The Consumer Ombudsman (KKV) has updated its recommendation on the online marketing of new apartments. KKV initially prepared a recommendation in June 2021 on how the online marketing of new apartments should present information about the housing association loan of the apartment for sale, the management of the building's land base and the optional rental plot.
You can now familiarize yourself with the updated recommendation here.
The recommendation deals with information that should be provided in the online marketing of new apartments in addition to the housing information regulation. The purpose of the recommendation is to help the marketers of new properties to tell buyers about the essential financial information of new apartments more clearly than at present, and to improve the access to information of consumers who are considering buying an apartment. At the same time, the purpose is to prevent consumer payment difficulties and over-indebtedness.
The recommendation concerns the online marketing of new apartments to consumers who are subject to apartment-specific housing association loans and whose marketer is a developer, construction company, real estate agency or other business operator.
In the recommendation, a new apartment is defined as an unused apartment located in a new or renovated building in a manner comparable to new construction.
The apartment's financial information must be available as a clear entity
According to the recommendation, when presenting the information, it is essential that the consumer receives a notice about the apartment when viewing the apartment's key financial information easily as a single, clear entity. The financial whole of buying an apartment must be easy to understand so that, for example, comparing different objects is effortless for the consumer.
Information should be presented using established terms and a clear order of presentation. The key financial information related to the housing association loan and the optional rental plot must be presented in the same place and in the same way as other financial information such as apartment price information. They must not be sprinkled in different places or placed in a hard-to-see place, for example near additional information.
The information must be obtained by looking at the notice about the apartment. After the consumer has moved to view the notification, receiving key financial information must not require active measures from the consumer. Such an active action is, for example, opening a link, opening content hidden by default with a mouse click, or moving the pointer over a specific item.
So it is no longer enough, for example, that part of the price information is on the website and part is in a separate apartment-specific price list available as an attachment.
Solutions are being sought for the changes - The building industry is involved in cooperation
Marketing platforms such as etuovi.com and oikotie.fi, real estate agencies and construction companies must all implement the changes required by the KKV's recommendation to their systems.
Talonrakennusteollisuus ry is a member of the working group led by the Kiinteistönvälytysala Keskuliito (KVKL), which together with marketing platform operators aims to find solutions to implement online marketing as required by KKV's recommendation. Due to time and financial resources, there may be a delay in implementing the changes.
Juha Terho agent