal obligation and right to supervise alteration work subject to licence. The shareholder is responsible for the costs related to the alteration work and supervision. The number of inspection visits is dependent on the size of the work. Agree/inquire with the technical real estate managers about the supervision of the job.

The most common renovations that require supervision are toilet-, bathroom-, sauna- and kitchen renovations, as well as replacements of the flooring.

It is good to keep in mind, that the supervision does not remove the responsibility of the work from the shareholder or its maker. The shareholder should therefore check his/her own and the renovator’s insurance coverage. By submitting an application for alteration work, the shareholder accepts the instructions, responsibilities and obligations concerning alteration work.

Once the work has been completed and supervised, an entry is made to the house manager’s certificate to the apartment-specific information.

Who is Who

braleva isännöitsijä ohjeistaa

Braleva Kiinteistöpalvelut Oy employs professionals from various fields.

Property manager

Property manager is the CEO of a housing cooperative. It is the task of a property manager, together with the company’s board of directors, to take care of the technical condition of the property, functionality of the management and the appropriate management of the economy.

The tasks of a property manager are thus divided into administrative, technical and financial tasks.

Administrative tasks include participation in meetings, drawing up invitations and proceedings and performing the tasks agreed upon at the meeting. Furthermore, a property manager takes care of agreements, insurances and employment matters as a part of administrative tasks.

Technical tasks include taking care of the technical condition of the housing company. In practise this means both organizing execution of maintenance repairs and managing big basic repairs as well as taking care of daily technical tasks with the property maintenance.

Financial tasks include financial planning, managing the funding of any repairs as well as checking and approving the company’s bills.

Accountant

An accountant takes care of the company’s management charge personal ledger, payment of loans and share of the loan calculations. In addition, the accountant’s duties include day-to-day accounting work, drawing up a budget comparison to the property manager, making a management charge- and capital management charge receipt as well as dispatch and customer service. Every year the accountant draws up a financial statement of the companies.

Real estate secretary

A real estate secretary acts as an administrative assistant to the property manager. A real estate secretary serves customers via phone, prepares house manager’s certificates, records changes in shareholders and notifications of move as well as mails handouts and invitations to meetings.

Customer service

Customer service is in charge of phone service, key management and, depending on the housing company, management of car spaces and sauna shifts. You can also pick up house manager’s certificates from the customer service.

Technical professional

Technical professionals serve housing companies in the planning, inspections and supervision of repair work. Furthermore, technical experts monitor alteration work made by the shareholders.

Personal ledger administrator

Personal ledger administrator inputs bills of housing companies to a banking software, takes care of their payment on due date and handles bank connections.

Property maintenance person

Worker who upkeeps the property and makes repairs. Responsible for the tidiness of the outdoor area and for friction and snow ploughing in winter.

Technical property maintenance person

Takes care of the supervision, maintenance and repair of heating, water, air conditioning and electrical systems.

Landscape gardener

Responsible for the maintenance of lawns, trees and bushes.

Cleaner

Takes care of the cleanliness of the public spaces of the housing company.

Need to ask something?