SATO introduces Finland's first keyless rental apartment building

SATO Corporation, Press Release, 27th July 2016 at 1:50 pm

Residents excited as well as nervous about homes with smart locking

SATO is taking a major leap towards smart homes as Finland's first keyless rental apartment building is completed in the Jätkäsaari district of Helsinki. Initially the locks of the common area and apartment doors can be opened using an NFC tag*, and smartphone access will be enabled later on.

We asked some of the residents moving into the Malagankatu street property at the beginning of August how they feel about smart locking.

Ella Kivimäki is excited about the system:

- We've both studied science and are interested in technology, so this smart locking system has inspired a lot of discussions and interest in our household. Although the locking system didn't have a direct impact on our decision to rent a home in this particular building, it was an added positive factor.

- We're looking forward to the new smart locking system with great interest and excitement! The system sounds modern and I believe it'll enable new practical features that cannot be imagined in advance. Being among the first people ever to test the system does, however, raise slight concerns. After all, problems that couldn't necessarily be anticipated in the design process often appear in everyday use.

Another future resident, Elina Ylönen, was not at all convinced about the smartlocks at first:

- I was pretty much horrified when I heard about the smart locking. My husband was excited as men usually are when they hear about the wonders of technology. As a pensioner this brought back memories from my childhood when I'd left my keys in. I'd shout for my mum to come down and open the door. Now I'll probably be calling in the courtyard to get my husband to let me in.

- Mind you, I've also been telling my friends how you get to learn about these fancy smartlocks and other things when you move into the city from the countryside.

Vice President Antti Aarnio from SATO is pleased with the residents' reactions:

- Valuable services for residents, added value for homes and housing - that's our aim in everything we do.

- Smartlocks have already been tested in apartment buildings, but this is the first time they're tested specifically in rental homes.

- We're beginning with small steps by first introducing the NFC tags. To eliminate the need for people to stand in the courtyard calling for someone to come down and open the door, we're exploring and testing mobile authentication in collaboration with Securitas, the company responsible for our key management. The benefits of the mobile application include residents being able to send a separate one-time mobile key to a visitor, cleaner or perhaps a dog walker even if they're not actually in the same city.

- Smart locking makes people's everyday lives easier in a very simple way and will enable them to manage their home more freely in the future.

*The Near Field Communication (NFC) tag communicates with the lock via radio frequencies using a short-range wireless connectivity technology.

For more information please contact:

Antti Aarnio, Vice President, phone +358 201 34 4200 or +358 40 164 7052

www.sato.fi

SATO is one of Finland's leading rental housing providers. SATO's aim is to offer comprehensive alternatives in rental housing and an excellent customer experience. All told, SATO holds roughly 23,400 rental homes in Finland's largest growth centres and in St Petersburg.

In our operations, we promote sustainable development and initiative-taking, and work in open interaction with our stakeholders to create added value. We operate profitably and with a long-term view. We increase the value of our housing property through investments, divestments and repair work.

SATO Group's net sales in 2015 were €323.4 million, operating profit €196.5 million and profit before taxes €159.4 million. SATO's investment properties have a value of roughly €2.8 billion.