Ebba Kiinteistöt

Ebba Kiinteistöt currently owns over 600 rental apartments and 110 resident spaces in several assisted living facilities across Pietarsaari. CEO Åsa Björkman, with many years of experience in property and facility management, knows both the city and the industry inside and out. The company has made it its mission to make Pietarsaari an appealing and welcoming place to live, for residents of all ages.

Founded in 2014 through the merger of 17 different real estate companies, Ebba is wholly owned by the City of Pietarsaari. While it follows city group guidelines, it operates independently and efficiently. Ebba’s goal is to make Pietarsaari a desirable place to live and to ensure housing supply meets future demands.

“Small one-bedrooms attract a wide range of customers, including students, single adults, and elderly residents, while rowhouse three-bedrooms are highly popular with families. In contrast, three-bedroom apartments in apartment buildings—especially those without elevators—are less in demand. We’re continuously renovating and rebuilding to meet future housing needs. Customers often want bright, low-maintenance homes,”
— Åsa Björkman

With such a high number of properties and residents, communication with the electricity provider is a vital part of the housing operation. There can be over a hundred tenant move-ins and move-outs each year.

“Ebba’s tenants, property managers, and our company itself work with Herrfors several times each week. The customer service is always cheerful and things get handled quickly. When issues arise, they’re resolved efficiently,”
— Åsa Björkman

Every time a new tenant moves in, a new electricity contract is created, and it is closed when the tenant moves out. Occasionally, tenants forget to notify about their move. In such cases, Herrfors’ electronic monitoring helps ensure that billing stops on the correct day.

Over 99% of Ebba’s properties also receive heating from Herrfors’ district heating network. Close cooperation between the housing company and heating provider is essential.

“With so many properties, we truly value Herrfors’ local knowledge and understanding of structural changes. When we mention the name of a building, their customer service knows the exact location. This kind of seamless collaboration is invaluable to us.”

When setting up a new electricity agreement, Åsa received a detailed briefing on how the electricity market operates—information she continues to value highly, especially during annual corporate information evenings hosted by Herrfors.

“For companies, it’s essential that the electricity contract is both competitive and open to discussion. But I also firmly believe that local businesses should support one another.”

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