Heka aims at preventing as many evictions as possible and ensuring that residents do not lose their homes

Evictions and rental debt are on the increase throughout Finland, and Heka is no exception. The increase in evictions is due to factors including the tightening economic situation, Heka’s rent reviews and changes to allowances paid by Kela. The number of evictions has also gone up at Heka compared to recent years. In 2023, 121 evictions due to rental debt were carried out at Heka, whereas the same number for this year is 155 (as of 26 September 2024).

Residents have several opportunities to take care of debt

Heka works tirelessly to prevent as many evictions as possible and help keep residents in their homes. This work is carried out both during voluntary collection and debt recovery proceedings as well as in debt collection development tasks. The customer service rent payment advice team provides advice to residents with problems with rent payment and makes payment agreements with residents. 

Residents have several opportunities to tackle their problems with rent payment and pay their debt at different stages of debt collection. After the first payment reminder, the resident has at least approximately six months to take care of the situation before they may be evicted from their home.

We value resident proactivity: we provide guidance and make payment agreements

If you have rental debt, we will send you a payment reminder. Our payment reminders include the amount of the debt and a request for the resident to contact Heka.

If you have rental debt to a sum corresponding to two months’ rent or 4–6 deductibles remaining after the allowances paid by Kela, you will receive a payment reminder from Heka, which will contain a threat of eviction. Although the tone of this reminder is sharp, you still have the opportunity to make a payment agreement with us at this time.

As a resident, you can contact Heka at any point during debt collection and make a payment agreement. The maximum duration of the payment agreement is one year. The payment instalments of the payment agreement are adapted to the economic situation of the resident. You can also renew the payment agreement as necessary.

Heka also offers residents free-of-charge housing consultation services in cooperation with the City of Helsinki. Housing consultants will also try proactively to reach residents who have received a payment reminder containing a threat of eviction. With support from a housing consultant, residents can review the various financial support options offered by Kela and social services.

Debt can also be repaid during district court proceedings

If a resident does not react to collection letters or other forms of contact by Heka and they have rental debt to the sum of two months’ rent or 4–6 deductibles remaining after allowances paid by Kela, their debt collection will proceed to district court proceedings.

Heka will also seek an eviction judgment for the resident at the same time. This debt collection through the district court is called legal debt collection. Once the resident’s rental debt has proceeded to the district court, they will receive a text message from Heka informing them of the initiation of the district court proceedings.

Residents have the opportunity to avoid eviction during the district court proceedings, as well.

If the resident pays their debt, their rent for the current month and the legal fees during the district court proceedings, they can continue to live at Heka as usual and the matter will be withdrawn from the district court. The housing consultant can help the resident at this stage, as well.

The entire debt must be paid during the district court proceedings because, at this point, the resident has already accumulated a considerable amount of rental debt and they have been encouraged several times to make a payment agreement. 
 

Worst case scenario: rental debt leads to eviction

If the resident does not want to or cannot pay their rental debt during the district court proceedings, the district court will issue an eviction judgment. Heka will transfer the eviction judgment to be carried out by enforcement authorities, who will execute the eviction.

Enforcement authorities operate nationwide in accordance with the same process in all evictions, and the lessor has no influence on how the enforcement authorities execute the eviction.

The enforcement authorities will notify the resident of a moving day by which the resident can move out voluntarily. If the resident does not move out voluntarily, the debt collection team will call the enforcement authorities. The enforcement authorities will then execute the eviction at a time of their choosing.

Heka residents have the opportunity to collect their belongings after the eviction within a mutually agreed time before the flat is emptied.
 

Continual efforts to make debt collection more customer-oriented

As a major lessor, Heka operates responsibly and is constantly improving debt collection practices to make them more customer-oriented.

Recently, we have eased the practices for extending fixed-term agreements and added information on problems with rent payment to our website. This autumn, we will be introducing debt collection text messages, which we will be sending before any payment reminders go out. We send text messages to reach residents with rental debt quicker and more conveniently. 

Cooperation with housing counselling also plays an important role in these efforts.