In suburban areas and a part of the inner city, the City of Helsinki has assumed responsibility for tasks that are the responsibility of private properties under the law, such as winter maintenance of pavements and street cleaning. The city covers the cost of these tasks with maintenance fees collected from properties.
The City of Helsinki also collects maintenance fees from properties that do not have adjoining pavements. This is because pavements are used by all residents of the area. The City of Helsinki pays for the ploughing of roadways and other tasks that are its responsibility under the law through taxes.
The annual fee charged to properties varies depending on the city district.
Examples of maintenance fee calculations
The fee for a detached house located in a suburban area of Helsinki, with a gross floor area of 120 m² and plot area of 1,000 m², is 0.123 x 120 + 0.052 x 1,000 = EUR 66.76 a year. With VAT, the annual maintenance fee comes to EUR 82.78.
The flat-specific fee for a block of 13 flats located in the northern part of the inner city of Helsinki, with a gross floor area of 1,250 m² and plot area of 1,200 m², is (0.117 x 1,250 + 0.15 x 1,200) / 13 = EUR 25.10 on average a year. With VAT, the annual maintenance fee comes to EUR 31.12.
The flat-specific fee for a block of 27 flats located in the Helsinki district of Etu-Töölö, with a gross floor area of 3,600 m² and plot area of 1,200 m², is (0.236 x 3,600 + 0.675 x 1,200) / 27 = EUR 61.91 on average a year. With VAT, the annual maintenance fee comes to EUR 76.77.