6. STUDENT HOUSING IN JOENSUU
The Student Housing Office, Joensuun Elli, offers accommodation for students
of North Karelia Polytechnic and the University of Joensuu. Joensuun Elli has
several student dormitories located in Joensuu (please see the map at http://www.joensuunelli.fi/)
and can provide housing for more than 3 000 students. Students are usually accommodated
in a flat where he/she has a private room and a shared kitchen and toilet facilities
with 2-3 other students. Most international students are offered a furnished
room, with a bed and a
mattress, a desk, a shelf and a wardrobe. However, there are no curtains, rugs,
linen or cutlery. The basic iasurvival packagela can be borrowed from the student
unions (JoYY for university students and NoCaPo for the polytechnic students).
The rent per month ranges from 900 - 1450 FIM for a room in a shared flat and
1350 - 1900 FIM for a studio. The rent includes electricity, heating, water
and furniture. There is a free laundry room and a public sauna in every housing
unit. Private sauna can be reserved at the Housing Office (a small fee is charged).
An application
form for student housing is mailed to students admitted for study at an institution
in Joensuu. This form must be returned to the Housing Office as early as possible.
As soon as the applicant receives an offer for accommodation, he/she should
reply whether he/she accepts or refuses the offered accommodation. This confirmation
is legally binding and will be considered as a signature on the lease. The rent
must be paid from the confirmed date onwards. Unconfirmed reservations will
automatically be cancelled and the applicant will
lose the room offered. Please note that the lease always begins on the first
day of the month and it can only be made for a full month.
A new tenant will
deposit the sum of 1 500 FIM to the account of the Student Housing Office in
the bank. After paying the deposit, he/she should go to the Housing Office with
the receipt to sign the lease. When the tenant signs the lease, he/she will
receive the key for the apartment, presuming that the lease is already in effect.
The key can be collected from the Student Housing Office during office hours.
A new tenant is given information about the rules of the dormitories, recycling
and other important matters. Please, familiarise yourself
with this material. The deposit will be paid back to the tenant when the lease
ends, presuming that the tenant has no rent or payments in arrears. Possible
cleaning costs and/or unpaid rents will be deducted from the deposit. The money
will be returned to the tenant's bank account in his/her home country. The bank
will charge about 100 FIM as a transfer payment.
The filial campuses of the polytechnic have their own dormitories. For further information about the student housing outside Joensuu, please contact your international coordinator at the polytechnic.