Instructions for tenant committee
In this page you’ll find useful information to guide you with tenant committee. More precise instructions are in Tenant Activity Guide, which you’ll receive from Hoas once you become a member of tenant committee.
Tenant activity is based on the Act on Joint Management of Rental Buildings. It makes it possible for tenants to influence the living comfort and other matters at their property. At tenant committee you are make decisions about your annual allowance, develop and coordinate the use of the common spaces of the property, forward feedback from tenants to Hoas, and take a stand regarding Hoas’ budget and maintenance plans.
In practice, most tenant committee activity centers around decisions about annual allowance. Allowance can be used to recreation, such as organizing events and trips to all tenants, or different kinds of fun and useful purchases for all tenants to use, such as club room furniture or hobby equipment.
Through tenant committee you can also take a stand and influence student living at a larger scope. Tenant committees can always decide themselves, how active they want to be in matters regarding influencing – tenant committee can also focus on having fun and using the annual allowance if they wish. If there is interest in influencing student housing at a larger scale, tenant committee will choose a member to join tenants’ co-operation body.
Member of tenant committee
As a member of tenant committee, you need to be present during tenant committee meetings. You can take on roles that tenant committee has defined, but all organizing besides chairperson is up to you. You can participate in meetings and decision making even without any specific role. In larger tenant committees, the specified roles might make working more straightforward in tenant committee.
Tenant committees serve typically until next years’ election meeting. Being a member in tenant committee is not binding, however, so you can choose to opt out from tenant committee during the year if your situation changes or you move out of the property.
Tenant committee meetings
Tenant committee meetings are open to all the tenants at the property. When decisions are made by voting, only official members of tenant committee have a vote. If a member of tenant committee is not able to participate in the meeting, they can authorize a person of legal age to represent themselves at the meeting.
To-do list for the meeting:
- Notify all tenants of the property about the meeting at least four days prior
- Meeting is quorate if at least half of the members of tenant committee are present (always at least two)
- At the beginning of the meeting choose a chairperson and secretary
- Remember to take minutes (see example)
- Make decisions by having conversation
- Write down all purchase decisions and their budgets in the minutes
- Deliver the signed minute to Hoas as a attachment on email after the meeting
Materials for tenant committee meeting
Allowances
Tenant committee gets an annual allowance that can be used into recreation or purchases. Check your property’s allocated allowance from the attachment below.
Tenant committee can choose to use allowance as they wish, following guidelines that:
- 25 % is used for recreation (events, trips, etc.)
- 25 % is used for purchases (games for club room, hobby equipment, etc.)
- 50 % is used freely for recreation or purchases, or both
Using the allowance:
- One of the members of tenant committee makes the purchases and fills an expense claim. Hoas makes a refund to the member after the expense claim and receipts have been delivered to Hoas.
- Tenant committee asks for a promissory note from Hoas Tenant Activity. A single purchase must be at least 200 € of value so the promissory note can be made.
- If you can’t make a purchase with either the expanse claim or promissory note, contact Hoas Tenant Activity for additional information about other payment methods.
Expense form
Check that the decision about purchase or events has been written in the minute of the meeting and the minute has been signed and delivered to Hoas.
When you want a refund:
- Fill in the expense claim form
- Fill in the personal and account information of the recipient of the refund
- Fill in the number of the minute where the decision can be found
- Categorize made purchases on the form
- Attach to the expense claim form
- Receipt of the purchase
- Receipt of online payment (online or invoice purchases)
- Cash payment receipt (purchases from private individual)
- Breakdown of bought items (purchases from restaurants)
- List of participants (events, trips, etc.)
- Expense claim form has to be signed by two people (refund recipient + another member of tenant committee)
- Send the form and needed attachments to asukastoiminta[at]hoas.fi
- Keep the receipt for possible warranty needs
Note!
- The expenses written on the form may not exceed the budget on the tenant committee meeting minute.
- Confirmation of delivery is not a receipt.
- Refunds can be processed to Finnish and other EEC countries banks. Refunds can not be made outside Europe.
Promissory note
Promissory note is meant for more expensive tenant committee purchases so members of tenant committee don’t have to make purchase on their own money at any point. Individual service or purchase must be at least 200 euros so the promissory note can be made. With promissory note, the company invoices Hoas directly and Hoas charges the sum for the tenant committees allowance.
When you want a promissory note:
- Check that the decision of purchase is on the meeting minute and the minute has been signed and delivered to Hoas
- Make sure that the company at hand accepts Hoas’ promissory notes as payment method
- Request a promissory note from Hoas Tenant Activity. The request must state:
- What is purchased
- From where the purchase is made (company name and contact information)
- Budget and maximum value for the purchase
- For who the promissory note is named (tenant committee members name and date of birth)
- Send promissory note request by email at asukastoiminta[at]hoas.fi. Processing time for requests is approximately one week.
Note!
- Individual service or purchase must be at least 200 €
- Processing of the promissory note request takes approx. one week – make sure to be early with your request!
- Promissory notes are not made for food or drinks
Making purchases
Allowance meant for purchases can be decided to use to purchase needed equipment of all tenants of the property to use.
Making a purchase requires tenant committee meeting and purchase decision with budget written in the minute. Minute must be delivered to Hoas signed so refund or promissory note can be made.
Tenant committee has the right to control of the use of the items they have purchased. However, the tenant committee may not sell the purchased items without Hoas’ permission and instructions since the ownership remains with Hoas.
Organizing an event
Recreation allowance can be used to organize events for the tenants of the property. All tenants are invited to the events organized by the tenant committee. Events can be held at the common spaces of the property. Remember to adhere to our rules and regulations during the event, especially quite time, and be mindful of the tenants who are not participating.
When you want to use allowance to organize an event, the decision must be made at tenant committee meeting and decision and budget must be on the meetings minute. Planning the budget is easier if you ask for advance registration beforehand. Minute must be signed and delivered to Hoas so the refund or promissory note can be made.
Remember to take a list of participants during the event and deliver it to Hoas afterwards. Participation list is used to confirm the event and budget.