Property owner’s responsibilities

So-called ‘unauthorised spreading’ from private land to city land is very common, but as the name would suggest, it is not allowed. Trees may also not be felled from city land without permission. This will result in a report of an office being submitted and an obligation to plant a new tree to replace the tree that was cut down. 

It is forbidden to extend yard areas, add plants and structures, take over other areas or store items outside your plot. For example, fences, waste containers, trampolines, piles of wood, building materials, playhouses and trailers must be kept on your plot.

Please also remember that, as a property owner, you are responsible for the cleaning of the street area next to your property. It is your responsibility to keep the street clean from the boundary of your property to the centre line of the street.

Dry branches and other garden waste collected by residents of their own initiative from the green areas of the city will be collected centrally from city land. You should always agree on clearing and heaping up garden waste in advance. Residents may take smaller heaps of garden waste to the Sortti Station themselves, as they would their own garden waste. All twig, reed and branch heaps must be reported to the Urban Environment Sector’s customer service department. The heaps are retrieved mechanically, so the access route must be sufficiently wide and firm for the machinery used.

Removal of dirt, leaves, rubbish and loose items that have accumulated in the street is the responsibility of the property owner from the land boundary to the centre line of the street, however, only up to 15 metres away from the boundary.

Residents must remove rubbish from and clean and tidy the green lane and ditch area immediately adjacent to the plot for up to three metres from the plot boundary. Vegetation, trees and bushes in yards must be cut before they spread onto the street and reduce visibility or narrow passage routes.

The property owner must keep the open ditch adjacent to the driveway and the culvert belonging to it in working order throughout the year. To make sure the culvert works, any ice, snow, leaves and rubbish preventing the flow of rainwater must be removed.

In winter, ploughing the driveway, removing the snow accumulated by the ploughing and anti-slip treatment are the responsibility of the property owner.

Surface damage and potholes posing a danger to traffic must be reported to Urban Environment Sector’s customer service department without delay.

You can check the boundaries of your plot through the Espoo map service(external link, opens in a new window).

If you want to take part in cleaning and maintaining your local area, read more about the City of Espoo’s Our Park project.