Connecticut Statewide Rule
Connecticut Has No Rent Control, But Local Fair Rent Commissions Curb Excessive Increases
Key Facts
- Local rent control
- Allowed only as fair rent commissions (no classic rent control)
- Statewide rent cap
- None
- Preemption statute
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-148b et seq. (fair rent commissions); PA 22-30 (2022)
- Cities with rent control
- None; towns over 25,000 must have a fair rent commission
Summary
Connecticut has no statewide rent cap and no classic rent control. Instead, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-148b lets municipalities create fair rent commissions that review tenant complaints and can roll back rents found "harsh and unconscionable." A 2022 law (PA 22-30) requires towns over 25,000 residents to have one, so increases are regulated case-by-case rather than by a fixed percentage.
Sec. 7-148b. Creation of fair rent commission. Powers. (a) For purposes of this section and sections 7-148c to 7-148f , inclusive, “seasonal basis” means housing accommodations rented for a period or periods aggregating not more than one hundred twenty days in any one calendar year and “rental charge” includes any fee or charge in addition to rent that is imposed or sought to be imposed upon a tenant by a landlord. (b) Any town, city or borough may, and any town, city or borough with a population of twenty-five thousand or more, as determined by the most recent decennial census, shall, through its legislative body, adopt an ordinance that creates a fair rent commission. Any such commission shall make studies and investigations, conduct hearings and receive complaints relative to rental charges on housing accommodations, except those accommodations rented on a seasonal basis, within its jurisdiction, which term shall include mobile manufactured homes and mobile manufactured home park lots, in order to control and eliminate excessive rental charges on such accommodations, and to carry out the provisions of sections 7-148b to 7-148f , inclusive, section 47a-20 and subsection (b) of section 47a-23c . The commission, for such purposes, may compel the attendance of persons at hearings, issue subpoenas and administer oaths, issue orders and continue, review, amend, terminate or suspend any of its orders and decisions.
Full Breakdown
Connecticut does not impose a statewide percentage limit on rent increases, and it has no traditional rent control freezing or capping rents. Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-148b, a municipality may create a fair rent commission to "make studies and investigations, conduct hearings and receive complaints relative to rental charges on housing accommodations" in order to "control and eliminate excessive rental charges." Under § 7-148d, if a commission finds a rent so excessive, judged by the criteria in § 7-148c, as to be "harsh and unconscionable," it may order the rent reduced to a fair and equitable level, phase in an increase, or delay one until code violations are fixed. Public Act 22-30 (2022) requires every town with more than 25,000 residents to establish such a commission.
Violations & Penalties
There is no fine schedule for ordinary increases. A fair rent commission acting under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-148b et seq. may issue binding orders reducing an unconscionable rent, phasing in an increase, or staying it pending repairs; a landlord who defies a commission order may be subject to enforcement and penalties under the local ordinance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is rent control legal in Connecticut?
Can a city in Connecticut pass its own rent control?
Is there a limit on how much rent can increase in Connecticut?
Sources
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