Hearing and consent of neighbours

Construction project often require hearing the neighbours. The consent of a neighbour is needed if the construction project is located close to the border of the neighbour's plot or it affects the neighbour's property in some other way.

On this page

Many construction projects involve hearing the neighbours. In a hearing, the neighbour is presented with the project's plans and possible deviations and their justifications. The neighbour signs the form and confirms that they have been heard concerning the matter. In the hearing, the neighbour can present justified opinions of the project.

The city can take care of hearing the neighbour. On Lupapiste, select the section "Kunta kuulee kaikki naapurit" ("The municipality hears all the neighbours") of the building permit application if you want the city to take care of the hearing. The service is free of charge.

The hearing and the consent of the neighbour are two different things. If the project requires the consent of a neighbour, the builder must obtain the consent.

A construction project requires the consent of a neighbour if the building or structure will be located closer to the border of the neighbouring plot than the local detailed plan or the City of Helsinki building regulation allow. Constructing a geothermal heat well requires obtaining the neighbour's consent is necessary if the well is less than 7.5 metres away from the border of the plot.

Record the hearing or consent of a neighbour in your project information on Lupapiste.

If your neighbour is the City of Helsinki

If your neighbour is the City of Helsinki, send the form to tontti@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program). If the building project complies with the zoning plan, the city does not need to be consulted as a neighbour.

If the City of Helsinki is your neighbour and the neighbour's statement concerns the construction of a geothermal well, please send an e-mail to kymp.maalampo@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)

  • completed form
  • an up-to-date annex to the feasibility study map. For subsequent consents, a placement review map annex.

Frequently asked questions

A neighbour can be a private person, housing cooperative, company, city or some other body that owns or occupies the property.

If two properties share a border, they are neighbours. A property located behind another property is not a neighbour. An exception to this are the so-called axe-handle plots. If there is a road that leads to a third property between two other properties, this is known as an axe–handle, thus, these two properties are neighbours. 

A property located immediately on the other side of a road or diagonally opposite is a neighbour. However, a wide road with several lanes severs the neighbour connection. In Helsinki, such roads include Ring I, Itäväylä and other exit roads of the city.

A property located behind a narrow strip of a park is a neighbour. No exact number of metres has been determined for the width of the strip of a park; the matter is assessed case-specifically.

There can be several owners or occupiers of the property. Everyone must be consulted separately. Particular attention should be paid to this issue, for example in the case of property owned by the estate of a deceased person.

The consent and hearing of a neighbour are two different things. If a neighbour does not consent, construction may not be started. In a hearing, neighbours can object to a project, but if the project is in accordance with the local detailed plan, it can still be implemented.

A neighbour can refuse to give their consent, if the project impedes the use of their property. One of the purposes of the permit process is to ensure the equal treatment of neighbouring properties, therefore, a neighbour who refuses to give their consent must give a reason for not consenting.

 

Permit fees and permit processing

Applications receive notification of the decision approvals in the Lupapiste online permit service.  

Permits decisions are officially visible for 14 days. During this period, it is possible to submit an appeal to the Environment and Permits Sub-committee of the Urban Environment Committee.

You can find a list of Building Control public notices in Finnish and Swedish only in the Julkipano (Public notices) section of the Lupapiste online permit service. No login is required to see this list. (Link leads to external service)

Find permits decisions on the following pages:  

A list of public notices and decisions is also on display in the lobby of the Urban Environment House, located at street address Työpajankatu 8, Helsinki.

A permit is legally valid if no appeals or complaints have been submitted against the permit decision. An appeal decision made by the Environment and Permits Sub-committee can be appealed to the Helsinki Administrative Court. The appeal period is 14 or 30 days.



You may only start the construction work once the permit becomes legally valid. Projects that have been granted a building permit must begin within three (3) years and the construction work must be completed within five (5) years of the permit entering into force. In the case of action permit, demolition permit or landscape work permit, the work must be carried out within three (3) years.



Be sure to apply for an extension of your permit while it is still valid. If the permit has expired, you will have to reapply for the permit in order to receive an extension.

In Helsinki, all applications for building permits are submitted electronically in the Lupapiste (Link leads to external service)online permit service. General and project-specific guidance and counselling are also primarily provided via Lupapiste. Documents related to the application and construction process monitoring are to be submitted in digital format to Lupapiste.

How to get started and ask for advice in Lupapiste

  1.  The first time you use the service, you will be asked to register. After this, you will be able to log in with your e-mail address and password.
  2. Enter the street address where your project site is located.
  3. Use the “Kysy neuvoa (Ask for advice)” button in the upper right-hand corner to request guidance. 
  4. Write a short description of your project and your question(s). The service will direct you to the appropriate expert who can answer your question(s). 

After the consultation, you can turn your request for guidance into a permit application.

The Lupapiste user manual (available in Finnish and Swedish only)(Link leads to external service) offers instructions for registering and logging in to the service, submitting a new application or request for guidance, turning your guidance request into a permit application, and submitting an application.



You can also submit a guidance request form (Link leads to external service)to receive technical support for using Lupapiste.