Manchester, CT Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)

Manchester Code of Ordinances § 28-36F(2) lets any tenant residing in the Town file a written complaint about rental charges on a housing accommodation, other than seasonally rented units, with the Housing Commission acting in its capacity as the Town's Fair Rent Commission under Connecticut General Statutes §§ 7-148b through 7-148f. The complaint is filed with the Town Attorney's office on forms the office provides. Before any hearing is scheduled, an attorney from the Town Attorney's office contacts both the landlord and the tenant to try to reconcile their differences, and any settlement reached must be in writing, signed by both parties and witnessed by that attorney.

If conciliation fails, the Commission schedules a hearing within 30 days of the filing date and sends written notice of the date, time and place by certified mail to both the landlord and the tenant at least 10 days before the hearing. Under § 28-36F(3), the nine-member Commission weighs factors including comparable area rents, sanitary conditions, plumbing fixtures, furnishings, bedroom size and count, needed repairs, taxes and overhead, income and unit availability, utility availability, tenant-caused damage, and the frequency of prior increases before ordering a rent limited to a fair and equitable amount.

Section 28-36F(4) lets the Commission instead order rent paid into a Commission-held escrow account when a unit violates health and safety codes, releasable to the landlord once repairs are made. If the Commission finds retaliation against a complaining tenant under § 28-36F(3)(b), it can order the landlord to cease and desist. Any person aggrieved by a Commission order may appeal to Superior Court within 20 days of the certified-mail order under § 28-36F(6).