Changing the use of a holiday home to a permanent residence

In Janakkala, the land use assessment of the change object utilizes a suitability zone. This zone includes areas where changing the use of a vacation home to permanent residence is logical and feasible from the perspective of the municipality’s community structure development as well as the accessibility and organization of services. Utilizing the suitability zone creates uniform rules for processing permit applications regarding permanent residence. In principle, changing the use to permanent residence can be permitted in areas located within the suitability zone.

In addition to the location within the suitability zone, the following property characteristics required for allowing permanent residence are examined:

• The building site must be sufficiently large in size and shape, at least 2000 m²
• The building site must have a legally compliant wastewater system, if connecting to a centralized wastewater network is not possible
• The building site must have access to sufficient high-quality drinking water
• The building site must be located along a good road connection, accessible year-round for rescue and service vehicles
• The placement of the building on the lot (distance from e.g. the shoreline, neighbors)

If there are deficiencies in the aforementioned requirements (e.g. in the property’s wastewater system), any necessary modifications and repairs will need to be made a condition of the building permit.

The goal of the technical assessment is to determine the suitability of the vacation home for permanent residence. It may be beneficial for the applicant to seek assistance from a building designer. The municipality’s building supervision will decide the suitability for permanent residence. In general, the newer the vacation home, the more likely it is that the building is suitable for permanent residence.

When the change object is an already constructed vacation home or a house previously built for permanent residence, the technical requirements are not as strict as for constructing a new residential building. However, even an existing vacation home must meet the following essential technical requirements for the change of use to be permitted:

The essential technical requirements for permanent residential buildings (Land Use Act § 117 a-117 l) include:

• Structural strength and stability
• Fire safety
• Healthiness
• Use safety
• Accessibility
• Noise control and sound conditions
• Energy efficiency
• Heating system

If there are deficiencies in the aforementioned technical requirements, any required modifications and repairs must be completed before obtaining a positive building permit. After receiving a positive building permit, changing the use is possible.

Changing the use always requires a permit process. The permit assessment is always done on a case-by-case basis by the municipality’s land use and building supervision officials.

If the site is located within an area that has a legally binding (shore) master plan or (shore) detailed plan indicating the site for vacation use and not for permanent residence, the following is required:

• Deviation permit and building permit (deviation from the use indicated in the plan)

If the building site is located in an unplanned shore area, the following is required:

• Deviation permit and building permit (deviation from the planning needs of the shore area, Land Use Act § 72)

If the site is outside the shore area, meaning a so-called dry land building site located in an unplanned area according to planning needs, the following is required:

• Building permit, during which the fulfillment of placement conditions will be examined. A placement permit can also be applied for separately before the building permit.

After receiving a positive deviation permit or a separate placement permit, a building permit must be applied for to change the use of the vacation home to permanent residence.