Frequently Asked Questions about Healthy Living
My apartment is musty, what can I do?
- Ensure that your apartment’s air supply and exhaust ventilation shafts are open
- Clean the air supply and exhaust ventilation shafts regularly
- Clean the stove hood’s grease filter regularly
If the aforementioned measures do not fix the issue, contact your apartment manager or property owner.
The Organization for Respiratory Health in Finland’s website includes instructions for cleaning ventilation systems (in Finnish) and stove hoods and grease filters (in Finnish).
Do health inspectors carry out measurements, take samples or do other examinations?
During home inspections, the indoor air quality and conditions of structures are evaluated mostly with sensory information. The health inspectors do not carry out any detailed indoor air or structure examinations. The inspectors take indicative measurements, for example, temperature and carbon dioxide measurements. If needed, the property owner will be instructed to order more detailed measurements, samplings and other examinations from private businesses.
Who carries out condition inspections and indoor air examinations?
A party carrying out a structural examination must have a building health specialist qualification based on the Health Protection Act 49 § (763/1994) and the Living Health Regulation 21 § (545/2015).
Qualified building health specialists can be found from the website Sertifikaattihaku.fi.
What type of examinations are approved?
The examination methods approved by authorities have been listed in the Decree on Health-related Conditions of Housing (545/2015).
What is the health inspector’s role in housing sale disputes?
If you have a problem regarding housing sales, you can contact consumer advice. Health inspectors do not carry out condition inspections. However, health inspectors can investigate condition inspection reports and possible health hazards.
What can I do if I smell sewage in my home?
Ensure that the drain traps of your drains are clean and filled with water. If that does not work, contact your apartment manager or property owner.
What can I do if smoking is a problem in my apartment building?
Smoking on balconies is primarily permitted, but the smell of smoke must not enter the other apartments of the building. If the smell of smoke enters your apartment, contact your apartment manager. The housing company is obligated to resolve the issue. If needed, the housing company can apply for a prohibition of smoking on balconies from the Environment Office (in Finnish).
If you are smoking inside the apartment building, the smell of smoke must not enter the other apartments. The housing company is responsible for ensuring that the smell of smoke does not enter the apartments through structures or ventilation.
More information about smoking in apartment buildings from Valvira’s website.
What can I do if I smell cooking or other odor nuisances?
Please contact the apartment manager. The smell of cooking and other comparable smells are not controlled by the health protection authority.
If you smell cannabis, please contact the police.
What can I do if I find dog poop in the yard area?
If there is a dog poop problem in your apartment building, contact the housing company. The housing company is obligated to intervene in the issue. If there is a dog poop problem in your detached home property, the matter falls under the Neighborhood Act. In this situation, please discuss the matter with your neighbor. If the issue is not solved, the Community Mediation Centre offers private individuals community mediation services that intervene in problematic and difficult situations in neighborhoods and housing communities.
Dog owners must ensure that dog poop is not left on the ground in care areas of urban areas.
Am I allowed to feed birds in yard areas and parks?
Feeding birds on the yards of private properties is primarily permitted. The housing company may prohibit feeding in their yard areas if they so choose.
Feeding birds in public areas is prohibited. The city of Oulu upkeeps winter feeding sites.
What can I do if a ventilation unit is very loud?
Different technical machinery such as ventilation units or heat pumps can cause noise pollution in your or a neighbor’s home. For example, the machinery could be defective or poorly located.
Contact your property owner or apartment manager. Fixing defective machinery usually ends up being advantageous to the owner as well. You may ask for advice for placing technical machinery from your municipality’s building control.
What can I do if I hear intrusive traffic noise in my home?
If traffic noise causes problems to you, please contact the environment protection authority or your local ELY centre.
My neighbor is being loud, what can I do?
Exceptional noise caused by users of facilities, such as disturbances, will be resolved by the property’s rules and regulations and by the police if required.
If the noise caused by neighbors is recurring and continues in spite of requests and police visits, please contact your apartment manager.
What can I do if my neighbor’s dog barks constantly?
Discuss the issue with the dog owner primarily. You may ask if the owner is aware of the dog barking when the owner is not present. If the pet is an outdoor dog, inquire whether the dog can be placed in another location on the plot or inside for specific periods.
In apartment buildings, row or pair houses, contact the property manager or other representative of the housing company. Intrusive barking is against the housing company’s rules and regulations and the company is obligated to intervene in the issue. According to animal protection, barking, howling and other comparable behaviors are normal when the animal’s alone periods are reasonable.
If the barking is intrusive during evenings or nights, you can send a noise complaint to the police. If the dog is being mistreated, the matter concerns animal protection. In this case, contact the Animal Protection Services (in Finnish).