Connecticut Late Fee and Grace Period Rules

Under Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 47a-15a, 'if rent is unpaid when due and the tenant fails to pay rent within nine days thereafter or, in the case of a one-week tenancy, within four days thereafter,' the landlord may begin termination. That nine-day (or four-day) window is the statutory grace period. Sec. 47a-4(a)(8) voids any lease in which a tenant 'agrees to pay a late charge prior to the expiration of the grace period set forth in section 47a-15a,' so no late fee may be charged until the grace period has run. Connecticut separately limits late charges generally to the lesser of $5 per late payment or five per cent of the delinquent rent.

A late-fee provision that charges before the grace period expires is void under Sec. 47a-4(a)(8); a tenant cannot be evicted for unpaid rent until the nine-day (or four-day) grace period has passed.