The City of Helsinki has decided to help firms in sectors that have lost business during the coronavirus outbreak by making it possible to apply for a three-month rental payment exemption on land leased from the city.
The rental payment exemptions will be made available to leaseholders of plots or buildings on the plots that have business activities in or maintain a direct interface with businesses in the following sectors:
- restaurants, cafes and other food services, as well as their wholesale suppliers
- art, music, and public event organisers, including meeting, conference and party planners
- business incubators and advisory services, and other activities promoting entrepreneurship
- health and fitness services (not medical centres)
- hotels, accommodation and travel services
Tenants deemed eligible by the city will be exempted in full from their lease invoices for a three-month period. A separate application form will be drawn up for this purpose, and it must be submitted to the city by the 31 May 2020 deadline.
The rental payment exemption also applies to those tenants who sublease space on the leased plots to firms engaged in the business activities listed above. The prerequisite in this case, however, is that the party receiving the exemption in turn waives at least the plot rental equivalent from the subletting party’s rental payments.
The City of Helsinki can refrain from granting the rental payment exemption if the tenant has not fulfilled the obligations of the land lease contract, or if it is clear that the coronavirus epidemic has not had a significant effect on the tenant’s business.
In addition to the business sectors mentioned above, other firms that can make a case that their turnover or operating conditions have been negatively affected by the coronavirus epidemic can also be granted a rental payment reprieve for a maximum of three months.
The application form and more information will be made available on the City of Helsinki Urban Environment Division’s For leaseowners website page on Friday, 17 April.