Instructions for arriving exchange students

Getting from the railway station to your accommodation

Exchange students are accommodated in three locations:

Tankkari 3

• address: Vidnäsinkatu 2, 67100 Kokkola
• walking distance from the station: 0,9km
• location: google maps

Tankkari 4

• address: Vidnäsinkatu 16, 67100 Kokkola
• walking distance from the station: 1km
• location: google maps

Tankkari 5

• address: Herman Renlundinkatu 28, 67200 Kokkola
• walking distance from the station: 1,4km
• location: google maps

All the locations of student accommodation are within walking distance of the station. However, if you want to preorder a taxi, you can call Taksi Kokkola (+358 100 85 111) or Taxi Jari (+358 40 169 5507).

Please, check your address on the invoice you have received from Tankkari OY.

Finding the safety box with your key

You will find your key in a small code-protected safety box outside the building. Every student who is to get a key in a contactless way should have received a short video with the location of the safety box personally. If you have not received such a video, contact incoming@centria.fi, please.

In order to open the safety box:

1. Open the lid by sliding it down.

2. Roll your personal PIN – you should have received the PIN personally.

3. Press down the black switch on the left from the numbers and the hatch opens.

4. Take the key from the box.

5. Close the hatch. Shuffle the numbers. Slide up the lid. Leave the safety box the way you found it!

Accessing your room

Using the key may be tricky in the beginning. You do not need a key to lock the door. The door locks itself and it is simple (and common) to forget your key inside a room. Remember to always keep your key with you! Sometimes you need to wobble the key around in the lock pushing it forward for a moment so it gets inside properly. Pushing/pulling the door towards the door frame helps a lot.

If you have an iLOQ key, make sure the key is in the right position. If necessary switch the blue logo from one side to another. You need to remember to slide it into the lock in one smooth movement. Not too fast, not too slow. Only this way the lock will be able to read the coded key and enable you to open it. Please, see the video below.

The following video shows how the locking mechanism works.

The key is formed in such a way that it opens many doors (main entrance, apartment, room, laundry, bicycle storage, etc.). But no worries, a specific key can open only the doors that you are allowed to open. That means nobody else can enter your room and only your flatmate can enter your flat but they will not be able to open your room with their own key.

Recovery of the key

If it happens to you that you lock the door of your room when the key stays inside, there is a way to get it back in a relatively easy way. Call +358 4248321, explain what happened and clearly state your name and address. The janitor will come and open the door for you but you must pay for this. The number, as well as the price list, is on a sticker next to the main entrance. In case you wish to avoid such a situation happening again, you may choose to turn the locking mechanism off, as it is shown in the last video. Remember that if you turn the locking mechanism off, anyone from your apartment can enter your room without using a key.

Formalities necessary to complete upon your arrival

1. Sign the rental agreement

You will find your rental agreement in the envelope on the table in your room. Please, sign both versions (they are identical). When visiting the campus, bring one to the International Office and keep the other one. You have already paid the whole deposit and rent for the entire semester. It is just a written contract.

2. Prepare the inspection form and deliver it to Tankkari

Another form you will find in the envelope is the Inspection Form. If you find any broken things or defects in your room and in the apartment (stains impossible to clean, broken furniture and appliances, holes in walls or pieces of furniture, etc.), fill out the Inspection Form and send a photo of it via E-mail to toimisto@tankkari.fi within 7 days since you moved in. That will prove you are not responsible for those defects and you will not be charged for the reparations from your deposit. Please note that already before moving in, you might receive automatically generated emails from Tankkari about completing the apartment inspection online. You can ignore that email, as you will not be able to log in to the website. Online inspection is only available to Finnish students, so you need to do yours through paper and email after you arrive.

Practical information

1. Mattress

Although Tankkari’s message might claim that there is no mattress in your room, in this case, Centria UAS is providing you with one. We visit your apartment shortly before your stay and put a mattress into your room. You will find your mattress in the bed frame by the time you arrive.

2. Smoking

If you smoke or you are planning to start or you host someone who smokes, you must be aware that smoking is forbidden inside the building. It is necessary to go outside with it, no matter what is the weather. Smoking on balconies is also forbidden. Unfortunately, it happens but it is really annoying to the neighbours.

3. Home appliances failure

If anything happens (e.g. the fridge or the stove stops working, pipes are leaking, heaters are not warming up, or even a lightbulb should be replaced, etc.), you should notify Tankkari immediately. They will take care of the reparation free of charge. You would be charged for the reparation only if the failure was clearly caused by someone’s inappropriate behaviour.

4. Where are the nearest shops? Where is the big shop? Where to buy home equipment? 

The nearest shops to Tankkari 3 and Tankkari 4 are K-Supermarket (Rautatienkatu 10, 67100 Kokkola) and S-Market (Pitkänsillankatu 15, 67100 Kokkola). 

The nearest shops to Tankkari 5 are Lidl (Tervahovintie 4, 67100 Kokkola) and MiniMani (Tehtaankatu 43, 67100 Kokkola) around 700m from Tankkari 5. 

The biggest shop in Kokkola is Prisma (Prismantie 1, 67700 Kokkola).

There are several flea markets / second-hand shops in Kokkola. These are called “Kirppis”. You can find their locations on the google maps. The biggest one is called SPR (Vaunumiehenkatu 4 B, 67100 Kokkola) and it is close to Prisma. There, you can get such things as dishes, cutlery, some decoration for your room, etc.