Heirs also have the right to claim restitution of property.
A special law resolves questions dealing with the return of land to those former owners, or their legal successors, whose land was nationalized by the Republic of Estonia in 1939 and 1940 for the purpose of giving military bases to the Soviet Union. According to the Decree, claims should be filed with local commissions created specifically for this purpose. A ruling of the local commission determines the legality or the illegality of the expropriation of the property, establishes the lawful owner of the property, and authorizes the return of the property or the payment of a compensation. The jurisdiction of the Decree extends to the property of religious organizations and communal property used by ethnic or religious minorities and confiscated by the authorities. Currently, almost all disputes relating to the restitution of property in Estonia are resolved.