What a Landlord Cannot Do in Connecticut
The main limits Connecticut law puts on landlords — lockouts and utility shutoffs, entering without notice, retaliation, deposits, fees and discrimination — each with the statute or official source.
In short: a Connecticut landlord cannot evict without a court order, cannot punish a tenant for asserting legal rights where state law protects them, and must follow the state's rules on entry, deposits and fees shown below.
| Lockouts & utility shutoffs | Self-help eviction is illegal. Civil: 'entry and detainer' complaint to a Superior Court judge for being ousted, held out, or having property removed or detained; double damages plus costs. Criminal: landlord who, without a court order, deprives a tenant of access to the unit or possessions commits criminal lockout, a class C misdemeanor. Loss of landlord-supplied essential services is remedied under § 47a-13. § 53a-214 text verified at https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/sup/chap_952.htm (P.A. 25-44 amended it, extending it to nonresidential lessees). § 53a-214 itself does not mention utilities. |
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| Landlord entry notice | Reasonable written or oral notice and entry only at reasonable times, except in an emergency. No fixed number of hours in the statute. Without consent, entry only in an emergency, under § 47a-16a (extended absence), by court order, or after abandonment. Unlawful entry or repeated harassing demands: tenant may recover actual damages of not less than one month's rent plus attorney's fees (§ 47a-18a). |
| Landlord retaliation | Landlord may not sue for possession, raise rent, or reduce services within 6 months after the tenant in good faith: tries to remedy a code violation (including contacting officials or filing a fair rent commission complaint); triggers a municipal notice or order; requests repairs; files a § 47a-14h action; or organizes or joins a tenants' union. Exceptions include nonpayment, lease violations, and good-faith owner occupancy. Annotations treat the 6-month window as a rebuttable presumption; the statute text does not use that word. |
| Security deposit limit | 2 months' rent; 1 month's rent if the tenant is 62 or older. A tenant who turns 62 after paying more than one month's rent can ask for the excess back. Excess-refund-at-62 rule added by P.A. 17-236. Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(b) |
| Penalty for withholding | Landlord who misses the deadline or itemization requirement is liable for twice the amount of the security deposit. If the only violation is unpaid interest, liability is the greater of $10 or twice the accrued interest. Knowing and wilful failure is also a fine of up to $250 per offense. |
| Late fees | No late fee until the 9-day grace period expires (4 days for weekly). Late charge must be in a written agreement and may not exceed the lesser of (1) $5 per day up to $50, or (2) 5% of the delinquent payment (5% of the tenant's share if rent is partly paid by a government or charity). Only one late charge per delinquent payment. Cap added by P.A. 23-207. |
| Rent control / increase limits | No statewide rent control or rent cap. Towns may create Fair Rent Commissions, which can rule that a rent or increase is excessive. P.A. 22-30 required specified larger towns to have a commission by July 1, 2023. |
| Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income | Yes. It is a discriminatory housing practice to refuse to rent to someone, or to treat them differently in rental terms or advertising, because of their 'lawful source of income.' This means income from Social Security, SSI, housing assistance (which includes vouchers), child support, alimony, or public or state-administered general assistance. A landlord may still deny solely for insufficient income. Exempt: renting rooms in an owner-occupied single-family home, and units in an owner-occupied two-family dwelling. Violation is a class D misdemeanor. Complaints go to the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. The definition of 'lawful source of income' in § 46a-63(3) applies to the whole chapter. It was verified at https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_814c.htm. The term 'housing assistance' is not further defined there, so whether it covers every type of subsidy is an interpretation question. |
| Cameras & privacy | No landlord-specific statute. Knowingly recording another person's image without knowledge and consent while they are not in plain view and reasonably expect privacy, with malice or sexual intent, is voyeurism (felony). Mechanical overhearing or recording of a conversation without the consent of at least one party, by someone not present, is eavesdropping (class D felony). The landlord must give reasonable written or oral notice and enter only at reasonable times, except in emergencies, and may not abuse the right of entry to harass the tenant (§ 47a-16). |
| Other rental fees | Move-in and move-out fees are banned (§ 47a-4d(b)). Advertised rent must include every fee the tenant is required to pay on a periodic basis, prorated, even fees charged by default that the tenant could opt out of. Excluded from that rule: actual-cost payment processing fees (if a fee-free payment option is offered), pet fees or deposits, submetered or variable direct-paid utilities, damage charges, and separate service fees such as lockouts or key replacement. Starting April 1, 2026, every written lease must have as its first page a completed copy of the Department of Housing's standardized rental terms summary form. Tenant payments must be applied to rent first, then to other fees. The penalty for violating § 47a-7d is one month's rent payable to the tenant, plus possible attorney's fees. Landlords may not require electronic funds transfer as the only way to pay rent or a deposit (§ 47a-4c). On request, the landlord must give an occupant a copy of the ledger showing charges, payments, and balance (§ 47a-3a(d)). Late fees are capped separately (§ 47a-15a(b)). § 47a-7d was added by P.A. 25-44, § 9, and § 47a-3a(d) by P.A. 25-146 (effective July 1, 2025). § 47a-4c (lease executed on or after Oct. 1, 2013) was verified at https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_830.htm. Also, since January 1, 2026, using revenue-management (algorithmic rent-setting) software is an unfair trade practice (§ 47a-4f, Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 25-1). The § 47a-7d supplement text shows no separate effective date for the advertising rule. |
Can I sue my landlord in Connecticut? · All Connecticut tenant rights
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.