{"id":2690,"date":"2026-10-19T15:15:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T12:15:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oun.fi\/?p=2690"},"modified":"2026-10-19T15:23:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T12:23:05","slug":"forced-redemption-in-a-housing-company-what-homebuyers-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oun.fi\/en\/forced-redemption-in-a-housing-company-what-homebuyers-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Forced redemption in a housing company: what homebuyers need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

In October 2026, the Finnish Real Estate Management Federation (Is\u00e4nn\u00f6intiliitto) floated a proposal that got many homebuyers thinking: housing companies should be given the right to forcibly redeem shares if a shareholder permanently stops paying maintenance fees. The proposal isn’t law yet, but it points to something real. Payment difficulties in housing companies are a growing problem, and it doesn’t stay just one shareholder’s issue.<\/p>\n

If you buy an apartment in a housing company with unpaid maintenance fees, you’re also buying into that problem.<\/p>\n

Why one shareholder can derail an entire housing company’s finances<\/h2>\n

A housing company works by having every shareholder pay their maintenance fee, and together these payments cover the company’s costs. When one shareholder stops paying, the others have to cover the shortfall. Not immediately, and not visibly, but it happens.<\/p>\n

According to the Real Estate Management Federation, inquiries about these situations have increased. The reasons vary: bankruptcy, an unsettled estate, or a situation where a fee-free apartment has been transferred to someone with no intention of paying at all. The Federation’s legal expert Sara Rintamo describes how suspicion arises in straw-man arrangements: the new owner doesn’t register the ownership transfer and immediately stops paying maintenance fees. In that case, the housing company essentially has no one to collect from.<\/p>\n

According to the Real Estate Management Federation, current measures such as debt collection or taking control of the apartment aren’t always enough. That’s why forced redemption has come up as a last-resort option.<\/p>\n

What a housing company’s payment difficulties mean for homebuyers<\/h2>\n

It means higher maintenance fees in the short or long term. It means possible delays to renovation projects if the company lacks funds. In the worst case, it means the housing company itself ends up in financial trouble.<\/p>\n

The Liikemaneesi building in Lappaj\u00e4rvi is an example of where unpaid maintenance fees can lead: the housing company went bankrupt<\/a>. Commercial spaces are especially risky, since vacant commercial units may have no one paying for them.<\/p>\n

So the threat of forced redemption isn’t just an abstract legal question. It’s a signal that in some housing companies, the situation is already so bad that current legislation isn’t enough to resolve it.<\/p>\n

What to check before deciding to buy<\/h2>\n

From OUN\u00ae’s perspective, this is exactly the point where a buyer either protects themselves or doesn’t. Most buyers look at the surface renovations and the price per square meter. Few ask for the housing company’s financial statements and actually read them properly.<\/p>\n

Before making a purchase, it’s worth finding out at least the following:<\/p>\n