Hartford Landlord-Tenant Rules

Fair rent commission: Hartford has a Fair Rent Commission with authority under state and local law to address unreasonable rent increases. A tenant who thinks a rent increase is excessive can file a written complaint (forms in English and Spanish). A housing code inspector then inspects the unit and reports to the Commission, and if staff cannot mediate the dispute, the Commission holds a public hearing. It can order repairs or adjust the rent until problems are fixed. Deferred maintenance and health and safety code violations are the most common complaints. The five-member Commission includes at least two tenants and at least two landlords and meets the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m.; Required notices/registration: Under the Rental Licensing Program (2019 Housing Code), owners need a separate Rental License for each covered building. The license covers the whole building, lasts four years, and replaces the Certificate of Apartment Occupancy for its units. Getting one requires an application, fees and passing City housing and fire inspections; the Fire Marshal also inspects yearly during the license term. The program has been phased in by building size: buildings with 40 or more units, hotels, rooming houses and group living applied in 2023; 10 to 39 units in 2024; 4 to 9 units in 2025; and 3-unit buildings that are not owner-occupied must apply between July 1 and October 31, 2026. A building with five or more Housing Code citations can be pulled into the program early. For buildings built before 1978, a lead-safe report is required if a child six or younger lives or will live in a unit. Late applications carry a $1,000 penalty, and renting without a license can bring daily per-unit fines.