Does a renovation need a permit? Building permit, housing company and asbestos

What changed in 2025

With the Building Act, the building permit and the action permit were merged into a single construction permit, and the notification procedure was abolished. Other permit types are the demolition permit and the landscaping permit, and in certain situations a deviation permit can be applied for.

The municipal building ordinance affects which minor projects are locally exempt from a permit. However, a building ordinance cannot exempt projects that the law always requires a permit for. The building control authority of your own municipality is therefore always the right place to confirm whether a permit is needed.

In most municipalities, a construction permit is applied for electronically through the Lupapiste service. Through Lupapiste you can also send an advisory request to building control and ask in advance whether a permit is needed for a planned renovation. Processing a permit takes time, so it is worth checking already at the planning stage, before the contract is signed.

When a repair or alteration requires a permit

According to the Association of Finnish Municipalities' guidance, renovation and alteration work requires a building permit especially when the building's floor area or envelope increases, when the work is comparable in scope to new construction, or when the building's intended use changes substantially.

A permit is also required if the repair affects the building envelope or technical systems and has a significant effect on energy efficiency or environmental impact, if a protected or historically valuable building is significantly altered, or if the work affects load-bearing structures or may endanger health or safety.

An extension that increases floor area or the building envelope
Substantial change of intended use
A repair to the building envelope or technical systems that significantly affects energy efficiency
Repair of load-bearing structures
New residential building regardless of size, and a building of over 30 m² or 120 m³

What is usually unauthorised

Ordinary maintenance does not usually require a permit. According to the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, examples include repainting in the same colour and quality, replacing a ventilation unit without structural or townscape effects, and installing solar panels or a heat pump, unless some ground for a permit requirement applies.

However, a change in the colour or material of the facade may require a permit, for example in an area covered by a town plan. Check with a guidance request via Lupapiste or directly with the building control authority before starting the work.

Remember that even work that needs no permit must be done in accordance with the technical requirements for construction, the zoning plan and the building ordinance. The absence of a permit therefore does not exempt you from, for example, the requirements for wet rooms, electrical work or fire safety.

In a housing company: notify of the alteration work in advance

Under the Housing Companies Act (chapter 5 section 2), a shareholder must notify the housing company in writing of alteration work before starting it, if the work may affect space for which the company or another shareholder is responsible for maintenance. Typical examples are wet-room, kitchen, electrical and plumbing work.

The company may set conditions for the work and supervise it, and reasonable supervision costs may be charged to the shareholder. Failure to notify may increase the shareholder's liability if the work causes damage.

In practice, the notification should be made to the property manager in good time and accompanied by a description of the work, the schedule and the contractor's details. For wet rooms, the company often requires that the waterproofing is done by a qualified contractor and that documentation of the work is retained, which is also useful when the apartment is sold later.

Asbestos survey in old buildings

If construction of the building began before 1994, an asbestos survey must be carried out before any repair or demolition work affecting structures that may contain asbestos. These may include, for example, tiling, levelling compounds, sealants and pipe insulation. The obligation is based on the Act on the Safety of Asbestos Work (684/2015).

Asbestos demolition work may only be carried out by a company with an asbestos demolition permit granted by the regional administrative authority. The survey and any demolition should be taken into account already in the renovation schedule and budget.

Whoever lives in a detached house is personally responsible for having the survey carried out before the work begins. In a housing company, the survey is usually commissioned by whoever orders the renovation, and it is worth agreeing this with the property manager when submitting the notice of alteration work.

How much a renovation costs now

According to Statistics Finland, construction costs rose by 3,5 % year on year in August 2026. Labour costs rose by 4,4 % and materials by 3,0 %.

According to the Finnish Property Management Association's Pipe Renovation Barometer 2026, the median cost of a traditional pipe renovation was 890 euros per square metre of living space nationwide and 1 000 euros in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The implementation phase lasts about six months on average. For other renovations, such as bathrooms or kitchens, no impartial nationwide price-per-square-metre statistics are available, so it is worth getting several written quotes.

For consumer renovation contracts, the general terms for consumer contracts in the construction sector can be used: RYS-9 terms for work over €10,000 and REYS-8 terms for work under €10,000. Renovation Radar compiles current prices, grants and links to permit matters.

Frequently asked questions

Is a permit needed to install a heat pump?

Usually not, unless the project meets one of the grounds for requiring a permit under the Building Act, for example in a protected building. Check with your own municipality's building control.

Does the action permit still exist?

No. The Building Act merged the building permit and the action permit into a construction permit, and the notification procedure was abolished at the beginning of 2025.

Do you have to notify the housing company about a bathroom renovation?

Yes, if the work may affect a space for which the company or another shareholder is responsible. The notification is made in writing before work begins (Limited Liability Housing Companies Act, chapter 5, section 2).

Renovation Radar brings together the topic's figures, deadlines and services. Open Renovation Radar →

Calculate it yourself

Ready-made tools

Renovation budget and household tax credit · Renovation budget, quote comparison and household tax credit calculator
Complaint and compensation claim templates · Five ready-made letters: flight delay, lost luggage, faulty product, service error and insurance decision

Sources

The article is general information and does not replace the guidance of an authority, a lawyer or an adviser. Check up-to-date information from the sources.