Renting and sale of land

Right of first refusal of the municipality

The right of pre-emption is the right of the municipality to redeem the sold property for the purchase price agreed between the seller and the buyer. In a first refusal, the municipality takes the place of the buyer, acquiring ownership of the area sold by complying with the conditions imposed on the buyer in the transaction. The seller's legal position remains unchanged when the right of pre-emption is exercised, and the seller receives the price and payment terms agreed in the deed of sale. The municipality must reimburse the purchaser for any necessary costs incurred as a result of the sale.

The municipality may only use the right of first refusal to acquire land for the purposes of urban development, recreation and conservation.

According to Article 8 of the Pre-emption Act, the municipality may, at the written request of a property owner, declare in advance that it will not exercise its right of pre-emption if the property is sold within two years of the municipality's decision on the terms stated.

The City Council has decided

- not to give prior notice within the meaning of Article 8 of the Preemption Act,

- to order that, in the case of property sales within the city of Varkaus, the technical director shall decide when the municipality does not exercise the right of first refusal.

The municipality's right of redemption

The municipality may, without special authorisation, redeem in the area covered by the zoning plan a public area and a plot of land for a public building in accordance with the zoning plan which is intended for a municipal institution or other purposes in the zoning plan. The above conditions for redemption also apply where the redemption restricts the right of use of the property in an area designated in the zoning plan for the needs of the municipality for underground construction.

The redemption of a public area designated in the general plan requires a redemption permit issued by the Ministry of the Environment.

The Land Surveyor's Office carries out the expropriation.

Extension of the construction period

The extension of the period of obligation to build for a maximum of four years, as specified in the deeds of sale or lease of plots of land, is decided by the Technical Director. Any longer extension shall be decided by the Technical Board.