In Helsinki, a city where rents are notoriously high, anyone’s eyes might pop at the chance of grabbing even a small studio apartment for €250 ($265) a month. So it’s no wonder that this offer of studios for people under 25 in the suburb of Laajasalo, all with private facilities and balconies, received an enthusiastic response when it appeared on Facebook recently.
But while they cost less than half the typical price for a Helsinki studio, the apartments come with a catch—albeit hardly an onerous one for the right applicant. They’re located in a home for seniors, one where the young studio-dwellers would be expected to spend three-to-five hours a week with the older residents.
