Lumo Kodit and Sato impose balcony usage bans on thousands of units after fatal accidents and expanded safety inspections
Finnish rental housing providers Lumo Kodit and Sato have placed thousands of balconies under temporary usage bans following safety inspections prompted by concerns over building materials. The measures come after the Safety Investigation Authority (Otkes) warned in May that fiber-cement boards are unsuitable for use as balcony railings due to their failure to prevent falls in strength tests. The warning followed fatal accidents in September 2025, when a woman in Hietalahti, Helsinki, died after stumbling and falling through a balcony railing board, and in June 2026, when a man fell through the glazing of a balcony railing in Tikkurila, Vantaa, during Midsummer (Yle, Helsingin Sanomat).
