Sami Ylenius has started working as the property manager at Settlement Apartments.
– In housing, I am interested in energy efficiency, quality of living and long-term planning, life cycle thinking. It is important that apartments remain as good to live in as possible for as long as possible and that properties remain as good to use as possible, he says.
– And for me, as for Settlement Apartments more generally, responsibility is important. Whether it's environmental responsibility, financial responsibility or social responsibility, he says.
Residents can influence costs through their actions
One of the key issues in housing is reducing its footprint. For example, how can waste recycling be made more efficient and the amount of mixed waste reduced?
– Residents can significantly influence how water and heat are consumed, for example, through their own actions and choices. And this naturally affects the rent, he emphasizes.
He also encourages residents to report any defects they see.
– If you see a defect in a common area, for example, it is worth reporting it and not assuming that someone else will report it. After all, that is the basis for visiting properties when residents report things. The property manager or maintenance worker may not necessarily notice everything because they do not live in the building.
Property management professional
Ylenius has previously worked for the affordable housing advocacy organization KOVA and as a technical property manager and property manager in rental housing companies. He is a civil engineer by education.
– I specialize in property management, energy efficiency and renovation construction, he says.
His job description at Settlement Apartments is divided into two major tasks: managing property maintenance and construction. Working days are very varied.
– The most visible of these for residents is property maintenance. Unfortunately, there have also been challenges here recently. We have responded to residents' feedback and worked hard to improve the resident experience. The maintenance company will change in most of our properties during the autumn.
Ylenius considers it a great advantage that the average age of Settlement Housing properties is significantly lower than in general public affordable housing companies.
– My work is very much invisible to the resident, because that quality is produced in the background. For example, something might happen in one of our properties and decisions need to be made on how to react to it.
Cost-effectiveness is important
Ylenius says that he has had a great time at the Settlement Apartments.
– The company's values match my own values, and it's nice to be in this work community. We are very development-oriented.
– I think that Setlementtiasunna has a really good property portfolio, and we have an important task to produce affordable apartments cost-effectively. Cost-effectiveness is the be-all and end-all, and it is also in the tenant's interest, he emphasizes.
