Moving to Tallinn in June -- need some help!

[Moving To Estonia]

Hi, all --

I'm moving to Tallinn in early June. I'm taking an Estonian language course at Tallinn University and then moving to Tartu in August. I need an apartment from about the second week in June until the 2nd or 3rd week in August.

Should I try to sort something out before I move, or should I head that way and stay in a hostel/hotel for a few days while I search?

I've been looking on http://www.kv.ee/ and city24.ee, but I'm not sure if these sites will be good for a short-term let. Are 2-3 month leases common in Tallinn? Will it be possible to find one?

Also, what are some good parts of town to live in for a 25 year old?

[Alex]

Hi, all --

I'm moving to Tallinn in early June. I'm taking an Estonian language course at Tallinn University and then moving to Tartu in August. I need an apartment from about the second week in June until the 2nd or 3rd week in August.

Should I try to sort something out before I move, or should I head that way and stay in a hostel/hotel for a few days while I search?

I've been looking on http://www.kv.ee/ and city24.ee, but I'm not sure if these sites will be good for a short-term let. Are 2-3 month leases common in Tallinn? Will it be possible to find one?

Also, what are some good parts of town to live in for a 25 year old?

Some of it will depend how much you want to spend, but it's really a renters market right now. The economy sucks and people are losing jobs left and right. No one is buying or moving if they can help it, so there are plenty empty apartments for rent.

A "normal" lease in Tallinn is 1 year, like most places. One months rent as a security deposit is also normal. I don't think for 2 months it would be worth renting at all, just stay in a hotel/hostel/B&B. I'm willing to bet you could work out a great deal with them as they're all sitting empty now too.

Are you just staying in Tallinn for the language classes? Because if you want to move to Tartu anyway, you'd be better off taking classes there. Several places to do it plus tons of students that would help you out. Also cheaper to live in Tartu and the people are generally much friendlier than you'll find in Tallinn.

But if you're set on Tallinn for a couple or three months, I'd email all the smaller hotels and or guesthouses/B&B's ahead of time and work out a reduced rate for your stay. That way you'll have a place to go once you get here and reduce your stress level which will rise once you start learning Estonian.

It wouldn't make any sense to rent an apartment for such a short time and the hassle wouldn't be worth it.