Help! Need Dog Friendly Housing!

Just*a*Dream · Post by **Just*a*Dream** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 5:22 pm

Hi! I'm new here and am so glad to find this forum! My fiance and I are considering a relocation to Finland for multiple reasons. More on that another time

My main concern is finding relatively inexpensive housing. We don't care much about *where* it is as long as it's in the Helsinki area and... here's the catch... we have six dogs! They're all REALLY calm and laid back, medium sized, non shedding, non barking dogs with exquisite manners and training, but even so! Is that even going to be possible? I have had no luck even locating anyone who would know.
Thanks so much for any answers!

Just*a*Dream

**Sponsor:**

shazman · Post by **shazman** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 5:29 pm

Dogs are a limiting factor, as we have two.... of the shedding variety

Anyway the quickest way is agencies....

The cheapest way is through Kela.....

Agencies are expensive - as you pay their fee over the first three months of your lease, but its better than nothing.

Kela will put you on a list, where depends on how urgent your need is. So make out you will be homeless and that might help.

Good luck !
Shaz

Just*a*Dream · Post by **Just*a*Dream** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 5:31 pm

How does one get a list of agencies? What is Kela? I spent all night trying to find some agencies online and could only find way over priced temporary aparments!

shazman · Post by **shazman** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 5:35 pm

Kela is the social security office. http://www.kela.fi

Agencies are easy to find, just look for a website that sends you ads of houses available. There are purely agencies advertising on those.

Most of the agents speak English, so ask if they can do something for you. Its a lot quicker than just emailing them.

Shaz

Post by **neil** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 5:45 pm

This post should put you in the picture.

http://www...com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=390&highlight=

Six dogs? Damn!

gavin · Post by **gavin** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 5:46 pm

Hi

Welcome to the group!

You're gonna need luck finding inexpensive housing in Helsinki with 6 dogs...

Try

http://www.vuokralaistenkeskusliitto.fi/uk/
http://www.vvo.fi/
http://www.oikotie.fi/default?exit=apartments

How's your Finnish? PM me if you need help with this last ones.

With your needs, an agency is probably the best bet, but it's going to cost you.

Cheers
Gavin

Just*a*Dream · Post by **Just*a*Dream** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 6:07 pm

Actually I guess it doesn't have to be in Helsinki... it just has to be anywhere where we can find work. Neither of us have any special skills so what type of work really doesn't matter. But also that is why it cannot be expensive! In many ways, buying a house seems like it would cost less per month in the long run and be far simplier in so far as dogs are concerned. I know there are many dog lovers in Finland, and they have to live somewhere!
Would buying a house be a better choice?

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 6:54 pm

You need a licence to keep a kennel in Helsinki...

What I'd be looking would be around North Espoo, Nurmijärvi and Vantaa areas where you do have old houses for sale, and sometimes even for rent.

The thing is in a flat, unless its a council flat, you'd get booted out with some excuse if any of the neighbours didn't like dogs.

And WTF is this Kela bollocks? Kela doesn't deal out flats!? Its the bloody social security office. One needs to go to the county housing office and apply there. Basically they look at income rates etc. I guess if you are a pregnant single mom you might get a flat but otherwise you wait for years in Helsinki atleast... unless you get lucky, I got for a while.

Rental apartments are usually let out by big insurance companies like Kuntien Eläkevakuutus and such. They have some means-tested and some free range, and usually bloody expensive flats in winoland...

The thing is they all require proof of a job & credit rating, basically they want to have the employer cosign in some cases.

Post by **neil** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 7:02 pm

Well taking into account the dogs, I'd say forget the Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa area completely unless like Hank says, you are prepared to look at the outskirts. Also worth considering, would be the smaller towns that are connected to Helsinki by train, such as Rihimaki, Kirkkonummi and the like. Monthly train passes can be purchased if you need to travel in to Hki on a regular basis for work etc. There you will get the best deal if you are looking to rent or buy and you'll get some kind of a garden where the dogs can *ahem* go about their business.

gavin · Post by **gavin** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 7:35 pm

As with anywhere, there is an offset between property costs to jobs relation.

A friend of mine in Northern Finland has looked at houses with land for as little as 20,000 EUR (needing more than a little work) - but you are gonna have to drive a 100km to a decent supermarket, and the employment oppertunities are non-existient.

I have lived almost all my time in Finland in the sticks, but I have my own business, so I can please myself. I have also lived near a lot of small to meduim sized towns, and perhaps somewhere like Lahti, Tampere, Kotka, Hamina might be worth considering. There might be more employment options, and for sure the property prices are cheaper than in Helsinki. From all those places I just mentioned, you can reach Helsinki within 1.5 hours by car/train/bus, if the need arrises.

You say you don't have special skills, so have you thought about what kind of work you will be pitching for here? It's maybe not so easy as all that, and certianly if you want to buy a house you'll need to be working, unless of course, you are eccentric millionaires with a bulgeing bank account...

Let us know a bit more, and we'll try and help as much as we can...

Cheers
Gavin

Just*a*Dream · Post by **Just*a*Dream** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 8:14 pm

We both want to work, and will basically do anything. Right now he works in a restaurant in the UK, and I at a pet shop in America. I have two years of college, but I don't have a degree. I was studying English/lit. We're not picky about work. I can groom dogs in a grooming shop or walk dogs in a kennel or assist a vet. I do have excellent dog training skills, so perhaps I could use that to make some extra money. I just couldn't do customer service or anything like that, since I don't speak Finnish. I'm trying to learn, though. He can cook, clean, etc with the best of them. Surely there are jobs such as this available? We won't be rich by any stretch, but if we can survive now with two separate rents in two separate countries with two sets of bills, I believe we could definitely manage together

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 8:49 pm

Coming from *Florida* to Finland... lady, you wanna switch. I'll pitch in my winter coat and snow shovel

Just*a*Dream · Post by **Just*a*Dream** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 8:54 pm

LOL sure! I hate Florida... I hate roaches and spiders and 35 degrees C and 98% humidity and mildew on my walls and an electric bill to match my rent just to not die of a heat stroke... lol sure, happy to switch!

PeterF · Post by **PeterF** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 9:00 pm

Well my six cents worth is what are your Six Florida breed dogs going to think about Finnish weather

..We had three week last winter when the temp did not rise above minus 10C and several days below minus 20C

Next point is when I first contemplated moving to Finland my Finnish friends key advice was "dont bring bad teeth or delicate dogs unless you are rich"...

Dentist and Vets cost a fortune..you can get money back from Kela for dental treatment..but not for sick dogs

We have a near neighbour who has 4 dogs..there were 5 one died...but he lives in a detached old farm building...I have noticed that he never let them run free...even in the forest..they are always leashed..I wonder if there is some local regulation

We live on the edge of a Vantaa/Helsinki suberb...I would advise that if you want your dogs to haved a full fun life..go rural..go help Gvain in the forest..

Just*a*Dream · Post by **Just*a*Dream** » Tue Jun 17, 2003 9:06 pm

My dogs have lived all over, from Virginia to England and Florida

Most of them would, I confess, spend most of the day in my bed under covers! But they do that anyway!
All are in excellent health, though of course accidents can happen.
There are very, very harsh leash laws here... I was hoping Finland was more like England in that dogs are given almost too much freedom to run and play and get long walks! I miss that so much! I will have to check into that. Thanks everyone for all the advice. This is great! I couldn't have invented a more perfect place to get and give info.

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