How to become a landlord in Connecticut

Since April 1, 2026, a written lease must have as its first page a completed copy of the Department of Housing's standardized rental terms summary form. Connecticut also requires a sprinkler notice in the lease for buildings required to have sprinklers, a bed bug disclosure before renting, and, in buildings of five or more units, a notice of the protections for older and disabled tenants (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7d(d); Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-3f; Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7a(c); Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23c(e)).

• The summary form states the term, the landlord, the property contact, each tenant and the total periodic rent. A landlord who violates the section owes the tenant a civil penalty of one month's rent, and the court may add attorney's fees (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7d(c), (d), (f)).
• In a building required to have a fire sprinkler system, the lease must say in 12-point bold type whether an operative system exists and, if so, the date of its last maintenance and inspection (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-3f).
• Before renting a unit other than a detached single-family home, disclose whether it or an adjoining unit you own is currently infested with bed bugs, and on request give the last date it was inspected and found free of them. You may not rent a unit you know or suspect is infested (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7a(a)(7), (c)).
• Since January 1, 2024, in a building or complex of five or more units, give each new or renewing tenant the Department of Housing's one-page notice of the good-cause and fair rent protections (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23c(e)).
• Within 30 days of receiving a deposit, give written notice of the amount and the institution holding it (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(h)(4)(A)).See Deposit account and interest on the Connecticut page
• Name the person who manages the property and the person who receives notices and legal papers (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-6).See Landlord identity on the Connecticut page
• A declarant renting a unit in a common interest community must say so in writing before the lease is signed (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-3e).

At or before the start of the tenancy, tell the tenant in writing the name and address of the person who manages the property and the person authorized to receive notices, demands and legal papers, and keep them current. A new owner must do the same when it takes over (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-6(a)).

• If you do not, the person who signed the lease for you is treated as your agent for legal papers and notices and for making repairs, paid from the rent (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-6(b)).
• A landlord who does not live in Connecticut must appoint the Secretary of the State in writing to receive legal papers (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(f)).
• A town may require a nonresident owner to file a current residential address with the assessor or another office and update it within 21 days of a change (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-6a(b)).

This page did not find a flood notice rule for rentals. Connecticut's landlord and tenant laws contain none, and the state's residential condition report, which asks about flood risk, applies when a property is offered for sale, exchange or a lease with an option to buy. Other parts of the statutes were not read, so no general rule for rentals is stated here (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-327b(a)).

The state Fire Safety Code must require smoke detection and warning equipment in residential buildings designed for one or more families, and carbon monoxide equipment in new one- and two-family homes permitted since October 1, 2005. Landlords must follow the codes that affect health and safety. The Fire Safety Code itself was not read for this page (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-292(a)(1); Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7(a)(1)).

• No certificate of occupancy issues for a residential building without smoke detection equipment that meets the codes (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 29-292(b)(1)).

When a tenant is protected by a court order that requires the other person to stay away, and gives the landlord a copy, the landlord must say within six hours whether it will change the locks or let the tenant do it. If the landlord agrees to change them, it must do so within 48 hours. This page did not find a general rekeying rule for new tenants in the sections read (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7b(a)).

• If the landlord declines or misses the deadlines, the tenant may change the locks to equal or better quality and must give the landlord a key within two business days (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7b(b)).
• The landlord pays the locksmith and may charge the tenant only the actual reasonable cost, collectible by suit or from the deposit, never by eviction (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7b(c)).
• The landlord may not give the restrained person a key, and may not charge the protected tenant more rent or fees because that person is excluded (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7b(e), (f)).

A landlord may not demand a security deposit of more than two months' rent from a tenant under 62, or more than one month's rent from a tenant 62 or older. Any advance rental payment counts as a security deposit, except an advance payment of the first month's rent and a deposit for a key or special equipment (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(a)(11), (b)).

• If a tenant turns 62 after paying a deposit larger than one month's rent, the landlord must return the part above one month's rent when the tenant asks (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(b)(2)).
• The deposit remains the tenant's property. The landlord holds only a security interest in it, and the landlord's creditors cannot attach it (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(c)).
• Apart from the deposit, the first month's rent, a key or equipment deposit and a capped screening report fee, a landlord may not demand any other payment before or at the start of the tenancy (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-4d(b)).See Application and screening fees on the Connecticut page

Put the entire deposit immediately into an escrow account for the tenant at a bank, savings bank or savings and loan located in Connecticut. Within 30 days of receiving the deposit, or of moving it, tell the tenant in writing the amount held and the name and address of the institution. Pay interest each year at no less than the deposit index for that year. Checked October 13, 2026: the Department of Banking publishes 0.49% as the rental security deposit interest rate for calendar year 2026. Check its annual rate history for earlier years and the next published rate for later years; do not apply the 2026 figure to every year of a tenancy (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(a)(5), (h), (i); Department of Banking: 2026 deposit interest rate).

• On each anniversary of the tenancy, pay the interest to the tenant or credit it toward the next rent payment, as you choose. If the tenancy ends before an anniversary, or you return the deposit early, pay the accrued interest within 21 days (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(i)).
• No interest is owed for a month in which the tenant was more than ten days late with rent, unless you charged a late fee for that month. You may not raise the rent because you must pay interest (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(i)).
• The interest rule does not apply to housing an educational institution owns or controls for its students and their families (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(i)).
• A lease term by which the tenant gives up deposit interest is unenforceable (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-4(a)(4), (b)).
• If the Banking Commissioner asks in writing for information about a tenant's deposit, including the institution and account number, you must answer within seven days (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(h)(4)(B)).
• A knowing and wilful escrow violation can bring a fine of up to $500, up to 30 days in jail, or both. It is a defense that the landlord leased to fewer than four tenants who paid deposits (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(k)(2)).
• When you sell the property, transfer the deposits and interest to the buyer, who becomes responsible for returning them (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(e), (h)(3)).

For a lease entered into on or after January 1, 2024, offer the tenant a walk-through of the unit after signing and before move-in. If the tenant accepts, both of you use the Department of Housing's standard checklist, note every existing condition, defect or damage, sign duplicate copies and each keep one (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7c(a)).

• You may not keep any part of the deposit, or seek payment, for a condition noted on the checklist (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7c(b)).
• The checklist is admissible as evidence of the unit's condition at move-in, but it is not conclusive (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7c(b)).

A landlord, a third party acting for a landlord, or a third party acting for the state may not charge for processing, reviewing or accepting a rental application. The permitted tenant screening report fee is limited to $50 plus the annual inflation adjustment determined by the Commissioner of Housing. Section 59 of Public Act 26-68 extended these rules to the named third parties effective May 26, 2026. The current adjusted dollar figure has not been read for this page (P.A. 26-68, section 59 (effective May 26, 2026); Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-4d(b), (c)).

• A tenant screening report is a credit, criminal background, employment history or rental history report, or any combination of them (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-4d(a)).
• A landlord or either of the named third parties charging a screening report fee must give the applicant the report and the screening company's receipt or invoice. Only when prohibited from supplying the report may the charging party instead give information enabling the applicant to request it from the producer (P.A. 26-68, section 59 (effective May 26, 2026); Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-4d(d)).
• Move-in and move-out fees are not allowed (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-4d(b)).
• Check an eviction record's current status before using a screening report. Section 47a-26j requires the Judicial Department to remove identifying case information from its website within 30 days after withdrawal, dismissal, nonsuit or a final disposition with judgment for the defendant. Removed records are also excluded from the Department's commercial bulk sales (Conn. Gen. Stat. 47a-26j(a), (c)).See Eviction process on the Connecticut page
• The same section bars commercial disclosure of records removed under subsection (a), including disclosure for consumer reports or prospective-tenant screening. Appeals or later case activity can require website retention or restoration, and formal written judicial opinions remain publishable. Website removal is therefore a specific access and disclosure rule, not a statement that every eviction record disappears (Conn. Gen. Stat. 47a-26j(b), (d), (e)).