Fill in the lease agreement → Fill in the details in your browser and sign with Finnish bank IDs. Two signers cost €2.98 in total. Already have the lease as a PDF? Sign your own PDF (that form is in Finnish; the steps are below).
Short answer
A residential lease in Finland has to be made in writing (Act on Residential Leases, section 5). Since 1 October 2026 the act says outright that an electronic agreement counts as written when it can be saved and reproduced (section 5 a). A PDF that the landlord and the tenant sign with their Finnish bank IDs meets that requirement and also shows who signed and when. With Helppo Allekirjoitus a two-party lease costs €2.98 in total, with no account and no monthly fee.
What you need
- The lease as a PDF, or the free English residential lease agreement, which you fill in in your browser.
- An e-mail address for each signer.
- Finnish online banking credentials or Mobiilivarmenne (the mobile certificate of Finnish operators) for every signer. Supported: OP, Nordea, Danske Bank, S-Pankki, Säästöpankki, POP Pankki, Aktia, Ålandsbanken and Mobiilivarmenne.
Step by step
- Open the front page and choose your PDF (“Valitse allekirjoitettava asiakirja”), or fill in the English lease template and press “Sign with Finnish bank ID”. A lease that exists only on paper can be photographed: the photo is turned into a PDF in your browser.
- Enter your own e-mail address and the other party's (“Ketkä allekirjoittavat?”) and press “Jatka allekirjoittamaan”.
- Pay your own share (€1.49) or both shares (€2.98) and sign with your bank ID (“Allekirjoita pankkitunnuksilla”). Identifying with your bank ID is the signature.
- The other party receives an invitation by e-mail once you have signed. It shows your bank-verified name and has a link to the signing page in English.
- When everyone has signed, each party gets the signed PDF by e-mail. Its last page is a signature certificate with the verified names, time stamps, a SHA-256 hash and a QR code. Save the PDF, because the service deletes the document from its servers within 24 hours.
The pages where you choose the file and pay are in Finnish. The person you invite can switch the signing page to English. Signers have seven days to sign.
If the tenant has no Finnish bank ID yet
Someone who has just moved to Finland often has no Finnish online banking credentials yet. They cannot sign with this service, and nobody else can sign for them. In that case download the lease as a PDF free of charge and sign it on paper. A lease signed on paper is just as valid.
Is a lease written in English valid in Finland?
Yes. The Act on Residential Leases does not require a particular language. The act applies to a home rented in Finland whatever the language of the agreement, and a term that the act declares void stays void even if both parties have signed it.
What the law says about the terms from 1 October 2026
- Written form: the lease and any change to it are made in writing, and an electronic agreement counts (sections 5 and 5 a). A lease that is not in writing is treated as valid until further notice.
- Deposit: at most three months' rent. After the tenancy the landlord must return the deposit, or state in writing what is withheld and why, within 14 days of the end of the lease or of the later handover of the home (section 8).
- Rent increases: a term that lets the landlord raise the rent on their own is void unless the lease also states the basis for the increase. The landlord gives notice of an increase in writing, and the new rent applies at the earliest one month after the notice (section 27).
- Notice periods: one month for the tenant; three months for the landlord, or four once the tenancy has lasted two years (section 52). Try the notice period calculator.
- Other occupants: the tenant tells the landlord in writing who else lives in the home. For adults this means the name, date of birth and contact details (section 17 a).
- Smoking: smoking indoors and on the balcony of a rented home is prohibited unless the landlord permits it (section 26 a).
- Electronic notices: the parties can agree individually and in writing that notices about the tenancy are delivered through an electronic channel such as e-mail (section 13).
Some of these rules are different for agreements made before 1 October 2026, for example the landlord's notice period. The English lease template follows the rules in force from 1 October 2026.
What does it cost?
€1.49 per signer including VAT: €2.98 for a landlord and a tenant, €4.47 when two tenants sign. There is no monthly fee and no account. The sender can pay for everyone, and the others then only identify with their bank ID. Filling in the template and downloading the PDF are free.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sign from abroad?
Yes, if you have Finnish online banking credentials or Mobiilivarmenne. Signing happens in the browser of a phone or a computer, and the parties do not need to be in the same place or sign at the same time.
Is an electronically signed lease accepted by Kela and other authorities?
The signed PDF is an ordinary lease, and you can attach it to an application in the same way as a scan of a paper agreement. If an authority or a bank requires its own form, use that.
How can I check later that the PDF is genuine?
The QR code on the certificate page opens the verification page. Drop the PDF there and the page checks from its SHA-256 hash that the file has not been changed since it was signed.
How do I end the lease later?
See Ending a lease in Finland for the notice periods and for how to give notice so that it is valid.