1. General provisions

1.1 The Rules for the Use of Assets (hereinafter referred to as “the Rules”) govern the conditions for the use and granting of the use of the premises, real estate, and items (hereinafter collectively referred to as “assets”) owned by Tallinn University of Technology (hereinafter referred to as “the university”), as well as calculation and payment of the costs relating to the premises.

1.2 The Rules do not apply to:
1.2.1 the granting of the use of the university’s dwellings to the PhD students and staff of the university;
1.2.2 the granting the use of the university’s official vehicles to the staff of the university;
1.2.3 the granting the use of the university’s telecommunications equipment to the staff of the university;
1.2.4 the granting the use of intellectual property or monetarily appraisable rights and obligations;
1.2.5 the encumbrance of real estate with a limited real right.
1.3 The university does not use or grant use of its assets for events or activities that violate public order, or constitute political or religious propaganda.

1.4 A user of assets shall:
1.4.1 use the assets prudently and for their intended purpose;
1.4.2 immediately inform the relevant persons of any damage to or risk of damage to the assets;
1.4.3 when using assets within the university, comply with the Statutes of the University and the internal procedure rules applicable at the university.

2. Definitions [entry into force 01.01.2026]

2.1 ‘assets’ within the meaning of these Rules is a collective term for real estate, premises, and items;

2.2 ‘real estate’ means the immovable property owned by the university, including the buildings located on such property;

2.3 ‘item’ means movable property used by the university for its operations, such as equipment, inventory, furniture, or the like;

2.4 ‘asset register’ means a module of the business software in which the university’s immovable and movable property is recorded, including, where possible, details of its location and user;

2.5 ‘asset transfer record’ means a formal document completed when the user of an item changes, an item is transferred from one structural unit to another, and/or the location of an item changes;

2.6 ‘self-use area’ means areas allocated to structural units and directly necessary for the performance of their core activities, such as laboratories, offices, and seminar rooms. All costs relating to the building groups shall be allocated to the self-use areas in the calculation of the cost tariff.

2.7 ‘non-self-use areas’ means areas shared by building occupants, areas used by the Real Estate Office, and areas necessary for the maintenance of the building such as corridors and utility rooms. Non-self-use areas are excluded from the allocation of the building group costs; consequently, all such costs shall be allocated to the self-use areas;

2.8 ‘order for the use of premises’ means a document signed by the Real Estate Development Director and the head of the relevant structural unit, which records changes relating to the use of premises, the granting of preferential rights of use, the effective date of transfer, and the total area allocated for self-use, and which serves as the basis for cost allocation;

2.9 ‘sub-use of premises’ means an arrangement within the university whereby one structural unit temporarily grants another structural unit the right to use its premises, either free of charge or for a fee;

2.10 ‘preferential right of use of premises’ means a procedure governing the use of premises designated as special-purpose auditoriums, under which one structural unit is granted priority in the use of such premises. During periods when the premises are not used by that structural unit, other structural units may use the premises with the approval of the structural unit to which the preferential right of use has been granted.

2.11 ‘building group’ means a set of buildings at a specific location forming a cost allocation unit to which fixed and variable costs relating to the maintenance of the real estate are collectively allocated;

2.12 ‘register of premises’ means the database in which the identifiers, floor areas, classifications, users, and other relevant parameters of premises are recorded;

2.13 ‘public auditorium’ means a general-purpose auditorium or computer classroom financed from the general fund, available for use by all structural units, booked through the study information system, and intended for shared use;

2.14 ‘special purpose auditorium’ means an auditorium financed from the general fund to which a specific structural unit has been granted preferential right of use by order of the Real Estate Development Director, and which contains specialised educational equipment due to which certain courses cannot be conducted in other premises;

2.15 ‘cost tariff’ means the monthly rate per square metre of self-use area comprising the total fixed and variable costs of real estate maintenance for building groups;

2.16 ‘variable cost’ means the costs of heating, electricity, water, and sewage consumption allocated to the self-use areas of a building group;

2.17 ‘fixed cost’ means costs relating to the maintenance of utility systems, cleaning services, repair funds, and general real estate maintenance, which are allocated to the self-use areas of a building group;

2.18 ‘external parties’ means natural persons who are not employed by the university and all legal persons other than the university.

3. Self-use and sub-use of premises [entry into force 01.01.2026]

3.1 A structural unit manages the premises allocated to it for self-use that are directly required for the performance of its statutory or regulatory activities.

3.2 Utility rooms, corridors, and other common areas shall not be allocated for the self-use of structural units.

3.3 Special-purpose auditoriums shall not be allocated to structural units for exclusive use; however, in justified cases, a preferential right of use may be granted to a specific structural unit.
3.3.1 The preferential right of use of a special-purpose auditorium shall be granted by order of the Real Estate Development Director based on an application submitted to the Real Estate Office by the structural unit.

3.4 In addition to the premises listed in clause 3.1, the Real Estate Office manages all non-self-use areas, including Glehn’s Castle, the Student Building, external rental properties, vacant premises, and public auditoriums.

3.5 The Real Estate Development Director shall decide on the allocation of premises to a structural unit for self-use based on an application submitted to the Real Estate Office by the structural unit.

3.6 Premises shall be allocated to a structural unit for self-use for an indefinite period and as a single functional complex.

3.7 The Real Estate Office shall maintain the register of premises and make available on the intranet a list of vacant premises, on the basis of which structural units may submit applications for the allocation of premises for self-use.

3.8 The terms for making alterations to the self-use of premises are as follows:
3.8.1 a structural unit may request the allocation of additional premises, a change in the intended use of premises, or the relinquishment of the premises allocated to it by submitting an application to the Real Estate Office;
3.8.2 a structural unit may relinquish premises allocated to it, provided that the premises to be relinquished constitute a single functional complex, either independently or together with other vacant premises. Premises shall not be relinquished where, due to their location or characteristics, it would be difficult to assign them to a new user or designate them for an alternative use;
3.8.3 The Real Estate Development Director shall obtain the approval of the Rector’s Office for large-scale changes in the self-use of premises exceeding 300 m²;
3.8.4 a structural unit shall notify the Real estate Office  of any planned changes to the self-use of premises for the following year no later than 1 September of the current year.

3.9 Decisions to allocate premises to a structural unit for self-use, as well as decisions to amend the terms of such self-use, shall be formalised by order of the Real Estate Development Director.

3.10 The head of a structural unit shall decide on the granting of sub-use within the university of premises allocated to that structural unit for self-use.

3.11 When granting premises for sub-use, a structural unit may require the sub-user to cover the costs associated with the premises.

3.12 A structural unit shall notify the Real Estate Office of the granting of sub-use within the university of premises allocated to it for self-use.

3.13 The Real Estate Office provides real estate maintenance services in all building groups listed in Annex 1 to the Rules.

3.14 In order to provide real estate maintenance services, the Real Estate Office and its contractors shall be entitled, pursuant to the university’s Security Management Regulations, to enter premises allocated for self-use.

4. Covering the costs of real estate and premises

4.1 The funds required for real estate maintenance are obtained from variable and fixed cost fees collected from structural units, external rental income and other revenue from service and sales contracts.

4.2 The Real Estate Office is responsible for the purposeful and efficient use of funds required for real estate maintenance and is required to provide structural units with information on cost distribution.

4.3 The calculation of real estate maintenance costs starts and ends on the first day of the month following the date of transfer of possession specified in the premises self-use order.

4.4 The costs of public auditoriums and special-purpose auditoriums shall be covered by funds allocated from the university’s general fund. [entry into force 01.01.2026]

4.5 [repealed – entry into force 01.01.2026].

5. Principles for calculating cost tariffs

5.1 The cost tariffs of the university’s building groups consist of fixed costs and variable costs.

5.2 The fixed cost tariffs of building groups shall be established by a Rector’s order for a financial year.

5.3 The fixed cost tariffs of building groups shall be calculated per square meter of self-use area allocated to a structural unit per calendar month, based on the real estate maintenance costs budgeted for the respective building groups.

5.4 Variable cost tariffs shall not be established for a financial year.

5.5 The variable cost tariffs of building groups shall be calculated monthly, per square meter per square metre of self-use area allocated to a structural unit, based on the actual consumption  volumes of the respective building groups and the applicable unit prices of electricity, heating and water supply.

5.6 The cost tariffs of building groups include the costs attributable to non-self-use areas.

5.7 The names of the building groups in the university and the designations of the buildings in the groups are listed in Annex 2 to the Rules.

5.8 The university’s sports centre, student hostels and the building of the Estonian Maritime Academy are not included in the building groups, as their use and maintenance costs are governed by separate agreements concluded with external legal entities on a basis different from the university’s Rules for the Use of Assets.

6. Procedure for covering costs

6.1 The Real Estate Office shall issue to each structural unit a consolidated report detailing the fixed and variable costs associated with the premises for the relevant calendar month.

6.2 The consolidated report for the previous month shall be submitted by the 25th of the following month. If the abovementioned date falls on a day off or a national holiday,  the report shall be submitted no later than the first working day thereafter.

6.3 A structural unit has  the right to propose corrections within five working days from the date of submission of the consolidated report and request additional explanations regarding the data.

6.4 If the structural unit does not propose corrections within five working days of receiving the consolidated report, the Finance Office shall transfer the costs relating to the premises, based on the consolidated report, from the financing sources agreed upon with the structural unit.

6.5 The Real Estate Development Director may postpone the transfer of the costs relating to the premises to allow for clarification of the data contained in the consolidated report.

7. Resolving complaints concerning the services of the Real Estate Office

7.1 Structural units may submit complaints regarding the Real Estate Office’s services using a designated form available in the Help Center.

7.2 The parties have 14 days from the date of submission of the complaint through the Help Center to address and resolve the issue.

7.3 An agreement reached to resolve any service-related complaint shall be approved by both the Real Estate Development Director and the head of the structural unit and documented in the Help Center.

7.4 If a contractual penalty or late-payment penalty is imposed on a service provider in connection with the resolution of the complaint, any funds collected shall be allocated to cover the university’s overhead costs.

8. Granting use of the university’s real estate and premises to external parties and the usage fee

8.1 As a general rule, the university should receive income from granting the use of its real estate and premises.

8.2 The university’s real estate and premises shall be granted for use in accordance with the university’s current price list, or, where no price list applies, at the prevailing market price.

8.3 A structural unit shall notify the Real Estate Office in writing prior to entering into any agreements for granting the use of premises to external parties.

8.4 The decision to grant the use of an immovable property en bloc shall be made by the Rector, the Director for Administration or the Real Estate Development Director within the scope of their respective authority.

8.5 The decision to grant the use of real estate or premises shall be made by the Real Estate Development Director or the Director for Administration, within the scope of their respective authority, and organised by the Real Estate Office either by auction or by discretionary decision, except in the case provided for in clause 8.9.

8.6 The term for granting the university’s real estate and premises for temporary use shall not exceed 10 years for premises and 50 years for immovable property en bloc.

8.7 The Real Estate Office shall manage the use of the Glehn’s Castle, the Student Building, Mektory, public auditoriums, and other public rooms on a case-by-case basis.

8.8 The decision to grant the use of premises shall be made by the head of the structural unit to which the premises have been allocated for self-use, provided that:
8.8.1 the premises are granted for use in accordance with the established price list or at the market price and;
8.8.2 the term of use does not exceed one year, and;
8.8.3 the value of the transaction does not exceed 10,000 euros excluding VAT.

8.9 Real estate and premises may be granted to students for use for study purposes and to student organizations for the fulfilment of their objectives at below-market rates or free of charge, based on a decision of the head of the structural unit to which the premises or real estate have been allocated for self-use.

8.10 Real estate and premises may be granted for use for activities supporting the fulfilment of the university’s other statutory responsibilities, based on the decision of the Real Estate Development Director or the Director for Administration, within the scope of their respective authority.

8.11 The university’s real estate and premises shall be insured.

8.12 Where real estate or premises are granted for use to external parties, the requirement for additional insurance coverage shall be specified in the relevant agreement.

9. Granting use of university’s real estate or premises through an auction

9.1 The decision to organise an auction shall be made by the Real Estate Development Director, and the auction shall be conducted by the Real Estate Office.

9.2 During the preparation of an auction, the Real Estate Development Director shall determine:
9.2.1 the terms and conditions for granting the use;
9.2.2 the terms and conditions of the auction;
9.2.3 the starting price, where applicable;
9.2.4 the amount of the participation fee, if any.

9.3 Persons involved in the decision-making, organization, or conduct of the auction for granting the use of assets are prohibited from participating in the auction. Participants shall submit a written declaration confirming that they are not such persons, nor their close relatives or relatives by marriage.

9.4 Minutes of the auction shall be drawn up. Participants have the right to review the minutes and submit comments to the organiser no later than the end of the working day following the auction.

9.5 The participation fee shall not be refunded to the participants unless the auction was cancelled due to reasons beyond their control.

9.6 Participants have the right to submit a written complaint to the organizer concerning the conduct of the auction within three working days after the announcement of the results of the auction. The Real Estate Development Director shall decide whether to uphold or reject the complaint within three working days of its receipt.

9.7 The Real Estate Development Director shall approve or refuse to approve the auction results within ten working days of the date of the auction.

9.8 The auction results shall not be approved if:
9.8.1 a substantial infringement of the procedure established by law or other legislation occurred during the auction;
9.8.2 the winner of the auction is a person referred to in clause 9.3 of the Rules;
9.8.3 the auction was conducted without a starting price and the fee offered by the participants was below the market price.

9.9 If the auction results are approved, the Real Estate Development Director shall sign a contract with the auction winner on behalf of the university no later than two weeks after the auction results are approved.

10. Granting the use of the university’s real estate and premises to external parties through a discretionary decision

10.1 The use of university’s real estate and premises is granted through a discretionary decision if:
10.1.1 it is necessary to achieve the university’s objectives, including for the performance of existing or future contracts related to teaching, research, or development;
10.1.2 an auction or tender with prior negotiations for renting the university’s real estate was previously conducted but was unsuccessful;
10.1.3 it is assumed that only one party is interested in renting the real estate or premises, making it impractical to conduct an auction.

10.2 The decision to grant the use of the university’s real estate and premises by discretionary decision shall be made by the Real Estate Development Director or the Director for Administration, within the scope of their respective authority, and organised by the Real Estate Office.

10.3 In order to grant the use of real estate or premises by discretionary decision, negotiations may be conducted with as many persons as deemed necessary.

11. Agreements for granting use of real estate or premises to an external party

11.1 The use of the university’s real estate or premises may be granted under a lease agreement, rental agreement, loan-for-use agreement, or another appropriate contract.

11.2 A contract for granting use of the university’s real estate or premises shall be concluded in accordance with the Procedure for Entry into and Implementation of Contracts.

11.3 The parties to a contract for granting use of the university’s real estate or premises must adhere to the procedures for avoiding conflicts of interest and preventing corruption.

11.4 When granting the use of the university’s real estate or premises, an instrument of transfer and receipt shall be annexed to the contract, which shall set out the following in sufficient detail:
11.4.1 in the case of premises, their exact location, size, condition, a description of furnishings (if any), and other essential information;
11.4.2 in the case of real estate, its main characteristics and condition.

12. Self-use, sub-use of an item and the fee for use

12.1 The structural unit to whom the item has been allocated for self-use shall be recorded in the asset register.

12.2 The granting of sub-use of an item shall be decided by the head of the structural unit to which the item has been allocated for self-use.

12.3 Where an item is temporarily or permanently transferred to another structural unit, an asset transfer record shall be prepared in accordance with the Accounting Policies and Procedures.

12.4 The structural unit may charge a fee for the sub-use of an item in accordance with its price list.

12.5 The costs relating to the sub-use of an item shall be settled on the basis of the university’s internal invoice.

12.6 The head of the structural unit is responsible for ensuring that the insurance requirements applicable to the item are met during both self-use and sub-use.

12.7 The head of the structural unit shall be responsible for ensuring that additional insurance coverage is arranged where the item is used outside the university’s insured locations.

13. Granting the use of an item to external parties, the fee for use and period of use

13.1 As a general rule, the university should receive income from granting its items for use.

13.2 The decision to grant the use of an item to an external party shall be made by the head of a structural unit, a dean, or an area director, within the scope of their respective authority, on the basis of the established price list or at the prevailing market price.

13.3 An item may be granted to students for use for study purposes and to student organizations for the fulfilment of their objectives at below-market rates or free of charge, based on a decision of the head of the structural unit to which the item has been allocated for self-use.

13.4 Based on the decision of an area director or dean, an item may be granted for use at below-market rates or free of charge for activities supporting the fulfilment of the university’s other statutory responsibilities.

13.5 The granting of use of an item to an external party shall be documented in an order setting out at least the following information:
13.5.1 the details of the legal and/or natural person to whom the item is granted for use;
13.5.2 a description of the item (e.g. the manufacturer, model);
13.5.3 the period of use;
13.5.4 the fee for use.

13.6 Upon transfer of an item, an instrument of transfer and receipt shall be prepared, specifying the item’s name, condition, and the date of transfer.

13.7 The term of use of an item shall not exceed 5 years.

13.8 Where an item is granted to an external party for use outside university premises, the external party must arrange additional insurance coverage sufficient to cover the item’s value in the event of damage or destruction.

14. Agreements for granting use of an item to an external party

14.1 The use of the university’s items may be granted under a lease agreement, rental agreement, loan-for-use agreement, or another appropriate contract.

14.2 A contract for granting use of a university’s item shall be concluded in accordance with the Procedure for Entry into and Implementation of Contracts.

14.3 The parties to a contract for granting use of a university’s item must adhere to the procedures for avoiding conflicts of interest and preventing corruption.

14.4 When granting use of a university’s item, an instrument of transfer and receipt shall be annexed to the contract, which shall set out the following in sufficient detail: the item’s name, condition and other essential information.

Annex 1
to the Rules for the Use of Assets

Categories and types of the services organised by the Real Estate Office

The Real Estate Office of Tallinn University of Technology manages the university’s real estate in accordance with the standard EVS 807:2016/A2/2022  ‘Management and Maintenance of Facilities’ applicable in the Republic of Estonia.

Annex 2
to the Rules for the Use of Assets

Building groups of Tallinn University of Technology and designations of the buildings in the building groups

The designations, names and addresses of all the buildings owned by Tallinn University of Technology are listed in the Rector’s directive “Designations of the buildings of Tallinn University of Technology”.