10.09.2026 at 06.45
Performance audit

Senate Properties as the administrator of central government office premises and facility services

The document with the strongest steering effect on office premises used by the central government is the Government Premises Strategy. The aim of activity-based work environments that include open-plan spaces, as set out in the strategy, is to achieve savings in premises costs. More specific targets should be set for Senate Properties, which has a monopoly position as a provider of office premises.

Photo: Senate Properties

Download report: NAOF's conclusions and recommendations: Senate Properties as the administrator of central government office premises and facility services PDF 231 KB

Scope of the audit

Goals and targets relating to office premises used by the central government and Senate Properties.
Senate Properties’ operation as the administrator of office premises and facility services for government agencies and institutions.
Knowledge base for monitoring and decision-making concerning central government office premises.

Key findings

The goals relating to office premises are partly contradictory.
The targets set for Senate Properties should be complemented and defined more clearly.
A significant proportion of personnel representatives in government agencies do not consider activity-based work environments to meet work-related needs.
Gaps in legislation and Senate Properties’ position as an unincorporated state enterprise enable different interpretations of public administrative functions and the full-cost principle.
Prerequisites for building a knowledge base regarding the premises have been improved, but information on office premises costs and the monitoring of these costs remain inadequate.

Briefly

The central government’s annual premises costs amounted to approximately 0.9 billion euros in 2025. As a general rule, approximately three quarters of central government personnel work in office premises, which therefore play a significant role in central government operations.

The goals relating to office premises are partly contradictory. The central government seeks cost savings through activity-based work environments and shared office premises used by government agencies. According to the responses to a survey addressed to employee representatives, lack of peace and quiet in office premises is a prominent reason for working remotely. At the same time, the Ministry of Finance recommends that government agencies require their employees to be more frequently present in the office.

No target for the cost-effectiveness of Senate Properties’ own operations has been set, even though it is a monopoly operator that can charge its costs to government agencies and institutions funded through the budget. The audit also found shortcomings in the reporting of government agencies’ office costs and different interpretations of the legislation on public administrative functions and compliance with the full-cost principle.

The figure describes Senate Group’s annual total investments as a bar graph. The Figure shows that investments have increased since 2022 and that the most significant increase took place in 2023. — The Senate Group’s total investments in 2015–2025 (including land use fees and transfer taxes). These amounts include Defence Properties Finland’s investments and investments in specific-use premises. In the next few years, security sector investments in specific-use premises will be subject to significant increase pressure. Source: Senate Properties’ annual reports for 2015–2025.

Approx.

17%

Share of office premises in all central government premises, by floor area (m2)

Approx.

76%

Share of central government employees working in central government office premises

Recommendations of the National Audit Office

The Ministry of Finance should include more specific and informative service targets concerning Senate Properties in the budget proposal, ensuring that they would set out target levels that Senate Properties should achieve in performing its tasks. This would contribute to effective exercise of Parliament’s steering power.

The Ministry of Finance should add a cost-effectiveness target to Senate Properties’ annual service targets. The Board of Directors of the unincorporated enterprise should also promote and monitor the cost-effectiveness of Senate Properties.

The Ministry of Finance should ensure that the goals related to office premises and the means for achieving them set out in different steering documents are appropriately balanced.

The Ministry of Finance should ensure that it has sufficient authorization to issue provisions concerning the new service forms offered by Senate Properties.

As an internal central government actor, Senate Properties should clarify the nature of its contracts with customer agencies by specifying in the future that they are administrative contracts. This would make it evident that the principles of good administration apply to them.

Senate Properties should produce more information on the costs incurred by customer agencies from offices to provide a sufficient knowledge base for decision-making.