West Haven, CT Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)

Chapter 97 of the West Haven Code, adopted 7-6-1982 as Ord. No. 186, creates a Fair Rent Commission under Sections 7-148b through 7-148f of the Connecticut General Statutes. The Mayor appoints seven members and two alternates who are West Haven electors; the membership includes two landlords and two tenants. Under § 97-4 the Commission receives complaints about rental charges on housing accommodations in the City, except seasonal rentals. Seasonal means rented for not more than 120 days in any one calendar year.

The Commission can first try informal conciliation between the complaining tenant and the landlord. Any formal or informal hearing must be noticed by mail at least 10 days ahead, and the landlord can appear with counsel. Two Commission members can meet the parties in a closed informal session if both consent, but they take no formal evidence and then sit out any later formal hearing. A written agreement from that session is fully enforceable by the Commission.

After a hearing, § 97-5 lets the Commission order a reduction if rent is harsh and unconscionable. If the accommodation fails a municipal ordinance or state health and safety rule, it can order the tenant's rent suspended until the landlord makes repairs, with rent paid into escrow held by the Commission. Section 97-5 lists eleven factors, including sanitary conditions, repairs needed to make the unit reasonably livable and compliance with health and safety ordinances. Section 97-6 bars retroactive reductions; a reduction starts on the next rent due date after the decision.

This chapter is a rent-complaint process, not a rental inspection program. Habitability standards sit in Chapter 127, where West Haven adopted the International Property Maintenance Code with a citation fine of $100 per violation under Section 112.3.