Living in Åland

You can find general information on right-of-occupancy housing, rental housing and types of housing allowance in Åland under Housing in Finland.

Can I buy a home (apartment or house) in Åland?

If you have lived in Åland for five years without interruption and are a Finnish citizen, you can apply for Åland regional citizenship. Åland regional citizenship is a precondition for voting and standing for election to the Åland parliament, for owning and occupying land in Åland and for conducting business in Åland. It is possible, however, to buy an apartment or house even if you do not have Åland regional citizenship. Exceptions from the requirement of regional citizenship can be granted by the Government of Åland. This is after you have applied for a so-called land acquisition permit.  N.B. Persons who inherit real estate in Åland have inheritance rights under Finnish inheritance laws.

Here you can read about the conditions for acquisition of land and Åland regional citizenship on the website of the Government of Åland. You can also find links to the application forms on the site.

Rental housing

Can be rented freely by anyone.

Right-of-occupancy housing

The Åland right-of-occupancy housing association has 68 apartments in Mariehamn. Membership is open to everyone. Any EU citizen can hold right of occupancy.

Condominiums

Can be acquired by all EU citizens. Shares in condominiums are movable property, purchase of which does not require permission.

Real estate agents in Åland

Real estate agents in Åland know the market well can help with any questions about housing.

Housing market in Åland

Åland Living has a webpage with links to all agencies with housing for rental or purchase. Click on rent or buy.

If you are interested in rental housing from the Seafarers’ Pension Fund in Mariehamn, which is primarily for seafarers, you can find information on their website.

Bosidan på Åland - homes in Åland This website lists homes for rental and sale from all the leading agents in Åland.

Average rents in Åland

In April 2020 the average rent for housing in Åland was €10.66 per square metre. In Mariehamn it was €11.21 and in rural municipalities €9.08 and in the archipelago €8.90.

Housing waiting list

In the town of Mariehamn there is a waiting list for rental housing. If you want to rent an apartment, you make an application to Marstad.

All other municipalities in Åland have rental housing and for their waiting lists you should contact the municipalities directly.

Housing allowance

The purpose of housing allowance is to reduce housing expenditure for households on low incomes. In Åland you apply for housing allowance via Kela/FPA, which processes applications and answers questions about housing allowance.

Student housing in Åland

Most students in Åland live in various types of rental housing in Mariehamn. You can read about this on the Info Norden page on Student housing in Åland.