A yearslong rent dispute between the City of Tallinn and the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church came to an end Tuesday after the Supreme Court declined to hear the church's appeal.
The dispute between the City of Tallinn and the Estonian Christian Orthodox Church (formerly known as the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate) concerned commercial premises at Pikk tänav 64 in Tallinn, which the church occupied under an open-ended lease. The Tallinn City Center District Administration terminated the lease on April 17, 2024.
Tallinn Mayor Peeter Raudsepp (Isamaa) said the protracted dispute had finally been resolved.
"The city acted lawfully in terminating the lease and the city-owned premises will be vacated. We are now looking to the future and the district administration will do everything it can to put the premises back into use as quickly as possible," Raudsepp said.
The church challenged the termination in court, seeking a ruling that the termination was invalid and that the lease remained in effect.
On August 29, 2025, Harju County Court dismissed the church's lawsuit, finding that the Tallinn City Center District Administration had the right to terminate the lease. The church appealed, but Tallinn Circuit Court upheld the lower court's ruling on June 12, 2026.
On October 19, 2026, the Supreme Court's Civil Chamber declined to hear the appeal because it did not meet the legal requirements for review. The Supreme Court's decision cannot be appealed.
The ruling confirming that the Tallinn City Center District Administration had lawfully terminated the lease has therefore entered into force.
The City of Tallinn has been negotiating with church representatives over vacating the premises at Pikk tänav 64. The parties have reached a verbal agreement to vacate the premises and are currently working to finalize the deadline.
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