New Haven Landlord-Tenant Rules
New Haven adds local rules on top of Connecticut landlord-tenant law. Here is what is different, with the city code or agency page behind each rule.
| Fair rent commission | New Haven's Fair Rent Commission, created in 1969, can investigate rents, hold hearings, subpoena witnesses and decide whether a rent is so excessive as to be harsh and unconscionable. It can order an excessive rent reduced, retroactive to the date the complaint was filed, for one year. If a unit violates health and safety laws, it can order the tenant to pay rent into a Commission escrow account until the landlord makes repairs. A hearing must be set within 60 days of a complaint, or within 30 days if the tenant claims harassment or retaliation, and the Commission decides within 10 days after the hearing. Staff first try to settle the complaint informally. While a complaint is pending, the tenant keeps paying the last agreed rent. Violating a Commission order or the anti-retaliation rules is punishable by a fine of up to $100 a day. The nine-member Commission must include at least five tenants. Text is from a copy of the ordinance hosted by the Connecticut Department of Housing. Under the ordinance, appeals go to court within 10 days of the decision. |
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| Tenant unions | Since a 2022 amendment, tenants in a building (or adjoining buildings) with 10 or more rental units under common ownership can form a tenants' union by majority agreement and register it with the Fair Rent Commission. A registered union, through its chosen representative (who need not be a tenant), can take part in Commission studies, investigations and hearings. Tenants of owner-occupied buildings cannot form a union under this ordinance. |
Eviction cases in New Haven are heard in: Connecticut Superior Court, Housing Session at New Haven, 121 Elm Street, New Haven (Clerk: 203-789-7937)
Right to a lawyer in eviction cases
Through the statewide Connecticut Right to Counsel program (CT-RTC) for income-eligible tenants; call 1-800-559-1565 or visit evictionhelpct.org. Official source
Local agencies
- New Haven Fair Rent Commission — Hears excessive-rent and retaliation complaints, can reduce rents or escrow rent for code problems, and registers tenants' unions.
Frequently asked questions
What landlord-tenant rules does New Haven add on top of Connecticut law?
Fair rent commission: New Haven's Fair Rent Commission, created in 1969, can investigate rents, hold hearings, subpoena witnesses and decide whether a rent is so excessive as to be harsh and unconscionable. It can order an excessive rent reduced, retroactive to the date the complaint was filed, for one year. If a unit violates health and safety laws, it can order the tenant to pay rent into a Commission escrow account until the landlord makes repairs. A hearing must be set within 60 days of a complaint, or within 30 days if the tenant claims harassment or retaliation, and the Commission decides within 10 days after the hearing. Staff first try to settle the complaint informally. While a complaint is pending, the tenant keeps paying the last agreed rent. Violating a Commission order or the anti-retaliation rules is punishable by a fine of up to $100 a day. The nine-member Commission must include at least five tenants.; Tenant unions: Since a 2022 amendment, tenants in a building (or adjoining buildings) with 10 or more rental units under common ownership can form a tenants' union by majority agreement and register it with the Fair Rent Commission. A registered union, through its chosen representative (who need not be a tenant), can take part in Commission studies, investigations and hearings. Tenants of owner-occupied buildings cannot form a union under this ordinance.
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General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.