{"id":27912,"date":"2026-05-06T15:02:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T12:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/?p=27912"},"modified":"2026-05-06T15:03:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T12:03:01","slug":"statement-draft-bill-to-amend-the-building-act-delays-resolution-of-the-student-housing-crisis-in-rovaniemi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/statement-draft-bill-to-amend-the-building-act-delays-resolution-of-the-student-housing-crisis-in-rovaniemi\/","title":{"rendered":"STATEMENT: Draft bill to amend the Building Act delays resolution of the student housing crisis in Rovaniemi\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The\u00a0so-called\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0bill,\u00a0that\u00a0is,\u00a0the\u00a0amendment\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0Building Act,\u00a0has\u00a0reached\u00a0the\u00a0Parliament.\u00a0This\u00a0so-called\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0law\u00a0is\u00a0based\u00a0on a\u00a0phenomenon\u00a0that\u00a0is\u00a0particularly\u00a0relevant\u00a0here\u00a0in Rovaniemi\u00a0which\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0systematic\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0of\u00a0apartments.\u00a0We\u00a0students\u00a0are\u00a0concerned\u00a0because\u00a0systematic\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0practices\u00a0have\u00a0led to a\u00a0severe\u00a0housing\u00a0shortage\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0city,\u00a0which\u00a0highly\u00a0affects\u00a0students.\u00a0During\u00a0peak\u00a0tourism\u00a0season,\u00a0there\u00a0are\u00a0over\u00a05,000\u00a0apartments\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0city center of Rovaniemi\u00a0without\u00a0permanent\u00a0residents.\u00a0These\u00a0apartments\u00a0are\u00a0likely\u00a0used\u00a0for\u00a0short-term\u00a0rentals, as\u00a0there\u00a0are\u00a0hardly\u00a0any\u00a0available\u00a0apartments (yle.fi, November 2025).\u00a0The\u00a0current\u00a0situation\u00a0has\u00a0led to a\u00a0housing\u00a0shortage, and\u00a0this\u00a0situation\u00a0is\u00a0unsustainable.\u00a0The\u00a0city\u2019s\u00a0current\u00a0accommodation\u00a0capacity\u00a0is\u00a0insufficient\u00a0for\u00a0both\u00a0permanent\u00a0residents\u00a0and\u00a0tourists.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the current draft legislation, an apartment that is not in permanent or temporary residential use may be rented \u201cin periods of less than 28 days, up to a maximum of 90 days per year.\u201d The city may, if it so chooses, raise the amount of days to 180. In Rovaniemi, the tourist season, during which the housing shortage is severe, lasts three months, or about 90 days. In its current form, the bill legitimizes a phenomenon that makes Rovaniemi\u2019s housing crisis worse. The amendment to the Building Act is strongly based on the illegal accommodation activities taking place in Rovaniemi, but it does not offer local solutions. The city must have the opportunity to exert greater influence itself on the systematic illegal short-term rentals occurring within the city. In the current situation, there is a need for broader local regulation. Short-term rentals must be regulated in such a way that it is possible to address the harms caused by them, so that short-term rental activities and \u201cshort-term rental hotels\u201d do not spiral out of control any further. We oppose illegal accommodation operations and hope that any legislative changes will provide the tools to decrease this phenomenon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tourism brings many benefits to Rovaniemi, but it must be conducted in a way that ensures sustainability and prevents locals from suffering the side effects, such as the current housing shortage. The current housing crisis is creating tension between tourists and locals, which is not desirable. The need for accommodation must be met in a way that does not cause hardship for locals. We hope that when drafting legislation, the actual impact of the regulations on the housing shortage faced by locals will be taken into account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The housing shortage cannot be solved by legislation affecting short-term rentals alone. We must ensure that new apartment buildings are constructed to meet the needs of locals and that these apartments do not end up in illegal short-term rental operations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0so-called\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0bill,\u00a0that\u00a0is,\u00a0the\u00a0amendment\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0Building Act,\u00a0has\u00a0reached\u00a0the\u00a0Parliament.\u00a0This\u00a0so-called\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0law\u00a0is\u00a0based\u00a0on a\u00a0phenomenon\u00a0that\u00a0is\u00a0particularly\u00a0relevant\u00a0here\u00a0in Rovaniemi\u00a0which\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0systematic\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0of\u00a0apartments.\u00a0We\u00a0students\u00a0are\u00a0concerned\u00a0because\u00a0systematic\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0practices\u00a0have\u00a0led to a\u00a0severe\u00a0housing\u00a0shortage\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0city,\u00a0which\u00a0highly\u00a0affects\u00a0students.\u00a0During\u00a0peak\u00a0tourism\u00a0season,\u00a0there\u00a0are\u00a0over\u00a05,000\u00a0apartments\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0city center of Rovaniemi\u00a0without\u00a0permanent\u00a0residents.\u00a0These\u00a0apartments\u00a0are\u00a0likely\u00a0used\u00a0for\u00a0short-term\u00a0rentals, as\u00a0there\u00a0are\u00a0hardly\u00a0any\u00a0available\u00a0apartments (yle.fi, November 2025).\u00a0The\u00a0current\u00a0situation\u00a0has\u00a0led to a\u00a0housing\u00a0shortage, and\u00a0this\u00a0situation\u00a0is\u00a0unsustainable.\u00a0The\u00a0city\u2019s\u00a0current\u00a0accommodation\u00a0capacity\u00a0is\u00a0insufficient\u00a0for\u00a0both\u00a0permanent\u00a0residents\u00a0and\u00a0tourists.\u00a0\u00a0 According to the current draft legislation, an apartment that is not in permanent or temporary residential use may be rented \u201cin periods of less than 28 days, up to a maximum of 90 days per year.\u201d The city may, if it so chooses, raise the amount of days to 180. In Rovaniemi, the tourist season, during which the housing shortage is severe, lasts three months, or about 90 days. In its current form, the bill legitimizes a phenomenon that makes Rovaniemi\u2019s housing crisis worse. The amendment to the Building Act is strongly based on the illegal accommodation activities taking place in Rovaniemi, but it does not offer local solutions. The city must have the opportunity to exert greater influence itself on the systematic illegal short-term rentals occurring within the city. In the current situation, there is a need for broader local regulation. Short-term rentals must be regulated in such a way that it is possible to address the harms caused by them, so that short-term rental activities and \u201cshort-term rental hotels\u201d do not spiral out of control any further. We oppose illegal accommodation operations and hope that any legislative changes will provide the tools to decrease this phenomenon.  Tourism brings many benefits to Rovaniemi, but it must be conducted in a way that ensures sustainability and prevents locals from suffering the side effects, such as the current housing shortage. The current housing crisis is creating tension between tourists and locals, which is not desirable. The need for accommodation must be met in a way that does not cause hardship for locals. We hope that when drafting legislation, the actual impact of the regulations on the housing shortage faced by locals will be taken into account.  The housing shortage cannot be solved by legislation affecting short-term rentals alone. We must ensure that new apartment … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":27914,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[311,312],"class_list":["post-27912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-building-act","tag-short-term-rental-bill"],"acf":[],"gutentor_comment":0,"yoast_head":"\nSTATEMENT: Draft bill to amend the Building Act delays resolution of the student housing crisis in Rovaniemi\u00a0\u00a0 - LYY<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/statement-draft-bill-to-amend-the-building-act-delays-resolution-of-the-student-housing-crisis-in-rovaniemi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"STATEMENT: Draft bill to amend the Building Act delays resolution of the student housing crisis in Rovaniemi\u00a0\u00a0 - LYY\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The\u00a0so-called\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0bill,\u00a0that\u00a0is,\u00a0the\u00a0amendment\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0Building Act,\u00a0has\u00a0reached\u00a0the\u00a0Parliament.\u00a0This\u00a0so-called\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0law\u00a0is\u00a0based\u00a0on a\u00a0phenomenon\u00a0that\u00a0is\u00a0particularly\u00a0relevant\u00a0here\u00a0in Rovaniemi\u00a0which\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0systematic\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0of\u00a0apartments.\u00a0We\u00a0students\u00a0are\u00a0concerned\u00a0because\u00a0systematic\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0practices\u00a0have\u00a0led to a\u00a0severe\u00a0housing\u00a0shortage\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0city,\u00a0which\u00a0highly\u00a0affects\u00a0students.\u00a0During\u00a0peak\u00a0tourism\u00a0season,\u00a0there\u00a0are\u00a0over\u00a05,000\u00a0apartments\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0city center of Rovaniemi\u00a0without\u00a0permanent\u00a0residents.\u00a0These\u00a0apartments\u00a0are\u00a0likely\u00a0used\u00a0for\u00a0short-term\u00a0rentals, as\u00a0there\u00a0are\u00a0hardly\u00a0any\u00a0available\u00a0apartments (yle.fi, November 2025).\u00a0The\u00a0current\u00a0situation\u00a0has\u00a0led to a\u00a0housing\u00a0shortage, and\u00a0this\u00a0situation\u00a0is\u00a0unsustainable.\u00a0The\u00a0city\u2019s\u00a0current\u00a0accommodation\u00a0capacity\u00a0is\u00a0insufficient\u00a0for\u00a0both\u00a0permanent\u00a0residents\u00a0and\u00a0tourists.\u00a0\u00a0 According to the current draft legislation, an apartment that is not in permanent or temporary residential use may be rented \u201cin periods of less than 28 days, up to a maximum of 90 days per year.\u201d The city may, if it so chooses, raise the amount of days to 180. In Rovaniemi, the tourist season, during which the housing shortage is severe, lasts three months, or about 90 days. In its current form, the bill legitimizes a phenomenon that makes Rovaniemi\u2019s housing crisis worse. The amendment to the Building Act is strongly based on the illegal accommodation activities taking place in Rovaniemi, but it does not offer local solutions. The city must have the opportunity to exert greater influence itself on the systematic illegal short-term rentals occurring within the city. In the current situation, there is a need for broader local regulation. Short-term rentals must be regulated in such a way that it is possible to address the harms caused by them, so that short-term rental activities and \u201cshort-term rental hotels\u201d do not spiral out of control any further. We oppose illegal accommodation operations and hope that any legislative changes will provide the tools to decrease this phenomenon.  Tourism brings many benefits to Rovaniemi, but it must be conducted in a way that ensures sustainability and prevents locals from suffering the side effects, such as the current housing shortage. The current housing crisis is creating tension between tourists and locals, which is not desirable. The need for accommodation must be met in a way that does not cause hardship for locals. We hope that when drafting legislation, the actual impact of the regulations on the housing shortage faced by locals will be taken into account.  The housing shortage cannot be solved by legislation affecting short-term rentals alone. We must ensure that new apartment ... 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LYY","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/statement-draft-bill-to-amend-the-building-act-delays-resolution-of-the-student-housing-crisis-in-rovaniemi\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"STATEMENT: Draft bill to amend the Building Act delays resolution of the student housing crisis in Rovaniemi\u00a0\u00a0 - LYY","og_description":"The\u00a0so-called\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0bill,\u00a0that\u00a0is,\u00a0the\u00a0amendment\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0Building Act,\u00a0has\u00a0reached\u00a0the\u00a0Parliament.\u00a0This\u00a0so-called\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0law\u00a0is\u00a0based\u00a0on a\u00a0phenomenon\u00a0that\u00a0is\u00a0particularly\u00a0relevant\u00a0here\u00a0in Rovaniemi\u00a0which\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0systematic\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0of\u00a0apartments.\u00a0We\u00a0students\u00a0are\u00a0concerned\u00a0because\u00a0systematic\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0practices\u00a0have\u00a0led to a\u00a0severe\u00a0housing\u00a0shortage\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0city,\u00a0which\u00a0highly\u00a0affects\u00a0students.\u00a0During\u00a0peak\u00a0tourism\u00a0season,\u00a0there\u00a0are\u00a0over\u00a05,000\u00a0apartments\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0city center of Rovaniemi\u00a0without\u00a0permanent\u00a0residents.\u00a0These\u00a0apartments\u00a0are\u00a0likely\u00a0used\u00a0for\u00a0short-term\u00a0rentals, as\u00a0there\u00a0are\u00a0hardly\u00a0any\u00a0available\u00a0apartments (yle.fi, November 2025).\u00a0The\u00a0current\u00a0situation\u00a0has\u00a0led to a\u00a0housing\u00a0shortage, and\u00a0this\u00a0situation\u00a0is\u00a0unsustainable.\u00a0The\u00a0city\u2019s\u00a0current\u00a0accommodation\u00a0capacity\u00a0is\u00a0insufficient\u00a0for\u00a0both\u00a0permanent\u00a0residents\u00a0and\u00a0tourists.\u00a0\u00a0 According to the current draft legislation, an apartment that is not in permanent or temporary residential use may be rented \u201cin periods of less than 28 days, up to a maximum of 90 days per year.\u201d The city may, if it so chooses, raise the amount of days to 180. In Rovaniemi, the tourist season, during which the housing shortage is severe, lasts three months, or about 90 days. In its current form, the bill legitimizes a phenomenon that makes Rovaniemi\u2019s housing crisis worse. The amendment to the Building Act is strongly based on the illegal accommodation activities taking place in Rovaniemi, but it does not offer local solutions. The city must have the opportunity to exert greater influence itself on the systematic illegal short-term rentals occurring within the city. In the current situation, there is a need for broader local regulation. Short-term rentals must be regulated in such a way that it is possible to address the harms caused by them, so that short-term rental activities and \u201cshort-term rental hotels\u201d do not spiral out of control any further. We oppose illegal accommodation operations and hope that any legislative changes will provide the tools to decrease this phenomenon.  Tourism brings many benefits to Rovaniemi, but it must be conducted in a way that ensures sustainability and prevents locals from suffering the side effects, such as the current housing shortage. The current housing crisis is creating tension between tourists and locals, which is not desirable. The need for accommodation must be met in a way that does not cause hardship for locals. We hope that when drafting legislation, the actual impact of the regulations on the housing shortage faced by locals will be taken into account.  The housing shortage cannot be solved by legislation affecting short-term rentals alone. We must ensure that new apartment ... 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Act,\u00a0has\u00a0reached\u00a0the\u00a0Parliament.\u00a0This\u00a0so-called\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0law\u00a0is\u00a0based\u00a0on a\u00a0phenomenon\u00a0that\u00a0is\u00a0particularly\u00a0relevant\u00a0here\u00a0in Rovaniemi\u00a0which\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0systematic\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0of\u00a0apartments.\u00a0We\u00a0students\u00a0are\u00a0concerned\u00a0because\u00a0systematic\u00a0short-term\u00a0rental\u00a0practices\u00a0have\u00a0led to a\u00a0severe\u00a0housing\u00a0shortage\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0city,\u00a0which\u00a0highly\u00a0affects\u00a0students.\u00a0During\u00a0peak\u00a0tourism\u00a0season,\u00a0there\u00a0are\u00a0over\u00a05,000\u00a0apartments\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0city center of Rovaniemi\u00a0without\u00a0permanent\u00a0residents.\u00a0These\u00a0apartments\u00a0are\u00a0likely\u00a0used\u00a0for\u00a0short-term\u00a0rentals, as\u00a0there\u00a0are\u00a0hardly\u00a0any\u00a0available\u00a0apartments (yle.fi, November 2025).\u00a0The\u00a0current\u00a0situation\u00a0has\u00a0led to a\u00a0housing\u00a0shortage, and\u00a0this\u00a0situation\u00a0is\u00a0unsustainable.\u00a0The\u00a0city\u2019s\u00a0current\u00a0accommodation\u00a0capacity\u00a0is\u00a0insufficient\u00a0for\u00a0both\u00a0permanent\u00a0residents\u00a0and\u00a0tourists.\u00a0\u00a0 According to the current draft legislation, an apartment that is not in permanent or temporary residential use may be rented \u201cin periods of less than 28 days, up to a maximum of 90 days per year.\u201d The city may, if it so chooses, raise the amount of days to 180. In Rovaniemi, the tourist season, during which the housing shortage is severe, lasts three months, or about 90 days. In its current form, the bill legitimizes a phenomenon that makes Rovaniemi\u2019s housing crisis worse. The amendment to the Building Act is strongly based on the illegal accommodation activities taking place in Rovaniemi, but it does not offer local solutions. The city must have the opportunity to exert greater influence itself on the systematic illegal short-term rentals occurring within the city. In the current situation, there is a need for broader local regulation. Short-term rentals must be regulated in such a way that it is possible to address the harms caused by them, so that short-term rental activities and \u201cshort-term rental hotels\u201d do not spiral out of control any further. We oppose illegal accommodation operations and hope that any legislative changes will provide the tools to decrease this phenomenon.  Tourism brings many benefits to Rovaniemi, but it must be conducted in a way that ensures sustainability and prevents locals from suffering the side effects, such as the current housing shortage. The current housing crisis is creating tension between tourists and locals, which is not desirable. The need for accommodation must be met in a way that does not cause hardship for locals. We hope that when drafting legislation, the actual impact of the regulations on the housing shortage faced by locals will be taken into account.  The housing shortage cannot be solved by legislation affecting short-term rentals alone. We must ensure that new apartment…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27912"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27916,"href":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27912\/revisions\/27916"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lyy.fi\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}