Playground safety in housing companies

Playground safety in housing companies – new law raises questions

Responsibility for playgrounds is a matter of concern for housing companies: In May 2025, a new act on the safety of consumer services (185/2025) came into force, which the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency Tukes has interpreted as also affecting playgrounds offered by housing companies to their residents.

At first glance, it seems like a major change. Small companies in particular have been concerned about the housing company’s capacity to adequately monitor and document playgrounds. There have even been questions about whether it is worth keeping playgrounds anymore.

The safety of playgrounds has already been a duty of care for housing companies – also emphasized in the Construction Act. However, the biggest change compared to the previous law (920/2011, repealed) is written documentation and possible sanctions for negligence.

If a housing company has already ensured the safety of its playground and documented inspections and maintenance, it already largely meets the new requirements. In the future, the documentation must be in written form and available.

In addition, serious accidents and near-miss situations must be reported to Tukes.

Can supervision be outsourced?

If your own company does not have the expertise or resources, the housing association’s playground safety monitoring can be purchased as a service.

If the housing company already has a maintenance company, it would be natural to include playground monitoring as part of the maintenance and management service. However, the responsibility always remains with the housing company.

There is no need to outsource monitoring, as the documentation is free-form and also allows for self-implementation.

Key safety requirements for a housing association’s playground

The EN 1176 standards must be followed in the design and selection of equipment. This has not changed. It is important to note that the safety requirements also apply to old equipment. Housing companies are not obliged to renew playgrounds, but dangerous equipment must be removed from use.

New equipment must always meet current standards – regular consumer products cannot be used in housing association yards. Following the manufacturers’ maintenance instructions is a key part of the safety of a housing association playground.

Security consists of the following:

1. safety distances
2. territorial boundaries
3. safety platforms
4. lighting

Adequate lighting improves safety and also reduces vandalism. The location of the playground in relation to roads and other risks is also important.

Playground inspections in practice

Regular monitoring is an essential part of the safety of a housing association’s playground:

1. Annual inspection – wear and damage
2. Functional inspection – wearing parts and cleanliness
3. Division of responsibility – who checks and records

Ultimately, the responsibility always lies with the housing company.

Safety of the housing company’s playground in the shareholder’s yards

In townhouses, the yard areas are often owned by the housing company, even though the members use them. The housing company can determine what can be built in the areas.

Shareholders often build playground equipment, such as trampolines. With the new law, the safety of a housing association’s playground also covers these – even if the equipment was purchased by the shareholder.

The housing company has a duty to ensure that there are no dangerous structures in the yard areas.

Trampolines and other equipment require a permit from the housing association, and conditions may be imposed on them, such as safety nets.

The goal of the law is clear: safer play environments and better documentation.

In practice, the change is primarily related to documentation – the security requirements themselves remain largely unchanged.

New operating methods take time, but the overall picture is clear: the safety of the housing company’s playground remains the same goal, only now more systematically documented than before.

Jenni Määttä, interior architect and garden designer, jenni.maatta@sweco.fi