Housing communities
Student Housing Foundation for the Region of Lappeenranta LOAS is the housing community for Lappeenranta’s students, Lahden Talot for Lahti’s students, Kouvolan Asunnot for Kouvola students and Mikkeli Student Apartments MOAS for students studying in Mikkeli programme. Students are lucky when it comes to housing in these cities, because student housing communities have you covered when it comes to finding you an apartment where it is pleasant to live and study.
These housing services differ from other landlords due to their excellent locations and all of their services have been particularly targeted for students.
To start, student apartments do not require a large deposit or an advance rent payment. Their collection of apartments include several options for the different stages of a young student’s life. There are three types of apartments: studios, shared apartments and family apartments. The family apartments can be one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartments. Their rent includes a good internet connection, functional maintenance service and other services that are important to students, such as sauna turns, free laundry rooms and diverse common spaces. Above all, the price-quality ratio of their apartments is in place and they operate in a fair manner when working with residents and partners.
Shared facilities
All of the student buildings have shared facilities, such as a laundry room equipped with washing machines, dryers and an iron. The student buildings also contain storage space for each tenant, bike shelters and in some cases club rooms for hanging out.
Most of the buildings also contain a sauna that can be used free of charge. The saunas are heated once a week for collective use free of charge, and men and women go separately. Tenants can also reserve a sauna for personal use once a week; this costs a couple of euros each time.
Most common accommodation for LUT students
The most typical type of accommodation, especially for new students, is an apartment shared by two to three students. Each student has a room of his/her own with a lockable door and a shared kitchen and bathroom. The kitchen has a refrigerator, cupboards, a sink, and a stove. Bathrooms are fitted with a shower, sink and toilet.
You can also apply for a fully furnished room with a bed, a large desk, a desk lamp, a chair, a bookshelf, a wardrobe and a kitchen table with chairs. However, kitchen utensils, mattresses and curtains are not provided.
The apartments are not mixed – male and female students can live in the same apartment on request only. If you wish to share the apartment with your friend(s), you should submit your housing applications at the same time.
Exchange semesters
Exchange semesters are possible for degree students of all levels and at more than 200 universities in more than 40 countries (Europe, Asia, North America, or South America). Studies abroad should be included in your degree at LUT so completing an exchange does not postpone your graduation! Sometimes it is possible to obtain credits for your elective studies, but it may also be possible to pursue minor studies on exchange as well.
Each degree programme has their list of recommended exchange partners where previous students from that degree programme have happily found suitable course offerings. You can find those lists, all the other exchange places and all the relevant information in eLUT. So you can start planning your exchange right now!
If you have any questions or want to get started planning your exchange, you should reach out to an exchange coordinator via outgoing@lut.fi.
Short-term programmes (summer or winter schools)
LUT offers a summer school programme where many students from partner universities come to the Lappeenranta campus. However, there may also be similar programmes at partner universities. If you think your autumn and spring semesters are jammed packed, then you may want to look into short-term exchange possibilities for language learning or for an elective course.
International traineeships
International traineeships or internships may also be included in your studies at LUT. It is up to the student to find the trainee opportunity abroad, but the university offers advice and a list of websites recommended for students looking for international trainee opportunities.
Most frequently asked questions
Below, you can see answers to the most frequently asked questions for LOAS and Lahden Talot.
Where can I get my key?
LOAS: keys can be picked up from the LOAS office during opening hours. Be prepared to provide an ID or passport. LOAS is open from Monday to Friday at 12 noon–4 pm. Address is: Laserkatu 1 C, Lappeenranta.
LAHDEN TALOT: keys can be picked up from Certego Oy. The address is: Launeenkatu 70, Lahti. Please note that a power of attorney is needed if someone else will pick up your keys.
Can I pay rent at the office in cash or by credit card?
LOAS: no, you cannot. However, OP Bank accepts cash payments. (OP Bank’s address in Lappeenranta: Kirkkokatu 9, checkout services open Tue-Fri 9:30–12).
LAHDEN TALOT: unfortunately not. You can only pay rent with a bank transfer.
Can I get my key before the lease starts?
LOAS: contact the LOAS office and the service advisors will check the situation in the apartment and confirm if this is possible, email: info@loas.fi, phone + 358 5 668 2800.
LAHDEN TALOT: no, you cannot get the keys before your lease starts.
Can I get the contact information of my future roommate?
LOAS: yes, you can send a contact request to your roommate via the intra. The contact request will be accompanied by your contact information and sent to your future roommate and they can decide whether or not they would like to be in contact.
LAHDEN TALOT: no, we cannot give you any information about your roommate due to the general data protection regulation.
How can I report possible defects, unsanitary conditions in the apartment, etc.?
LOAS: all defects related to the apartment must be reported via the intra fault report form or by means of an apartment checklist. You can get the quickest access to the housing office via the contact us function on intra.
LAHDEN TALOT: you can contact property management by phone +358 3 851 570 or by email palvelupiste@lahdentalot.fi.
Is there wifi in the apartment?
LOAS: most LOAS properties are connected to LOAS’s own Lnet network, which provides a regular local area network (Ethernet) to the apartments. Only a small number of residential properties have wifi. More information on internet access can be found here.
LAHDEN TALOT: Elisa Oyj 25 Mbit/s internet access is included in your rent. You will just need your own modem for a wifi connection.
Where is the sauna, warehouses and laundry room in the house?
LOAS: on the LOAS website, the basic information of each item contains information on locations, internet access, transport connections, waste canopies, etc.
LAHDEN TALOT: it depends on the building. Usually you can find those either from the base floor or top floor but sometimes they may be in different building.
How can I book a parking space?
LOAS: Intra has a convenient booking service through which you can book a sauna shift, laundry room and parking space.
LAHDEN TALOT: you can book parking space from the maintenance company. Contact information you will find from the notice board of the house.
What if you don’t get an apartment in time before studies begin?
LOAS: we surely do our best to find an apartment for everyone, but usually in autumn there are more applicants than we have free apartments. That’s why it’s very important to apply for shared apartments too and for all city areas, not only campus and Skinnarila. Typically, by the end of October, we usually have an apartment for everyone, but it might not be according to application criteria. While waiting for an apartment a student can live in temporary housing.
Remember to apply for accommodation as soon as you have accepted your place at LUT!
We also highly recommend following LOAS, Lahden Talot and Kouvolan Asunnot on Facebook and Instagram, where they share many tips about living in Finland.
Lahden Talot: Facebook and Instagram
Kouvolan Asunnot: Facebook and Instagram
Thanks for reading, we look forward to seeing you on the land of the curious soon!
