[2][3] Senate Properties descends from the Office of the Intendant (corresponding names in Finnish and Swedish are listed in the table below), established 3 September 1811, the goal of which was to supervise the planning of government buildings.

Facility management operations were incorporated into Engel kiinteistöpalveluyhtymä Oy,[11] which was fully privatized in 2004, the buyer being ISS A/S.

[16] The purpose with the name-change was to improve the corporate image[16] by having a name reflecting both traditions and modern business philosophy.

[2][3] It is unincorporated in the sense that Senate Properties is not a legal person separate from the State, and compared to incorporated companies, the organization has limited jurisdiction over its activities.

[8] In 2007, Senate Properties was — out of 29 large Finnish companies — recognized as Finland's top reporter of issues related to the environment and to corporate social responsibility.