Berths for rent

Now that I have a berth, do I have to apply for it again next year? 
No, you do not. You are the owner of the berth in question for as long as you pay the annual berth invoice by the due date and you have not terminated your berth. 

When and how will the invoice for the berth be paid?  
We will send invoices to berth holders by e-mail at the beginning of December. The payment term is one month. You can pay via the payment link in the e-mail. The berth can only be paid for electronically. Please pay by the due date so as not to lose your berth. 

I inadvertently failed to pay my invoice by the due date, but I would have liked to keep my berth, can I still pay it even if the due date has already passed? 
Unfortunately, it is not possible to pay for the berth after the due date. The berth is automatically released after the due date and forwarded to renting. In this case, you must submit a new electronic application for a berth. 

I have paid for the berth by the due date, but I have not received the sticker yet, when will the stickers be sent?
The terms of the lease have changed with regard to berth stickers. We no longer send stickers to the berth holders, but everyone can take the boat to their own place without a sticker. The stickers are only used for the winter storage of boats in unmarked storage areas.

I received an invoice for the berth, although I no longer need it, what should I do?
Invoices are sent annually at the beginning of December, and the due date for invoices is the beginning of January. If you receive an invoice and you want to give up the berth, you can simply leave the invoice unpaid, no separate notification is required. In this case, the berth will be released for rent.

I want to give up my berth, what should I do?
If you want to give up your berth in the middle of the season, i.e., you have already paid for the upcoming boating season, please send a notification to venepaikkavaraukset@hel.fi.(Link opens default mail program) After your notification, we will vacate the place and you will not receive an invoice for the next season. If you send the notification by the last day of April, we will refund the payment to you. After this, the payment will not be refunded.

What are the criteria for granting boat berths? 
We primarily distribute the berths to private individuals, companies and communities that are domiciled in Helsinki. Residents of other cities can also apply for a berth from the City of Helsinki. New and available boat berths are distributed annually in the order in which applications are received.

How and when are boat berths distributed annually?
We first offer berths to customers who have a berth that is managed by the city and who want to change to a different harbour. In other words, in February, we first process the exchange applications of customers who already have a berth. During March–June, we will offer berths to applicants from Helsinki in the order in which the applications are received, and after that to applicants from other cities. If you have not received an e-mail from us by the end of June, unfortunately it means that we cannot offer a berth for your boat. 

Are there free berths in the city harbours? 
Boat berths become available once a year in early January after the due date of the boat berth invoices. Approximately 600–700 berths become available each year in different parts of the city. All available berths will be rented in the order of application by the end of June.

Tip!  
You can see the exact locations and services of the boat harbours on the venepaikat.hel.fi(Link leads to external service) website. The map can be found at the bottom of the page. 

How much does it cost to rent a boat berth? 

Berths are divided into three different price categories. The price is affected by the size of the berth and the services available in the harbour. The berth rent is paid once a year. 

See the price list for berths (pdf, in Finnish)(Link leads to external service)

What does the city’s official sailing season mean? 
The official sailing season of the City of Helsinki begins on 10 June and ends on 15 September each year. In practice, during this time, the city can compensate for damage to the customer’s boat at the city’s boat harbours. Outside the official sailing season, boaters use the city’s berths at their own risk. 

Can I apply for a berth even if I do not have a boat yet? 
You may apply for a berth even if you do not have a boat yet. However, for the application we need an estimate of the width and length of the boat and information on whether it is a sailboat or a motorboat.  You can update the details by submitting a new application. Applications by the same applicant will be processed based on the first application date, but we will use the information in the most recent application. 

For what kind of boats can I apply for a berth? 

You can apply for a berth for almost all types of boats.  

List of suitable boats: 

• Large vessel, more than 20 t 
• Trawler  
• Sailboat/motor yacht  
• Medium motorboat  
• Stern motorboat  
• Outboard motorboat  
• Rowing boat  
• Dinghy  

Please note that all boats in the boat harbours of the City of Helsinki must be seaworthy and in good condition, regarding both their hull and equipment. 

What types of boats are not accepted? 
We do not offer berths for the following boat types: kayak, canoe, windsurfer, jet ski or other similar motorised equipment. We also do not rent berths for houseboats or floating apartments. 

I don't live in Helsinki and I am applying for a berth from the City of Helsinki, does this affect the berth granting process? 
Yes, it does. The vacant berths will first be offered to Helsinki residents and then to the residents of other cities. However, the berth fee is the same for residents and non-residents of Helsinki.

When you have paid for a berth that is located in a harbour with a gate, proceed as follows: 

1. Contact the berth reservations either by e-mail or by phone. 

2. You will receive a berth reservation code that you will need when you go to an authorised key shop. 

3.  The locksmith will make you a key based on the code. 

4. Pay for the key to access your berth. 

The key is a classic Abloy key. We recommend that you have a key made at an authorised key shop. If you later decide to give up the berth, you can dispose of the key in metal waste.  

This text is a translation of a Finnish-language agreement. If any differences of interpretation between the versions occur, the matter shall be resolved based on the original Finnish-language version. 

Agreement terms pertaining to leasing a boat harbour berth from the City of Helsinki  

1 Lessor 

Sports Services unit of the Culture and Leisure Division. 

2 Lessee 

A person, business or community with legal capacity residing or based in Helsinki or another municipality, to whom Sports Services have granted a lease of a boat harbour berth belonging to the City of Helsinki. A person with legal capacity must be the holder of the boat. 

The lessee must provide their personal, address and domicile information, as well as the information requested by the City of Helsinki’s Sports Services regarding the boat. The lessee or a person authorised by the lessee must prove their identity before a berth is granted. 

Additionally, if the boat is co-owned, the owners must provide a copy of the registration certificate or a bill of sale that names every owner of the boat. The responsible person shall always be the lessee of the berth. 

Providing false and erroneous information about the lessee and their boat or otherwise breaching the agreement shall result in loss of the leasehold of the berth. 

3 The boat berth being leased 

The object of the lease agreement is a boat berth designated by the City of Helsinki’s Sports Services. 

The City of Helsinki’s Sports Services shall have the right to temporarily or permanently designate another berth for the use of the lessee due to repair or change work at the boat harbour, a change in the use of the land or water area, or other similar reasons. 

4 The boat kept at the berth 

In this agreement, a boat refers to all kinds of muscle, wind or engine powered boats, the primary users of which are their owners or holders, and that are used primarily for sports and leisure time activities. 

All boats kept at boat harbour berths belonging to the City of Helsinki must be seaworthy and in good condition in terms of their hull, devices and equipment. The boats and their condition must also conform to regulations and instructions issued by authorities governing boats, as well as statutory obligations. 

The lessee must, at the request of the lessor, be able to prove that their boat is seaworthy and that the hull, devices and equipment of the boat are in good condition and compliant to regulations. 

No berths at the City of Helsinki’s boat harbours are leased for houseboats or floating apartments. 

5 Lease period 

The lease shall be valid until further notice. The boating season is the period from 10 June to 14 September each calendar year. 
The customer is considered a resident of Helsinki if the address of the lessee of the berth is in Helsinki. A customer with a co-owned boat is considered a resident of Helsinki if at least 50% of the ownership of the boat is held by a Helsinki-based person, business or community. 

The lessee may, at their own responsibility, bring their boat to their leased berth before the beginning of the boating season if the weather and natural conditions allow it, but they must take any boat harbour renovation work and associated usage restrictions into consideration. The boat may not be brought to the berth before 1 March. 

If no other agreements have been made separately with the City of Helsinki’s Sports Services, the lessee must remove their boat from the boat harbour berth after the end of the boating season, before the harbour freezes over and no later than 31 December. 

Only a sturdy boat with a robust hull may be kept in the water at a boat harbour berth belonging to the City of Helsinki over winter, and overwintering at the berth must always be agreed upon separately with the lessor. A fee shall be charged for an overwintering boat in accordance with the decision of the Culture and Leisure Committee valid at the time. Overwintering is possible only at harbours designated for the purpose by the lessor. Unauthorised overwintering at a berth of the City shall result in the customer losing their berth. 

The lessor shall not be responsible for any damage to a boat left at or brought to a berth outside the boating season caused by maintenance or repair work or breakages in the boat harbour and pier structures or mooring equipment. 

The lease agreement shall end if the customer fails to pay the berth fee or separately terminates their berth lease. 

6 Determination of the lease amount 

The boat berth fee shall be determined based on the width and equipment level of the berth and the customer’s customer group in accordance with the decision of the Culture and Leisure Committee valid at the time. 

7 Paying the lease 

The lease fee for the berth must be paid as instructed by Sports Services by the due date. The due date shall be definitive. If the lessee fails to pay the invoice by the due date, the lease shall be considered terminated by the lessee. 

If the customer terminates their berth lease by 30 April, the customer’s berth fee for the year in question shall be reimbursed. In other cases, no berth fees shall be reimbursed. 

After making the berth fee payment, the lessee will receive a berth sticker that must be attached to the boat in a readily visible spot. The sticker must be placed so that it is visible and easy to check when the boat is at the berth. 

Without an appropriate berth sticker, a boat at the harbour shall be considered to be docked in an unauthorised space. 

As of 30 May 2023, the condition regarding berth stickers is no longer valid. We will no longer send berth stickers to customers. Customers can take the boat to their own place without a sticker.  

8 Transferring the lease 

In the event that the lessee dies, their beneficiary shall have the right to have the lease transferred to their name. 

If the boat has several owners, the leasehold of the berth can be transferred from one owner of the boat in question to another upon presentation of an electronic registration certificate. 

In cases other than the aforementioned, the leasehold of the berth cannot be transferred. The lessee shall not be allowed to even temporarily sublease or assign the berth to another person. 

9 Notifications and information provision 

The lessee must submit a notification about or update any changes pertaining to their name, contact and address information and boat information in the boat berth reservation system of Sports Services without delay. 

The lessor shall have the right to provide the lessee with information pertaining to their customer relationship, notifications and requests by submitting them electronically or in writing to the address last given to Sports Services by the lessee. 

10 Instructions and orders 

The lessee shall be obligated to comply with the Public Order Act, environmental protection legislation and other legislation valid in Finland at the time, as well as instructions and orders issued by public authorities valid at the time, the valid boat harbour rules of the City of Helsinki’s Sports Services and other written instructions and orders issued by the lessor. 

11 Liability for damage 

The lessee must ensure that no waste, hazardous waste or other substances that are detrimental to the condition of the shore or bottom soil, the water or air quality are released into the water air. If a substance or material that is detrimental or harmful to the quality of the soil or air is released into the water, or if such a substance or material is detected in the water or the water area, the lessee shall be obligated to immediately notify the rescue and environmental authorities and Sports Services of the matter and begin any feasible cleaning procedures without delay. 

The lessee must ensure that a boat at a leased berth is moored carefully and in accordance with the principles of good seamanship. The lessee must also ensure that no danger, injury, harm or other damage is caused to the boat harbour piers, their structures, devices and equipment or their users. 

The lessor shall not be responsible for any property damage or personal injuries caused by a storm, a flood, abnormal weather conditions or other exceptional natural conditions. 
 
The lessee must immediately notify the City of Helsinki’s Sports Services of any damage or faults detected in the piers, their structures, equipment, moorings or devices or other similar structures. 

12 Compensation for damage 

The lessee shall be obligated to compensate the lessor or a third party for any damage they have caused. 

13 Boats moored and abandoned in an unauthorised space 

Any boats or other items left in an unauthorised space or the City’s land or water areas shall be removed, and they may be stored by the City of Helsinki at the expense and at the responsibility of the lessee and the boat owner. The condition of the boats shall be inspected before transfer. A report shall be written on the inspection. 

The lessee or the owner can redeem their impounded boats or items by paying the transfer and storage costs determined in accordance with the Culture and Leisure Committee’s decision valid at the time, as well as any other costs accrued by the City from transferring and storing the boats and items. 

If boats or items are not redeemed within three months of their impounding, they shall be sold in a public auction. Auction events shall be announced separately. The lessee or the owner shall be sent a notification of the impounding immediately and of the auction in good time to the address that they have provided or that is otherwise available. The notification shall be submitted primarily by e-mail. If the customer’s e-mail address is not known, the notification shall be sent by post. 

14 Moving a boat moored at a wrong boat harbour berth 

If a boat has been docked at the boat harbour in a place other than the berth designated by Sports Services in accordance with the lease agreement, the City of Helsinki’s Sports Services shall have the right to move the boat immediately and charge the lessee for the costs accrued by the moving. 

15 Terminating the lease agreement 

The lessee may terminate the lease agreement in writing. 

The City of Helsinki’s Sports Services shall consider the lease agreement to be terminated by the lessee if the lessee fails to pay the agreed berth fee by the due date or has other overdue boating payments to the City of Helsinki. 

If the lessee breaches or neglects their obligations mentioned in these agreement terms, the City of Helsinki’s Sports Services may cancel the lease agreement. 

When the lessee terminates the lease agreement for their berth or the agreement otherwise expires, the lessee must remove their boat and other belongings from the berth immediately upon expiration, and the berth must be vacated and relinquished for the use of the City of Helsinki’s Sports Services. 

If a berth leased by the customer ceases to be used as a berth entirely and no similar and suitably sized berth can be found for the customer, the lessor shall have the right to terminate a lease agreement that is valid until further notice no later than three months before the beginning of the next boating season. 

16 Other details 

Any disputes arising from this agreement shall be resolved primarily through negotiations between the agreement parties. If the agreement parties are unable to reach a resolution, the matter shall be resolved by the Helsinki District Court if either party so demands. This agreement is governed by Finnish law.