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Brits rush into Lapland’s cabin market

by Kyösti Jurvelin

English people are now fascinated by Lapland’s rising property value on top of its winter, snow and exotic nature.

A typical cabin owner spends a few weeks in the resort, the rest of the year their property is rented.

"We are building approximately 100 apartments and houses in Yllas, nearly all of them are now sold or reserved.  Half of our properties are sold to Brits, and they have bought about 60 % of our kelo cabins" says Construction Company Samira Oy’s Managing Director Sami Nauha.

Samira Oy, with an annual turnover of 7.5 million euros, is Lapland’s biggest builder of kelo holiday homes. Samira’s most distant clients come from Pakistan, they also receive enquiries from Dubai and Saudi-Arabia. The company’s construction sites are now in Yllas. An area of 7-hectares in Levi is currently awaiting planning decision.

"When it comes to foreigners [buying in Lapland] I think we have only seen the tip of the iceberg. There is an endless number of English property investors interested in Levi. Families are interested in Yllas, but pure investors are more excited about Levi" Nauha explains.

"English people are very interested in Finland and Scandinavia as a travel destination" according to Colin Brunt, who runs Above The Arctic Ltd,, a company selling holiday homes. Surveys made by British newspapers show that the area is among the most interesting of destinations. Brunt has 200-300 serious clients interested in properties in West-Lapland on his database.

Relaxing investment

Jane Shipley, from London, has recently bought a holiday home in Yllas.  "Buying a holiday home is partly an investment also for my own pleasure. I believe the investment will pay itself back in five or six years" Shipley says.

According to Samira’s Sami Nauha property value in Yllas has risen around 10 per cent a year during the last five years.

Roughly translated from Kauppalehti February 2, 2007