Renting land or water areas for short-term operations

We lease out the city's land and water areas for a variety of temporary or small-scale operations.

You can rent city-owned land or water areas for short-term, temporary or small-scale operations.

Areas of the Urban Environment Division and the Culture and Leisure Division

Before sending the application, find out which division the area belongs to. The areas managed by the Culture and Leisure Division are marked in the Map Service with a light green color(Link leads to external service). Other areas are managed by the Urban Environment Division. Read next how you can rent areas of each division.

Renting of area belonging to the Urban Environment Division

Please attach the following documents and information to your application:

  • A map of the area to be rented.
  • A description of the area’s planned purpose of use
  • A trade register extract; no older than three months
  • After an inspector has processed your application, you will receive either a decision on the lease and its terms or a decision and a lease agreement and terms to be signed.

Such operations include, for example:

  • Sand silos
  • Circus and fair grounds
  • Mini golf courses
  • Summer theatres
  • Collection containers
  • Newspaper distribution spots
  • Hunting rights
  • Art installations
  • Urban agriculture and beehives
  • Dog training
  • Mooring spots
  • Restaurant ships and floating terraces

An area’s rent varies depending on the product. See the price list (PDF in Finnish) for more details.

The suitability of the area for the proposed use is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Please note that the structures related to the renting an water area usually also require a building permit.

If you plan to establish a restaurant ship, familiarise yourself with the instructions: Instructions on restaurant and café ships in Helsinki (PDF in Finnish).

You can terminate the lease agreement by submitting a written notice of termination (PDF in Finnish).

If you need to have changes made to the agreement, please contact the inspectors whose contact information is below.

Renting of area belonging to the Culture and Leisure Division

The Sports services Unit of the Culture and Leisure Division leases and licenses areas, especially in sports, outdoor recreation and beach areas, as well as in the archipelago. The areas are marked in the Map Service with light green color(Link leads to external service).

If you are not sure who manages the area, contact the Urban Environment Division's Customer Service.

The application processing time is 3-4 weeks.

The application form will be available in Swedish and English during 2023.

The suitability of the area for the proposed use is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Please note that structures related to renting the area usually require a building permit.

There are no places for SUP board rentals for now. The places will be tendered next time when the current contracts expire.

If you need help promoting your business idea or looking for a place to rent, contact the City of Helsinki's business liaisons by e-mail at yritysluotsit@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) or check out their services online.