Property maintenance - Hoas
Frontpage Tenants Property maintenance
Property maintenance will work as teamwork between Hoas, service providers and residents. Feedback from tenants is invaluable in developing the service and also helps in quality control. If there are shortcomings in the maintenance or cleaning of the property, please inform Hoas of this via the fault report.
In autumn weather the stairs may become dirty much quicker than at other times of the year. We may also take longer to clear the snow after a particularly heavy snow storm. You can help the cleaners in their work by cleaning your shoes at the front door using the shoe brush and door mats, to stop dirt from getting into the stairway.
Pelastuslain mukaan rappukäytävässä saa olla vain kiinteistön pääsisäänkäynnillä iso kynnys- / vaihtomatto eli oman kynnysmaton pitäminen huoneiston ulko-oven edessä on kielletty. Lisäksi kynnysmatot vaikeuttavat siivousta ja lisäävät näin irtolian määrää. Siivousliikkeen vastuulle ei kuulu siirtää tai puhdistaa asukkaan omia mattoja.
The Rescue Act stipulates that a public stairway must only contain one large doormat at the main entrance, which means that residents are prohibited from placing doormats outside their own individual doors. They make cleaning more difficult and increase the amount of loose dirt. Cleaning operatives are not tasked with moving or cleaning residents’ own doormats placed in the corridor.
Sauna is usually cleaned once a week. If the sauna is being used particularly often, it will be cleaned more often. Since the cleaning is undertaken within normal working hours (between 7 am and 4 pm), the sauna is not cleaned between different users. Please ensure that you leave the sauna tidy for the next user.
Property maintenance takes care of the outside areas of each property. If the outside areas of your property are in need of maintenance, please submit a fault report.
Cutting trees always requires a lengthy permission process, because the properties are in a town planning zone or master plan area, where changes to the landscape are not allowed without a permit. The process to obtain such a permit can often take a long time, so this will not be undertaken without good reason.
One exception are trees which have been damaged in a storm and must be cut down for safety reasons. If there is a fallen tree in the yard, or a tree that could be a safety risk, please submit a fault report.
Private gardens and garden fences
Some apartments have a private garden. You are required to clear snow and take care of gardening in your private garden, as the maintenance company is not responsible for such areas.
There may also be a fence around your garden. The majority of these fences have been put up by tenants and Hoas does not maintain them. The same applies to any flowers planted in the garden. If all the apartments in the property have exactly the same kind of fence and flowers, they may be provided by Hoas. If the fence or the plants need fixing or other work, and you are not sure if the fence/plant belongs to the tenants or to Hoas, please submit a fault report.
Flag days of Hoas:
28 February, day of Kalevala; the occasion is also celebrated as the Day of Finnish culture
27 April, National War Veterans’ Day
1 May, Vappu, the Day of Finnish Labour
Third Sunday in May, memorial day for the war dead
4 June, Flag Day of the Finnish Defence Forces
Saturday between 20 June and 26 June, Midsummer Day
24 October, Day of the United Nations
6 November, Finnish Swedish Heritage Day and Gustavus Adolphus Day
Second Sunday in November, Father’s Day
Days when Finland holds parliamentary, presidential and local elections, elections to the European Parliament, or a referendum
The day the President of Finland is inaugurated (1 March in every six years, next time in 2024)
The property maintenance company also takes care of winter maintenance in the outdoor areas.
Normally, snow will be removed within the next business day. However, current weather conditions must be taken into account. After particularly heavy snowfall it may take longer than usual to remove the snow, even if all available equipment is in use.
The main task of winter maintenance is to make sure the property is safe and ensure rescue departments access to the property. Main paths in the yard, entrances and other critical areas are removed of snow first in all Hoas locations and after this everything else is taken care of.
However, if you notice that snow cleaning has been neglected for long, please inform us by filling in the fault report and we will sort out the situation.
Removing snow from the steps and paths leading to your apartment
If the steps or the path leading to your apartment is not shared by any other apartment, you are responsible for clearing the snow on it. In such cases, the steps or paths are considered a part of the yard or accessway to the apartment. If the path or the steps lead to two or more apartments, the maintenance company must remove the snow, because then the area is considered a common area. Even in those cases, it is still the tenant’s responsibility to remove snow from the landing at the top of the stairs and in front of the door.
Primarily, clearing snow from the parking spaces is the responsibility of the tenant renting the space. A snowplough driver may remove the snow if there are several empty parking spaces side-by-side in the parking area when the snowplough comes around, and if the snowplough driver is able to clear the snow without unreasonable additional effort. However, this can only be done if the weather permits.
If your building does not have snow sled shovels for clearing parking spaces of snow, please fill in a fault report about the matter.
Long term property maintenance plan
Hoas’ properties are maintained in a systematic manner. In addition to scheduled property maintenance, other maintenance work of differing types is carried out on the properties. Well planned pre-emptive maintenance can prevent many faults and problems and extend the life of our properties. Pre-planning and preventative measures can also help to bring down the cost of maintenance.
By continuous maintenance, we mean the small scale repair work that is done based on fault reports submitted by the tenants, Hoas or property managers.
By notifying us of faults in a timely manner, you help us maintain our properties as well as possible. Residential Landlord and Tenant Act stipulates that you also have an obligation to inform the landlord of any faults in your apartment. Continuous maintenance also includes inspections when tenants move out, and any repairs done based on the inspection reports.
With programmed maintenance work, we aim to manage the property life cycles in an comprehensive and cost-effective way, as well as to improve the general comfort of our properties. Programmed maintenance work is planned according to the renovation history and renovation program of each building. Such maintenance is planned and budgeted one year before it is due to start and the wishes of the tenant committee will be taken into account, if possible.