How do rental contracts and deposits work in Estonia in 2026?

Write the parties, address, üür amount, payment date, and whether the contract is fixed-term or unspecified. Ministry guidance says a dwelling lease longer than one year that is not concluded in writing is treated as unspecified-term. List who may live there, pet rules, and the number of keys.

Accessory expenses (heat, water, electricity, and similar use costs) fall on the landlord unless you agree otherwise in a form that can be reproduced in writing, such as email. Building maintenance and improvement contributions need the same written clarity if shifted to the tenant, and only at the initial contract under the ministry’s summary. Spell the list; avoid “tenant pays everything an owner would pay.”

The dwelling lease may require a security deposit of up to three months’ rent. A larger demand is not enforceable; you may refuse the excess. The landlord must keep the deposit in a credit institution separately from personal assets, at least at the local average interest rate, and that interest belongs to the tenant. After the lease ends, if the landlord does not notify you of claims within two months, you may demand the deposit back under the ministry’s explanation of the Act.

Pay by bank transfer with a clear reference. Keep proof. Deposit fights often turn on the handover act and photos: How to rent.

Fixed-term contracts limit ordinary landlord cancellation and make rent increases harder outside statutory paths. Open-ended contracts can be ended with ordinary notice (ministry notes at least three months for the landlord’s ordinary cancellation path) and give landlords more room on rent increases under the Act. If you stay after a fixed term ends and neither side objects within two weeks, the contract can convert to unspecified-term.

Rent increase notices on fixed-term leases follow statutory timing and content rules summarised by the ministry, including justification and contest procedure. Detail pages for money context: Rent in Estonia and Utilities.