Tallinn Rental Committee has a new address

The committee has moved to a new address and from 23 March the committee will meet at Roosikrantsi 12/1 (on the first floor of Building B).

The Head of the Tallinn Rental Committee Heli Hellamaa said that there will be no changes to the procedure of the Rental Committee due to the move to a new location and the current contact details will remain valid at the new address. “We are still welcoming enquiries by email at yyrikomisjon@tallinnlv.ee or by phone on 640 4523. Our new premises at Roosikrantsi 12/1 are accessible from the street, please ring the doorbell with the Committee’s sign in the lobby when arriving for a pre-arranged appointment or a scheduled meeting. People using wheelchairs or wheelchairs can enter via the courtyard, but please let us know in advance if this is necessary," Hellamaa explained.

Both parties to a tenancy agreement of a dwelling in Tallinn, i.e. the landlord and the tenant, can apply to the Rental Committee to resolve a tenancy dispute. The first step is to submit a written application to the Committee. The chairman of the Committee will then decide within three days whether the application is in order and, if so, whether it will be accepted. If there are any deficiencies in the application, the chairman of the Committee will reject it or set a deadline for the deficiencies to be rectified. The party against whom an appeal is lodged will be sent a copy of the statement, together with supporting documents, and will have the opportunity to present his objections and evidence.

The Committee will normally hold a hearing within one month of the date of receipt of the application and the parties to the dispute will be invited to attend. The Committee will take a decision within seven working days of the hearing. If the disputants are not satisfied with the decision, they have 20 days to take the same case to court.

The Tallinn Rental Committee settles around 130 disputes a year. The most common disputes are cancellation of the lease, rent increases and non-repayment of the deposit. According to Heli Hellamaa, the most common type of claim is one where the landlord demands payment of rent and service charges or eviction of the tenant. "They also often claim compensation for damages caused by damage to or breakage of the apartment or its contents. There have also been cases where the tenant was asked to move to a replacement property for the duration of the renovation," Hellamaa explained.

The maximum amount of debt that can be recovered through the Tallinn Rental Committee is €3,200, and if the amount is higher, you have to go to court.
The Tallinn Rental Committee settles disputes that have arisen from renting a dwelling in Tallinn and have not been referred to court before. The decision of the Committee , once it has entered into force, is enforced on the basis of the provisions on enforcement proceedings and the parties to the contract are obliged to comply with it. The decisions of the Committee are public and can be found on the Committee’s website.