A Connecticut residential lease agreement (“rental agreement”) is a legal contract between a landlord overseeing a residential property and a tenant who wishes to rent it. A residential lease may, on or before move-in, additionally require a security deposit from the tenant as assurance against future property damage.
Connecticut Residential Lease Agreement Disclosures
These disclosures are required for some or all residential lease agreements in Connecticut:
Disclosure | Applicable To |
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Landlord’s Name and Address | All Units |
Common Interest | Units in a Common Interest Community |
Fire Sprinkler System | Units that Require a Fire Sprinkler System |
Bed Bugs | All Units |
Lead Paint | All Units Built Before 1978 |
Landlord’s Name and Address
Applicable to all Connecticut rentals.
Creates a line of communication for important notices and demands between tenant and landlord. Landlords or any authorized individuals who act on behalf of the property should provide contact information (including their address) within or alongside the lease. This information should be provided to the tenant on or before the commencement of the tenancy.
Common Interest Community Notice
Applicable to all Connecticut rentals units located in a common interest community.
Connecticut leases must contain a disclosure if they are located in a common interest community (where the tenant pays fees for shared amenities).
This is an example of a common interest community disclosure:
NOTICE OF COMMON INTEREST COMMUNITY. This property is located in a common interest community, which means that the Tenant may be subjected to fees associated with the support of common interests such as amenities.
Download: Connecticut Notice of Common Interest Community Disclosure Form (PDF)
Operative Fire Sprinkler System Notice
Applicable to all Connecticut rentals units that require a fire sprinkler system.
Connecticut landlords of property that requires a fire sprinkler system pursuant to the State Fire Safety Code or the Sate Fire Prevention Code must disclose to tenants whether that system is installed and in proper operating condition. If installed, the landlord must attach the maintenance and inspection history of the system to the lease. The notice must be written in 12-point, boldfaced and uniform font.
Download: Connecticut Operative Fire Sprinkler Disclosure Form (PDF)
Bed Bug Disclosure
Applicable to all Connecticut rentals.
Connecticut landlords must provide notice of infestation whenever bed bugs are found on the rental property or an adjacent or contiguous property. Upon a tenant’s request, the landlord must also disclose the last date of inspection for bed bugs.
This is an example of a bed bug disclosure clause:
BED BUGS. At the time of presenting this agreement, Landlord certifies:
[ ] No known current infestation or history of bed bugs in this property.
[ ] There is no known current infestation, but there is a history of infestation in this property.
[ ] No known current infestation, but there is a nearby infestation or history of infestations which may place the property at risk.See attached addendum for more information.
Addendum
Download: Connecticut Bed Bug Disclosure Form (PDF)
Lead-Based Paint Disclosure
Applicable to any Connecticut rentals built before 1978.
Connecticut residential leases for property built before 1978 must, by federal law, contain a lead-based paint disclosure. This requires landlords to do the following:
- Fill out and attach this lead-based paint disclosure form to the lease agreement.
- Provide the tenant with an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved pamphlet about the dangers of lead-based paint.
- Provide any additional records or reports about the presence or hazards of lead-based paint in the unit. For multi-unit buildings with common areas, this includes information from building-wide evaluations.
Download: Connecticut Lead-Based Paint Disclosure Form (PDF)
Optional Disclosures and Addenda (Recommended)
The following lease agreement disclosures and addenda are not required by Connecticut law in residential lease agreements, but assist with tenant management and help limit landlord liability.
Optional Disclosure | Purpose |
---|---|
Asbestos | Informs tenants about any asbestos hazards related to the property. Tenants can take precautions to reduce asbestos hazards by avoiding any disturbance of asbestos fibers. |
Late/Returned Check Fees | Specifies late fees or returned check fees related to the lease. Connecticut requires “reasonable” late fees, and caps returned check fees at $20 per check. |
Medical Marijuana Use | Informs tenants about policy related to medical marijuana use on the rental property. Some state laws allow landlords to restrict marijuana usage to non-smoking methods only, or allow use only in designated smoking areas. |
Mold Disclosure | Informs tenants about actual or suspected mold contamination on the property, along with any remediation efforts, to help limit landlord liability. |
Move-In Checklist | Takes inventory of existing property damage, when the tenant takes possession of the rental property. This enables accurate deductions from the security deposit upon move-out. |
Non-Refundable Fees | Charges not agreed by the tenant in the lease may be refundable upon lease termination. For Connecticut landlords to charge a non-refundable fee, it must be disclosed and agreed as such in the lease. |
Shared Utilities Arrangements | Discloses how charges are billed to individual tenants, when multiple rental units share a utility meter for the whole building or property. This ensures tenants receive fair charges and understand what uses contribute to their bill. |
Smoking | Informs tenants of designated smoking areas that do not interfere with the quiet enjoyment of other tenants. |
Consequences of Not Including Mandatory Disclosures
Mandatory disclosures outline important health, safety, and property information for the benefit of both landlord and tenant. A landlord who fails to provide federally or state-mandated disclosures could face legal consequences or monetary penalties, either from a tenant lawsuit or from state officials. Many lease provisions may be unenforceable without legally required disclosures.
Failure to comply with the state bed bug disclosure requirements carries liability for the tenant’s attorney fees, plus the greater of $250 or the tenant’s actual damages as a fine.
Failure to comply with the federal lead-based paint hazard disclosure risks fines of tens of thousands of dollars per violation.
Sources
- 1 CT Gen Stat § 47a-6 (2019)
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…(a) It is the duty of the landlord or an agent authorized by him, or any successor landlord or such successor’s agent to notify the tenant in writing, on or before the commencement of the tenancy, or in the case of a successor at the time of such succession, of the name and address of (1) the person authorized to manage the premises and (2) the person who is authorized to receive all notices, demands and service of process. Such name and address shall be kept current…
- 2 CT Gen Stat § 47a-3e (2019)
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…Whenever a dwelling unit in a common interest community is rented from a declarant, successor declarant or person acting on the declarant’s or successor declarant’s behalf, such declarant, successor declarant or person shall, prior to entering into a rental agreement, provide the tenant with a written notice that the dwelling unit is located in a common interest community…
- 3 CT Gen Stat § 47a-3f (2019)
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…(b) When renting any dwelling unit, the landlord of such dwelling unit shall include notice in the rental agreement as to the existence or nonexistence of an operative fire sprinkler system in such dwelling unit and shall be printed in not less than twelve-point boldface type of uniform font.
(c) If there is an operative fire sprinkler system in the dwelling unit, the rental agreement shall provide further notice as to the last date of maintenance and inspection and shall be printed in not less than twelve-point boldface type of uniform font…
- 4 CT Gen Stat § 47a-7a (2019)
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…(c) No landlord shall offer for rent a dwelling unit that the landlord knows or reasonably suspects is infested with bed bugs. Before renting a dwelling unit, a landlord shall disclose to a prospective tenant whether the unit the landlord is offering for rent or any contiguous unit of which the landlord is an owner, lessor or sublessor is currently infested with bed bugs. Upon request from a tenant or prospective tenant, a landlord shall disclose the last date on which the dwelling unit being rented or offered for rent was inspected for, and found to be free of, a bed bug infestation…
- 5 CT Gen Stat § 47a-15a (2019)
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…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.
(from CT Gen Stat § 47a-4 (2019))
(8) agrees to pay a late charge prior to the expiration of the grace period set forth in section 47a-15a or to pay rent in a reduced amount if such rent is paid prior to the expiration of such grace period…