DIY renovations

You can carry out small-scale DIY surface renovations in your apartment if you have received written permission to do so from Heka. Apply for permission on the Resident Portal (Service requests - Apply for permission for a DIY renovation).

You can apply for permission to paint the walls or install laminate flooring by yourself. In general, no other modifications made to the apartment by the tenant are allowed.

The permission and the application process are free of charge. Make sure to retain the permission throughout your tenancy.

Heka can also decide not to give permission for the modifications. For example, DIY renovations are not allowed in buildings less than two years old or newly renovated buildings.

The apartment is inspected before permission is granted and after the completion of a painting job.

Heka provides tenants who undertake painting or floor renovation work with instructions in order to ensure a successful end result.

Painting work and installing laminate flooring

After receiving permission for the renovations, you can paint in the dry rooms in the apartment. In other words, painting is not allowed in the bathroom, for example. In dry rooms, you are only allowed to paint painted walls. Painting the ceiling, fixtures or wallpapered surfaces is not allowed. The paint used must be water dilutable.

When permission is applied for to install laminate flooring, the regional office checks the condition of the apartment and ensures that the laminate to be installed is sufficiently high quality. Poor-quality laminate or inadequate installation may cause footsteps to be heard unnecessarily loudly in the neighbouring apartment, for example. The installation is also inspected afterwards.

Heka offers a painting kit

If you have just moved into your Heka apartment and your apartment’s surfaces have not been renovated prior to your moving in, you can get supplies for painting from Heka. You can also enquire about a painting kit if you have been a tenant of Heka for a long period of time, more than five years.

Costs of DIY renovations

In principle, the tenant bears the costs of any DIY renovations. The lessor is not liable to compensate the tenant if, for example, a floor installed by the tenant has to be dismantled or a wall painted by the tenant has to be painted due to repairs being carried out in the apartment or for some other similar reason. Nor does liability for compensation arise when the tenant moves out of the apartment.

Instructions for DIY renovators

DIY renovation projects may only be carried out with written permission from Heka. The tenant must retain this written permission for the duration of their rental relationship. Before starting a DIY project, contact the building management/site supervisor of your area to agree on how the renovation will be conducted. DIY renovations are not allowed in new buildings completed less than two years ago. 

The tenant is always liable for the costs of a DIY renovation project, unless otherwise agreed. If DIY renovation projects need to be demolished, for example due to building renovations or water damage, the lessor is not liable for compensating for the renovation costs. Likewise, there is no compensation obligation when the tenant moves out of the apartment. 

Only the following renovations are possible with the lessor’s permission: 

• painting of walls with equipment paid for by the tenant or Heka
• installing a laminate or vinyl floor.

The tenants are not allowed to carry out any other DIY renovation projects. 

Instructions for painting walls

Tenants are allowed to paint the walls in the ‘dry rooms’ of their apartment. If the tenant has lived in the apartment for at least five consecutive years or, alternatively, if they accept the apartment without surface renovations performed by the company, the company will pay for the costs of the painting project.

What to do:

1. Inform your regional office’s site supervisor of the renovation need.
2. The site supervisor will inspect the apartment and may grant permission for the painting works.
3. The site supervisor will place an order for the painting equipment through the region’s contract store.
4. Next, pick up the painting kit from the store in question.
5. If necessary, the site supervisor will come to check the final result.
6. If you acquire the painting equipment at your own cost, you can ignore steps 3 and 4.  

Heka’s painting kit includes: 

• 9 litres of paint (shade: maalarin valkoinen, ‘painter’s white’) 
• The Heka set, which contains a paint roller, paintbrush, edge limiter, protective plastic covering, tape, quick filler, scraper, sand paper, painting container (with painting instructions) and paint washing detergent. 

This painting kit can also be provided for apartment exchanges. For large family apartments, Heka may grant 2 x 9 litres of paint. 

The paint in question is water-dilutable wall paint that cannot be used on ceilings, wallpapered surfaces, wetroom walls or permanent fixtures. The paint can be used on surfaces with plaster or filler treatments and on concrete, gypsum, chipboard and wood fibreboard surfaces, in accordance with the user instructions on the paint can. 

More detailed painting instructions for DIY renovations 

1. Cover the borders, skirting boards and electric sockets of the wall to be painted with the masking tape in the renovation kit and protect the floor with the plastic cover.
2. Remove any screws, nails, tapes, Blu Tack and similar items from the wall surface. After this, use the steel scraper to scrape off any old paint and fragile surface treatments from the wall surface.
3. Vacuum or brush the wall surface clean and, if necessary, wash it with paint cleaner according to the instructions in the label. Rinse lightly with water and allow the wall surface to dry.
4. Smooth any holes and cracks in the wall with quick filler, using the scraper. Allow the filler to dry as stated on the package. If the areas are still not smooth enough, repeat the process and allow the filler to dry.
5. Sand the filled in areas using the sandpaper/pad. Vacuum or brush the wall surface clean and make sure that it doesn’t have any debris or anything that could be detrimental to the painting process.
6. Open the paint can and mix the paint well. Pour some paint into the painting tray.
7. Start painting the wall over the smoothed areas, using a paint brush or an edge limiter. After this, proceed to the borders of the wall (edge of the ceiling, wall corners, skirting and door boards and sockets). Allow the paint to dry as defined in the instructions.
8. Once you have painted the edges and corners, start painting the wall surface using the roller. Spread the paint backwards and forwards with rolling motions, avoid run-off and splatters. Leave the paint to dry. Paint the walls twice to achieve a smooth surface.
9. Clean the painting equipment in the sink with plenty of water and rinse it well. Store the equipment and any remaining paint for any later repair painting needs.
10. After painting, remove the protective taping and coverings.

Instructions for installing laminate and vinyl floors

• Inform your regional office’s site supervisor of the renovation need.
• The site supervisor will inspect the apartment and may grant permission for the floor installation works. The floor material’s quality class must be at least 32.
• The site supervisor will inspect the installation work’s end result.
• Sufficient impact sound insulation must be taken into account when installing laminate floors, the laminate quality class must be at least 32. The manufacturer’s instructions must be followed when installing the floor. The tenant is in charge of maintaining the laminate or vinyl floor and commits to restoring the floor at their own cost upon moving, if necessary.