Property
Registration at the National Land Survey with a public purchase witness
Ownership is registered at the National Land Survey (Maanmittauslaitos), and a traditional property sale must be confirmed by a public purchase witness or completed through the electronic trading system.
Key rules
- Title (lainhuuto) must be registered after purchase to bind third parties.
- A paper sale requires a public purchase witness; an electronic sale uses the NLS service.
- A transfer tax applies unless a first-home exemption is available.
Governing law
- Code of Real Estate (Maakaari)
In practice
Buyers of shares in a housing company (asunto-osakeyhtiö), the usual form for flats, acquire shares rather than land, so different rules apply than for a house.