Greenwich, CT Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Chapter 5 of the Code of Ordinances, dating to a 1940 housing regulation still in force, sets the minimum habitability standards Greenwich landlords must meet. Section 5-8 requires every dwelling unit to have a working kitchen sink connected to water and sewer, and Section 5-9 requires a flush toilet, lavatory, and bathtub or shower in the same room, properly connected and in good working condition; up to two units may share a single toilet and lavatory only if each unit is 250 square feet or less and the shared facilities stay accessible and private under Section 5-10.

Section 5-15 sets the core heating standard: heating facilities must be capable of safely and adequately heating every habitable room, bathroom, and toilet to at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit, measured three feet above the floor, under ordinary minimum winter conditions. Section 5-19 requires every foundation, floor, wall, ceiling, and roof to be reasonably weathertight, watertight, and rodent-proof and kept in good repair, and Section 5-14 requires at least two receptacle outlets per habitable room where power lines run within 300 feet. Owners of buildings with more than four units must supply refuse and garbage facilities under Section 5-34, and owners are responsible for extermination whenever infestation results from their failure to keep a building ratproof under Section 5-36.

When a unit is so damaged, decayed, insanitary, or vermin-infested that it endangers occupant or public health, Section 5-45 lets the Director of Health condemn and placard it as unfit for human habitation, and Section 5-46 requires it to be vacated within a reasonable time. A tenant or owner cited for a violation can request a hearing before the Board of Health, sitting as the Housing Sanitation Standards Appeals Board, under Section 5-5. Violations of Chapter 5 are punishable under Section 5-50 by a fine of not more than $100 per violation, each day counted separately.