Varma as a real estate investor

Varma is one of Finland’s largest real estate investors, with real estate assets worth approximately EUR 5.6 billion. We invest in providing high-quality business premises and rental apartments in growth centres. We take care of the energy efficiency of our properties.

Key figures (June 30, 2024)

  • SIZE OF THE REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIO 5.6 € billion
  • COMMERCIAL PREMISES AND BUSINESS PROPERTIES 76
  • RENTAL HOMES approx. 4,600
  • BREEAM ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATES 77

Our investment portfolio includes both direct property investments and investments in real estate funds. Our direct real estate investments focus on the largest cities in Finland. We own diverse assets including business premises, shopping centers, hotels, and rental apartments. A significant portion of our properties are situated in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Additionally, we participate in international real estate investments through carefully selected funds.

Are you looking for commercial premises or a rental apartment?

Commercial premises

Varma’s selection of commercial premises includes both historical gems and several new sites. We offer a wide array of office and commercial premises of different sizes for various needs. We also own several hotel properties throughout Finland. You can look over Varma’s lettable commercial premises on the separate commercial premises website.

Check out the commercial premises (in Finnish)

Rental apartments

We currently own approximately 4,600 rental homes throughout Finland, and we continue to build more. The majority of our rental apartments are located in the capital area and in Tampere. You can also rent your new home in one of the apartments we own in Turku, Lahti, Kerava, Järvenpää and Jyväskylä. The apartment rentals, building management, customer service and other operational activities are managed by our partner Colliers Rental Apartments  | Colliers Asunnot.

Read more about Varma as a real estate investor

See our available rental apartments on Colliers Rental Apartments's website.

In matters related to apartment rentals, maintenance and building management, please contact Colliers Rental Apartment's customer service.

Customer service 
email: asiakaspalvelu@colliers.com
Tel. +358 20 130 3003 (Mon–Fri, 8.30 am–4 pm)

The contact details of your housing company’s building manager and maintenance company can be found on the noticeboard in the stairwell and in the One4all Mobile resident app.

 

A responsible real estate owner

Responsibility runs through everything we do, from investment decisions to construction and real estate maintenance. Our actions are guided by the strict responsibility targets we set.

We invest in commercial properties that support not only your business, but also your environmental targets. We also strive to support sustainability in our rental apartmenets through various means. We focus on the energy efficiency of the buildings we own by carrying out energy renovations. We are switching, for example, to using solar panels and heat pumps as energy sources in a large proportion of our residential properties. We aim for CO2-free heating in the properties we own by 2030.

We want to develop and monitor the sustainability of our properties. Our properties already have 77 BREEAM environmental certificates with a rating of at least ‘Good’, which speaks to, among other things, a property’s energy efficiency and waste-sorting and recycling possibilities.

In addition, many of our properties and residential buildings are located near excellent transport connections, which enables low-emission commuting by public transport and by bicycle. The properties also offer bicycle maintenance points and electric car charging points, among other things. Take a step towards more sustainable business premises and living.

Katajanokan Laituri is a commercial property owned by Varman located in Katajanokka, Helsinki.

Responsibility in real estate business

Taking sustainability into consideration in all our investment activities contributes to both Varma’s objective of first-rate investment and our position as a long-term pension investor. Responsible practices are implemented in all areas of the real estate business: leasing, maintenance, real estate investments and construction, no matter whether we are handling them ourselves or with a partner company

Important themes in responsible real estate investments include the improvement of buildings’ energy efficiency and bringing the circular economy into building and demolition operations.

We make numerous procurements every year, for example, in property development, real estate maintenance and IT services, most of which in Finland. We expect the suppliers who have a contractual relationship with us to comply with Varma’s Supplier Code of Conduct. At the same time, first-tier suppliers must undertake to ensure responsibility in their own supply chain.

 

What is BREEAM environmental certification?

BREEAM is an environmental rating system for buildings and building projects to assess the eco-efficiency of buildings using harmonised methods. The environmental rating system covers areas such as energy efficiency systems, waste-sorting and recycling opportunities, and location, i.e. whether the building is situated along good public transport routes and how cycling is encouraged, for example, in the space solutions.

 

Varma’s goal is to have its most important buildings certified according to the BREEAM environmental rating system by 2025. 

 

Read more

 

Varma promotes the sustainability of its residential properties through environmental ratings (in Finnish)

Read more about BREEAM

Varma does well in GRESB real estate sustainability assessment

The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) is a global tool and framework for assessing and benchmarking the sustainability performance of real estate, infrastructure and investment assets, allowing investors to build up and compare their sustainability performance.

 

GRESB assesses the sustainability of the entire direct real estate portfolio with respect to sustainability-related risks and opportunities, energy and water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, environmental management systems and broadly the sustainability policies and management in the entire company.

 

Varma's real estate portfolio achieved four stars out of five in the 2024 GRESB real estate sustainability assessment.

 

Read more about Varma's success in GRESB. 

 

Read more about GRESB

Media contacts

Sampsa Ratia

Director for Real Estate Investment

Real estate investments

Sari Raunio

Property Development Director

Real estate, real estate development

Toni Pekonen

Commercial Property Director

Premises

Sarianna Sipola

Portfolio Manager, Residential Real Estate

Residential investments

Current issues