Sec. 47a-4f. Revenue management devices prohibited.
Sec. 47a-1. Definitions. As used in this chapter, sections 47a-21, 47a-23 to 47a-23c, inclusive, 47a-26a to 47a-26g, inclusive, 47a-35 to 47a-35b, inclusive, 47a-41a, 47a-43 and 47a-46:
(1) “Action” includes recoupment, counterclaim, set-off, cause of action and any other proceeding in which rights are determined, including an action for possession.
(2) “Building and housing codes” include any law, ordinance or governmental regulation concerning fitness for habitation or the construction, maintenance, operation, occupancy, use or appearance of any premises or dwelling unit.
(3) “Dwelling unit” means any house or building, or portion thereof, which is occupied, is designed to be occupied, or is rented, leased or hired out to be occupied, as a home or residence of one or more persons.
(4) “Landlord” means the owner, lessor or sublessor of the dwelling unit, the building of which it is a part or the premises.
(5) “Owner” means one or more persons, jointly or severally, in whom is vested (A) all or part of the legal title to property, or (B) all or part of the beneficial ownership and a right to present use and enjoyment of the premises and includes a mortgagee in possession.
(6) “Person” means an individual, corporation, limited liability company, the state or any political subdivision thereof, or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, two or more persons having a joint or common interest, and any other legal or commercial entity.
(7) “Premises” means a dwelling unit and the structure of which it is a part and facilities and appurtenances therein and grounds, areas and facilities held out for the use of tenants generally or whose use is promised to the tenant.
(8) “Rent” means all periodic payments to be made to the landlord under the rental agreement.
(9) “Rental agreement” means all agreements, written or oral, and valid rules and regulations adopted under section 47a-9 or subsection (d) of section 21-70 embodying the terms and conditions concerning the use and occupancy of a dwelling unit or premises.
(10) “Roomer” means a person occupying a dwelling unit, which unit does not include a refrigerator, stove, kitchen sink, toilet and shower or bathtub and one or more of these facilities are used in common by other occupants in the structure.
(11) “Single-family residence” means a structure maintained and used as a single dwelling unit. Notwithstanding that a dwelling unit shares one or more walls with another dwelling unit or has a common parking facility, it is a single-family residence if it has direct access to a street or thoroughfare and does not share heating facilities, hot water equipment or any other essential facility or service with any other dwelling unit.
(12) “Tenant” means the lessee, sublessee or person entitled under a rental agreement to occupy a dwelling unit or premises to the exclusion of others or as is otherwise defined by law.
(13) “Tenement house” means any house or building, or portion thereof, which is rented, leased or hired out to be occupied, or is arranged or designed to be occupied, or is occupied, as the home or residence of three or more families, living independently of each other, and doing their cooking upon the premises, and having a common right in the halls, stairways or yards.
(P.A. 76-95, S. 1, 27; 76-435, S. 75, 82; P.A. 79-571, S. 2; 79-631, S. 96, 111; P.A. 86-267, S. 4; P.A. 89-254, S. 1; P.A. 91-383, S. 13; P.A. 95-79, S. 171, 189; P.A. 10-137, S. 4; P.A. 21-78, S. 21; P.A. 23-207, S. 5; P.A. 24-143, S. 16; P.A. 25-44, S. 8.)
History: P.A. 76-435 deleted provision in Sec. 27 of P.A. 76-95 which specified that the act applied to “rental agreements entered into or extended or renewed on and after” January 1, 1977; P.A. 79-571 added Subdiv. (m) defining “tenement house” and revised list of applicable sections; P.A. 79-631 removed Sec. 47a-26 from list of applicable sections; P.A. 86-267 made definitions applicable to Sec. 47a-23c and rephrased definition of dwelling unit; P.A. 89-254 redefined “dwelling unit” to include realty “designed to be occupied” as a home or residence; P.A. 91-383 amended the definition of “landlord” to include the owner, lessor or sublessor of “the premises”, amended the definition of “rental agreement” to include rules and regulations adopted under “subsection (d) of section 21-70”, and amended the definition of “tenant” to include a person occupying “premises”; P.A. 95-79 redefined “person” to include a limited liability company, effective May 31, 1995; P.A. 10-137 applied definitions to Sec. 47a-11e and made a technical change; P.A. 21-78 applied definitions to Sec. 47a-7b; P.A. 23-207 applied definitions to Secs. 47a-4d and 47a-7c. (Revisor's note: In 2024 a reference to Sec. 47a-7b in the introductory language was deleted editorially by the Revisors for clarity because said section is included in “this chapter”); P.A. 24-143 applied definitions to Sec. 47a-4e; P.A. 25-44 amended introductory language to add reference to Sec. 47a-7d, redesignated existing Subsecs. as Subdivs. and redesignated existing Subdivs. as Subparas.
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Sec. 47a-3a. Rental agreement: Payment of rent. Written receipt for cash payment. Ledger or equivalent accounting re. (a) Rent is payable without demand or notice at the time and place agreed upon by the parties.
(b) Unless otherwise agreed: (1) Rent is payable at the dwelling unit; (2) periodic rent is payable at the beginning of any term of one month or less and for terms of more than one month in equal monthly installments at the beginning of each month.
(c) Upon receipt of a payment in cash from or on behalf of an occupant, a landlord shall provide the person making the payment with a receipt stating the date of the payment, the amount received and the purpose for which the payment was made.
(d) Upon request by an occupant, the landlord shall provide such occupant with a copy of the ledger or equivalent accounting for the occupant's dwelling unit, showing charges assessed, payments made and any balance owed or surplus paid by such occupant.
(P.A. 79-571, S. 5; P.A. 93-159; P.A. 01-44; P.A. 25-146, S. 3.)
History: P.A. 93-159 added Subsec. (c) requiring a landlord to provide a receipt for a cash payment; P.A. 01-44 amended Subsec. (c) by deleting provision re request of receipt by person making cash payment; P.A. 25-146 added Subsec. (d) re ledger or equivalent account for occupant's dwelling unit, effective July 1, 2025.
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Sec. 47a-4f. Revenue management devices prohibited. (a) As used in this section:
(1) “Revenue management device” means a device commonly known as revenue management software that uses one or more programmed or automated processes to perform calculations of nonpublic competitor data concerning local or state-wide rents or occupancy levels, for the purpose of advising a landlord on (A) whether to leave a unit vacant; or (B) the amount of rent that the landlord may obtain for a unit. “Revenue management device” includes a product that incorporates a revenue management device, but does not include: (i) A report that publishes existing rental data in an aggregated manner but does not recommend rental rates or occupancy levels for future leases; or (ii) a product used for the purpose of establishing rent or income limits in accordance with the affordable housing program guidelines of a local, state or federal program.
(2) “Nonpublic competitor data” means information that is not available to the general public, including information about actual rent amounts, occupancy levels, lease start and end dates and other similar data, regardless of whether the information is (A) attributable to a specific competitor or anonymized, and (B) derived from or otherwise provided by another person that competes in the same or a related market.
(b) It shall be an unlawful practice in violation of chapter 624 for any person to use a revenue management device to set rental rates or occupancy levels for residential dwelling units.
(c) Any violation of subsection (b) of this section shall be subject to the investigation and enforcement provisions of chapter 624.
(Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 25-1, S. 32.)
History: Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 25-1 effective January 1, 2026.
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Sec. 47a-7d. Advertisement, display or offer of dwelling unit that includes amount of rent. Standardized rental terms summary form. Application of payments. Civil penalty. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, no landlord shall advertise, display or otherwise offer a dwelling unit for rent in an amount that excludes any fee, charge or cost that the tenant of the advertised, displayed or offered dwelling unit shall be required to pay on a periodic basis. Any fee, charge or cost that the tenant shall be required to pay on a periodic basis shall be prorated and included in the advertised, displayed or offered rent. For the purposes of this subsection, any fee, charge or cost that shall be charged to the tenant, by default, on a monthly basis shall be included in the advertised, displayed or offered rent, regardless of whether the tenant may opt out of such fee, charge or cost.
(b) A landlord may advertise, display or otherwise offer a dwelling unit for rent without including the following fees and costs in the advertised, displayed or offered rent:
(1) Any payment processing fee that reflects the actual cost of processing a payment, provided the landlord makes available to the tenant an alternative form of payment that does not require payment of any such payment processing fee;
(2) Any fee or deposit imposed for keeping a pet in the dwelling unit;
(3) The cost of any utilities that (A) are submetered pursuant to section 16-19ff, or (B) the tenant will pay directly to a utility company and that may vary from month to month;
(4) A fee charged for damage to the dwelling unit that is not imposed for normal wear and tear; or
(5) A separate fee charged for performing a service for the tenant, including, but not limited to, responding to a lockout or replacing a key.
(c) Not later than January 1, 2026, the Department of Housing shall publish, on the department's Internet web site, a standardized rental terms summary form. Such form shall clearly summarize the key terms of a rental agreement, including, but not limited to, the term of the rental agreement, the name of the landlord, the point of contact for property management purposes, the name of each tenant and the total periodic rent determined in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of this section. Such summary form shall be published and provided in both English and Spanish.
(d) On and after April 1, 2026, no landlord shall provide a written rental agreement to any tenant unless such rental agreement includes, as the first page of such rental agreement, a completed copy of the standardized rental terms summary form published pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.
(e) All payments made by a tenant pursuant to a rental agreement shall be applied first toward the payment of rent, and then toward the payment of any other fees or charges.
(f) Any landlord who violates the provisions of this section shall be liable to the tenant for a civil penalty in an amount equal to one month's rent, and the court may award reasonable attorney's fees and costs to the tenant.
(P.A. 25-44, S. 9.)
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Sec. 47a-14h. Action by individual tenant to enforce landlord's responsibilities. Payment of rent into court. (a) Any tenant who claims that the landlord has failed to perform his or her legal duties, as required by section 47a-7 or 47a-7a or subdivisions (1) to (14), inclusive, of subsection (a) of section 21-82, may institute an action in the superior court having jurisdiction over housing matters in the judicial district in which such tenant resides to obtain the relief authorized by this section and sections 47a-7a, 47a-20 and 47a-68. No tenant may institute an action under this section if a valid notice to quit possession or occupancy based upon nonpayment of rent has been served on such tenant prior to the institution of an action under this section or if a valid notice to quit possession or occupancy based on any other ground has been served on such tenant prior to such tenant making the complaint to the agency referred to in subsection (b) of this section, provided any such notice to quit is still effective.
(b) The action shall be instituted by filing a complaint, under oath, with the clerk of the court. The complaint shall allege (1) the name of the tenant; (2) the name of the landlord; (3) the address of the premises; (4) the nature of the alleged violation of section 47a-7 or 47a-7a or subsection (a) of section 21-82; and (5) the dates when rent is due under the rental agreement and the amount due on such dates. The complaint shall also allege that at least twenty-one days prior to the date on which the complaint is filed, the tenant made a complaint concerning the premises to the municipal agency, in the municipality where the premises are located, responsible for enforcement of the housing code or, if no housing code exists, of the public health code, or to the agency responsible for enforcement of the code or ordinance alleged to have been violated, or to another municipal agency which referred such complaint to the municipal agency responsible for enforcement of such code or ordinance. In the case of a mobile manufactured home located in a mobile manufactured home park, such complaint may be made to the Commissioner of Consumer Protection. The entry fee shall be twenty-five dollars, which may be waived in accordance with section 52-259b. Such entry fee shall be a taxable cost of the action. If, on the same day, more than one tenant from the same building or complex institutes an action under this section and pays the entry fee for such action, unless such fee is waived, the actions shall be treated as a single action. No recognizance or bond shall be required.
(c) Upon receipt of the complaint, the clerk shall promptly set the matter down for hearing to be held not more than fourteen days after the filing of the complaint or the return of service, whichever is later, and shall cause a copy of the complaint and the notice of the action to be sent separately by certified mail, return receipt requested, to (1) each landlord named in the complaint and (2) the director of the municipal or state agency to which the tenant has alleged, pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, that a complaint concerning the premises has been made. At such hearing, the agency notified pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection shall submit to the court the inspection report prepared as a result of the complaint made by the tenant.
(d) If proof of service is not returned to the clerk, the complaint shall be served by the plaintiff in accordance with section 52-57.
(e) The complainant may seek and the court may order interim or final relief including, but not limited to, the following: (1) An order compelling the landlord to comply with the landlord's duties under local, state or federal law; (2) an order appointing a receiver to collect rent or to correct conditions in the property which violate local, state or federal law; (3) an order staying other proceedings concerning the same property; (4) an award of money damages, which may include a retroactive abatement of rent paid pursuant to subsection (h) of this section; and (5) such other relief in law or equity as the court may deem proper. If the court orders a retroactive abatement of rent pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection and all or a portion of the tenant's rent was deposited with the court pursuant to subsection (h) of this section by a housing authority, municipality, state agency or similar entity, any rent ordered to be returned shall be returned to the tenant and such entity in proportion to the amount of rent each deposited with the court pursuant to subsection (h) of this section.
(f) The landlord, by counterclaim, may request and the court may issue an order compelling the tenant to comply with his duties under section 47a-11.
(g) The court, in ordering interim or final relief, may order that accrued payments of rent or use and occupancy held by the clerk be used for the repair of the building or be distributed in accordance with the rights of the parties.
(h) On each rent due date on or after the date when the complaint is filed with the clerk of the court, or within nine days thereafter or, in the case of a week-to-week tenancy, within four days thereafter, the tenant shall deposit with the clerk of the court an amount equal to the last agreed-upon rent. If all or a portion of the tenant's rent is being paid to the landlord by a housing authority, municipality, state agency or similar entity, this requirement shall be satisfied if the tenant deposits an amount equal to such tenant's portion of the last agreed-upon rent with the clerk. The court may make such entity a party to the action. The clerk shall accept such payment of rent and shall provide the tenant with a receipt. Payment to the clerk shall, for all purposes, be the equivalent of having made payment to the landlord himself. No landlord may maintain an action against a tenant to recover possession for nonpayment of rent if an amount equal to the rent due has been received by the clerk. When the complaint and notice of the action are served pursuant to subsection (c) or (d) of this section, the clerk shall promptly notify the landlord of the receipt of any such payment and of the prohibition against maintaining an action to recover possession for nonpayment of rent. If the complainant fails to make such payment of rent, the court may, after proper notice, upon its own motion or upon motion by the landlord, dismiss the complaint.
(i) The landlord may, at any time, move for the termination of payment into court and the clerk shall promptly schedule a hearing on such motion. If the court finds that the violations of section 47a-7 have been corrected, it shall enter a judgment with respect to the rights and obligations of the parties in the action and with respect to the distribution of any money held by the clerk.
(j) Nothing in this section and sections 47a-20 and 47a-68 shall be construed to limit or restrict in any way any rights or remedies which may be available to a tenant, to the state or to a municipality under any other law.
(k) The judges of the Superior Court may, in accordance with the provisions of section 51-14, adopt rules for actions brought under this section and sections 47a-20 and 47a-68, including the promulgation of a simplified form for the bringing of such actions.
(l) For the purposes of this section, “tenant” includes each resident of a mobile manufactured home park, as defined in section 21-64, including a resident who owns his own home, and “landlord” includes a “licensee” and an “owner” of a mobile manufactured home park, as defined in section 21-64.
(P.A. 83-510, S. 1-4, 7-9; P.A. 84-266, S. 3, 4; P.A. 85-378, S. 1, 2; P.A. 89-254, S. 3; P.A. 91-383, S. 16; P.A. 93-240; 93-435, S. 28, 95; P.A. 01-186, S. 3; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(c); P.A. 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 10-32, S. 143; P.A. 16-51, S. 2; P.A. 25-111, S. 21.)
History: P.A. 84-266 amended Subsec. (b) by providing that the entry fee may be waived in accordance with Sec. 52-259b; P.A. 85-378 amended Subsec. (a) to delete the provision that restricted the program to the Hartford-New Britain judicial district and delete the expiration date of June 30, 1984, and to prohibit an action by a tenant if a valid notice to quit has been served; amended Subsec. (b) to increase from 5 to 21 the number of days prior to the institution of an action that a tenant must make a complaint to the appropriate municipal agency, to allow the complaint to be made to another municipal agency and, in the case of a mobile manufactured home, to the commissioner of consumer protection, to provide that the entry fee is a taxable cost of the action and to provide that if more than one tenant institutes an action the actions shall be treated as a single action, amended Subsec. (c) to add “or the return of service, whichever is later,” and the requirement that the state or municipal agency submit to the court the inspection report, and amended Subsec. (h) to require the clerk to promptly notify the landlord of the failure of the tenant to make a payment and “promptly” notify the landlord of the receipt of a payment; P.A. 89-254 amended Subsec. (b) to include a complaint made “to the agency responsible for the enforcement of the code or ordinance alleged to have been violated” and to require as a condition of consolidating several actions that each tenant who institutes an action pay the entry fee for such action, unless such fee is waived, amended Subsec. (c) to replace “notice of hearing” with “notice of the action”, amended Subsec. (h) to delete provision requiring the clerk to promptly notify the landlord of the failure of the complainant to make any payment, to add provision that if all or a portion of the rent is being paid by a housing authority, municipality, state agency or similar entity the tenant satisfies the requirement by depositing with the clerk an amount equal to his portion of the last agreed-upon rent and that the court may make such entity a party to the action, to require the clerk to notify the landlord “when the complaint and notice of the action are served pursuant to Subsec. (c) or (d) of this section”, and to authorize the court to dismiss the complaint “after proper notice, upon its own motion or upon motion by the landlord” rather than “upon motion”, and amended Subsec. (i) to replace “final order” with “judgment”; P.A. 91-383 added Subsec. (l) defining “tenant” and “landlord”; P.A. 93-240 amended Subsec. (e)(4) to specify that the amount of rent that may be retroactively abated is the rent “paid pursuant to subsection (h) of this section” and to add provision re the distribution of rent ordered to be returned when all or a portion of the rent was paid by certain entities; P.A. 93-435 amended Subsec. (a) by adding reference to Sec. 21-82(a)(1) to(13), effective June 28, 1993; P.A. 01-186 amended Subsec. (h) by deleting “ten days thereof” and adding “nine days thereafter or, in the case of a week-to-week tenancy, within four days thereafter” and made a technical change for the purpose of gender neutrality; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of Consumer Protection with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; P.A. 10-32 made technical changes in Subsec. (e), effective May 10, 2010; P.A. 16-51 amended Subsec. (a) to add references to Sec. 47a-7a and to make technical changes and amended Subsec. (b) to add reference to Secs. 47a-7a and 21-82(a); P.A. 25-111 made a conforming change in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2025.
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Sec. 47a-15a. Nonpayment of rent by tenant: Landlord's remedy. Charges for late rent. Extension of grace period. (a) 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 terminate the rental agreement in accordance with the provisions of sections 47a-23 to 47a-23b, inclusive, except that such nine-day or four-day time period shall be extended an additional five days if a landlord's online rental payment system prevents the payment of rent when due. Any extension of such time periods shall apply only for the week or month, as applicable, when such rental payment system prevents the payment of rent when due. For purposes of this section, “grace period” means the nine-day or four-day time periods or the extension of such time periods identified in this subsection, as applicable.
(b) If a rental agreement contains a valid written agreement to pay a late charge in accordance with subsection (a) of section 47a-4 a landlord may assess a tenant such a late charge on a rent payment made subsequent to the grace period in accordance with this section. Such late charge may not exceed the lesser of (1) five dollars per day, up to a maximum of fifty dollars, or (2) five per cent of the delinquent rent payment or, in the case of a rental agreement paid in whole or in part by a governmental or charitable entity, five per cent of the tenant's share of the delinquent rent payment. The landlord may not assess more than one late charge upon a delinquent rent payment, regardless of how long the rent remains unpaid.
(P.A. 79-571, S. 36; P.A. 89-254, S. 5; P.A. 23-207, S. 8; Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 25-1, S. 38.)
History: P.A. 89-254 provided for a four-day grace period in the case of a one-week tenancy; P.A. 23-207 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and therein defined “grace period” and added Subsec. (b) establishing maximum charges for late rent payments; Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 25-1 amended Subsec. (a) to add provision re extension of grace period due to failure of an online rental payment system, effective January 1, 2026.
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