DIY renovations
You can redecorate your apartment if you have permission from Heka.
After being given permission, you can paint the walls and install new laminate or vinyl flooring. No further repairs are allowed.
Residents are responsible for the costs of their DIY renovations, unless otherwise agreed. If repairs in the apartment or other similar reasons later require that, for example, the flooring installed by the resident be dismantled or the walls painted by the resident be repainted, Heka is not liable for paying compensation. No liability will ensue even when the resident moves out.
Start by applying for a permit to carry out DIY renovation
Apply for a permit for your DIY renovation before you begin the renovation. Apply for a permit at Heka’s Resident Portal (Service requests – Apply for a permit for DIY renovation). The permit and applying for it are free.
Heka can also decide to not give permission for any alternations. For example, DIY renovations are not allowed in buildings that were completed less than two years ago or in newly renovated buildings.
We will inspect the apartment before issuing any permits and after the DIY renovation has been completed.
Painting and a painting supplies package
After being granted the permit, you can paint the painted walls in the dry spaces of your home. The ceiling, fixtures and papered walls may not be painted. Painting the bathroom is not allowed either.
The paint must be water-soluble and have an emission class of at least M1.
If necessary, a maintenance supervisor will inspect the end result of the painting work.
Heka offers a painting supplies package
If you have lived in your apartment for at least five consecutive years or have accepted the apartment without any redecoration commissioned by Heka, you will receive a painting supplies package from Heka for free. The painting supplies package can also be given when residents swap apartments between themselves.
Heka’s painting supplies package includes:
- 9 litres of paint (shade: maalarinvalkoinen, painter’s white). In case of large family apartments, the amount can be 2 x 9 litres of paint.
- A Heka tool box that includes a roller, brush, paint edging tool, plastic cover, tape, fast-drying putty, trowel, sandpaper, paint bowl, painting instructions and cleaning agent for painted surfaces.
The paint in the package has been awarded the Nordic Ecolabel or the EU ecolabel. The paint always has an M1 classification and possibly also the logo of the Allergy, Skin and Asthma Federation, which indicates low emissions.
The paint is water-soluble wall paint that cannot be used to paint ceilings, papered walls, wet space walls or fixtures. The paint is suitable for painting concrete, plaster, putty, wood fibre board and chipboard surfaces according to the painting instructions on the can.
Follow these steps:
- Apply for a permit for DIY renovation at the Resident Portal.
- A maintenance supervisor will inspect the condition of the apartment and issue the permit for painting.
- Heka places an order for the supplies with a contract store.
- Pick up the painting supplies package from the store.
Steps 3 and 4 will be omitted if you purchase the supplies at your own expense.
- Protect the edges, strips and sockets of the wall to be painted with masking tape and cover the floor with a plastic cover.
- Remove any screws, nails, tapes, blu-tack and other similar things from the wall to be painted. Then, use a steel trowel to remove the old paint and any brittle putty from the wall.
- Vacuum clean or brush the wall surface and, if necessary, wash with paint detergent according to the instructions on the label. Rinse gently with water and let the wall surface dry.
- Fill in any holes and cracks with putty (using the trowel). Allow the putty to dry for the time indicated on the packaging. If the filled-in points are not yet smooth enough, add more putty and let the putty dry.
- Smooth the filled-in areas with sandpaper. Vacuum clean or brush the wall surface and make sure that there is no dust or debris that will interfere with painting.
- Open the paint can and mix the paint well. Pour the paint into the paint bowl.
- Start painting the wall at the filled-in areas using a brush or a paint edging tool. Then proceed to the edges of the wall (where the wall meets the ceiling, corners of the wall, skirtings, architraves and sockets). Allow the paint to dry for the time indicated on the can.
- Once you have painted the edges, start painting the wall with a roller. Spread the paint with the roller using circular back-and-forth motions, avoid dripping and splashing. Let the paint dry. Paint the walls twice to get a smooth finish.
- Clean the painting tools according to the instruction for washing water-soluble paint . Keep the tools and the leftover paint for possible corrective painting.
- After painting, remove the protective tapes and covers.
Installation of laminate or vinyl flooring
When you apply for a laminate or vinyl flooring installation permit, we check the condition of the apartment and ensure that the laminate to be installed is of acceptable quality. Poor-quality laminate or inadequately installed laminate can make so much noise when walked on that it may disturb your neighbours, for example.
Adequate impact sound insulation must be taken into account in the laminate installation: the quality category of the laminate must be at least 32. The installation must follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If necessary, a maintenance supervisor will inspect the end result of the installation work.
Residents are responsible for the maintenance of their laminate or vinyl floors and undertake to restore the floors to their original condition at their own expense when they move out.
Minor installations and alterations
In your own apartment, you can always:
- Attach a moderate number of pictures, mirrors and lamps to walls using hooks or similar attachments. The small holes resulting from the removal of these hooks are normal wear and tear and do not need to be repaired.
- Attach your own lamps to the ceiling.
- Remove a partition door and take it to storage. If you move out, return the partition door to its original place.
- Replace the intact lid of the toilet seat without Heka’s permission.
If you are planning slightly larger alterations or installations, please contact our customer service in advance. You need a written permit for carrying out alterations such as:
- removing a threshold
- procuring and replacing a peephole
- safety and security locks, door chain
- installing your own extractor fan
- installing your own cooker hood
- replacing the kitchen counter light with one that you prefer, adding a counter light
- additional sockets.