
Selection criteria
Level 1 = extremely urgent need of housing
The applicant is homeless
Homeless applicants include those living:
- outdoors and in temporary shelters
- in night shelters
- in care and nursing homes
- in a hostel or other temporary accommodation
- in supported or crisis housing, or
- temporarily with relatives or acquaintances due to lack of housing
The applicant is at risk of becoming homeless through no fault of their own
Homelessness is considered a threat if an applicant:
- has been evicted from their current home
- becomes homeless due to the demolition of their home
- becomes homeless as a result of a forced sale of owner-occupied housing, or
- the applicant's current accommodation has been declared unfit for habitation by a decision of a public authority
The applicant has a necessary and permanent need for accessible housing and their current dwelling is not accessible
The applicant lives in very cramped conditions
- Very cramped housing is classified as a situation where three or more persons live in one habitable room or a maximum of 10 m² per person. The kitchen does not count as a habitable room.
The applicant is moving to Espoo where he have a job but no housing
Level 2 = urgent need of housing
The applicant has housing costs that are disproportionately high in relation to their income
- Disproportionately high housing costs are considered to be when a household spends more than 40% of its gross income on rent and other housing costs for its current dwelling
The applicant has a fixed-term lease, which cannot be renewed
The applicant is over 18 years old and lives with their parents in Espoo
The applicant lives in cramped conditions
- Cramped conditions are defined as a situation where more than one person but fewer than three live in one habitable room or a maximum of 15 m² per person. The kitchen does not count as a habitable room. In single-parent households, a situation where the parent has no bedroom of their own is classified as cramped.
Your own or a family member's permanent illness or disability requires healthier or more suitable housing
- Does not apply to the need for accessible housing (see urgency level 1).
- The application must always be accompanied by a medical certificate.
A barrier to the separation of a married or cohabiting couple is lack of housing
Level 3 = in need of housing
All applicants who do not belong to urgency levels 1 or 2
Applicants who exceed the asset ceiling cannot be offered housing.
Level 3 applicants include, for example, those:
- who have a long and/or difficult commute (not applicable to those moving to Espoo from elsewhere for work, see urgency level 1)
- who are starting a family and do not share a home.
- whose housing is unsuitable for shift work
- whose current housing is unsuitable for other reasons