How long can a residential lease be in Connecticut?

Depending on circumstances, in Connecticut it’s usually possible to have a lease of any length of time, as long as the length of the lease term is specific and agreed in writing by the landlord and tenant. Oral leases can almost never be for a term of more than one year.

Is a Contract to Lease Binding in Connecticut?

Yes, a contract to lease is legally binding in Connecticut. To be valid, a contract to lease may have to be written, especially for a fixed term over one year. Oral leases may be valid in some cases (especially when both parties later behave as though there’s an enforceable oral lease), but often have strict limitations on enforceability for things like length of the lease term.

Do Lease Agreements Need to Be Notarized in Connecticut?

No, lease agreements do not need to be notarized in Connecticut. A notary helps establish the identity of the people signing the lease, if there’s a claim of fraud, but a notary isn’t necessary for a lease to be valid.

Can a Lease Automatically Renew in Connecticut?

Yes, a lease can automatically renew in Connecticut. Most rental agreements will automatically renew when the initial tenancy period is over, if neither party takes action. Past this point, the lease typically becomes a month-to-month rental agreement, with the same basic terms and conditions otherwise as the original lease. In some cases, such as if rent is being paid weekly, the lease may become a week-to-week lease.

Connecticut Residential Lease Agreement

A Connecticut residential lease agreement (“rental agreement”) is a legal contract between a landlord overseeing a rental property and a tenant using the property. State and local laws set the rules for rental agreements, such as laws regulating the use of a tenant’s security deposit.

Connecticut Residential Lease Agreement Disclosures

Connecticut requires the following disclosures for some or all residential lease agreements.

Disclosure	Applicable To
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
Move-In Checklist	All Leases Beginning Jan. 1, 2024
Notice of Elderly and Disabled Tenant Rights	All New Leases on Properties with 5+ Units
Lead Paint	All Units Built Before 1978

Landlord’s Name and Address

Applies to all Connecticut rentals.

Connecticut landlords and tenants must have a way to communicate important notices and demands. In the lease, landlords must provide their name and address, or that of their authorized agent. Most leases in practice include additional contact information, such as phone numbers and email addresses. The tenant must receive this information when the lease begins, or earlier.

Common Interest Community Notice

Applies 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

Applies to all Connecticut rentals units that require a fire sprinkler system.

Connecticut requires some properties to have a fire sprinkler system. Landlords of these properties must disclose to tenants whether the sprinkler 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

Applies 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 also must 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)

Move-In Checklist

Applies to all leases which begin on or later than January 1, 2024.

Connecticut landlords must provide a move-in checklist (alongside a signed copy of the lease) to inventory existing property damage. The landlord must walk the tenant through, with the checklist, before the tenant moves in. This ensures accurate deductions from the security deposit upon move-out.

A landlord cannot deduct from the security deposit to repair issues which already were noted on the move-in checklist.

Download: Connecticut Housing Commission Walkthrough Checklist (DOC)

Notice of Elderly and Disabled Tenant Rights

Applies to all leases in a complex or mobile home park with five or more dwellings, beginning January 1, 2024.

Connecticut law gives special protections to tenants over age 62, disabled tenants, and family members who live with them. Some types of evictions and rent increases aren’t allowed if a tenant falls into one of these protected categories. Landlords of properties which contain five or more units must provide a Housing Commission notice about these rights with every new or renewed tenancy.

Download: Connecticut Housing Commission Notice for Elderly and Disabled Tenants (PDF)

Lead-Based Paint Disclosure

Applies 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 (including building-wide evaluations, for multi-unit buildings with common areas)

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 help with tenant management and landlord liability.

Optional Disclosure	Purpose
Asbestos	Informs tenants about any asbestos hazards related to the property. Tenants can reduce asbestos risk by not disturbing asbestos fibers.
Late/Returned Check Fees	Specifies late fees or returned check fees related to the lease. Connecticut caps late fees at 5% of the late payment or $5/day up to maximum $50, whichever is less. Returned check fees are capped 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 efforts, plus information about treatments. This helps limit landlord liability.
Non-Refundable Fees	Charges not agreed by the tenant in the lease may be refundable when the lease ends. For Connecticut landlords to charge a non-refundable fee, it must be disclosed and agreed as such in the lease.
Shared Utilities Arrangements	Sets terms for how to divide utility costs up on properties which share a utility meter with other units. 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 Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-6: (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.

(b) If the landlord fails to comply with subsection (a) of this section, the person authorized by the landlord to enter into the rental agreement with the tenant shall be deemed the agent of the landlord for (1) service of process and receipt of any such notices or demands, and (2) for performing the obligations of the landlord under sections 47a-7 and 47a-13 and the rental agreement, and (3) expending funds from the rent collected from the premises to perform such obligations.
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2 Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-3e: 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. (P.A. 88-322, S. 2.)
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3 Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-3f: (a) As used in this section, “fire sprinkler system” means a system of piping and appurtenances designed and installed in accordance with generally accepted standards so that heat from a fire will automatically cause water to be discharged over the fire area to extinguish or prevent its further spread.

(b) When renting a dwelling unit in a building required to be equipped with a fire sprinkler system pursuant to section 29-315, the State Fire Safety Code, the State Fire Prevention Code or any other statute or regulation, 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 building, and such notice 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 building, the rental agreement shall provide further notice as to the last date of maintenance and inspection, and such notice shall be printed in not less than twelve-point boldface type of uniform font.
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4 Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7a(c) & (d): (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.

(d) (1) If any landlord fails to comply with the provisions of this section, then any tenant may proceed as provided in section 47a-12 or section 47a-14h. Any landlord who fails to comply with the provisions of this section shall be liable to the tenant for reasonable attorneys’ fees and the greater of two hundred fifty dollars or the tenant’s actual damages.
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5 Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7c: (a) As used in this section, “walk-through” means a joint physical inspection of the dwelling unit by the landlord and the tenant, or their designees, for the purpose of noting and listing any observed conditions within the dwelling unit. On and after January 1, 2024, upon or after the entry into a rental agreement but prior to the tenant’s occupancy of a dwelling unit, a landlord shall offer such tenant the opportunity to conduct a walk-through of the dwelling unit. If the tenant requests such a walk-through, the landlord and tenant, or their designees, shall use a copy of the preoccupancy walk-through checklist prepared by the Commissioner of Housing under subsection (c) of this section. The landlord and the tenant, or their designees, shall specifically note on the walk-through checklist any existing conditions, defects or damages to the dwelling unit present at the time of the walk-through. After the walk-through, the landlord and the tenant, or their designees, shall sign duplicate copies of the walkthrough checklist and each shall receive a copy.

(b) Upon the tenant’s vacating of the dwelling unit, the landlord may not retain any part of the security deposit collected under chapter 831 of the general statutes or seek payment from the tenant for any condition, defect or damage that was noted in the preoccupancy walk-through checklist. Such walk-through checklist shall be admissible, subject to the rules of evidence, but shall not be conclusive, as evidence of the condition of the dwelling unit at the beginning of a tenant’s occupancy in any administrative or judicial proceeding.

(c) Not later than December 1, 2023, the Commissioner of Housing shall (1) prepare a standardized preoccupancy walk-through checklist for any landlord and tenant to use to document the condition of any dwelling unit during a preoccupancy walk-through under subsection (a) of this section, and (2) make such checklist available on the Department of Housing’s Internet web site.

(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any tenancy under a rental agreement entered into prior to January 1, 2024.
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6 Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23c(e): (1) On and after January 1, 2024, whenever a dwelling unit located in a building or complex consisting of five or more separate dwelling units or in a mobile manufactured home park is rented to, or a rental agreement is entered into or renewed with, a tenant, the landlord of such dwelling unit or such landlord’s agent shall provide such tenant with written notice of the provisions of subsections (b) and (c) of this section in a form as described in subdivision (2) of this subsection.

(2) Not later than December 1, 2023, the Commissioner of Housing shall create a notice to be used by landlords, pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, to inform tenants of the rights provided to protected tenants under subsections (b) and (c) of this section. Such notice shall be a one-page, plain-language summary of such rights and shall be available in both English and Spanish. Not later than December 1, 2023, such notice shall be posted on the Department of Housing’s Internet web site.

(3) Not later than December 1, 2028, the commissioner shall (A) translate the notice required under subdivision (2) of this subsection into the five most commonly spoken languages in the state, as determined by the commissioner, and (B) post such translations on the Department of Housing’s Internet web site not later than December 1, 2028.
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7 Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b): If a rental agreement contains a valid written agreement to pay a late charge in accordance with subsection (a) of section 47a-4 a landlord may assess a tenant such a late charge on a rent payment made subsequent to the grace period in accordance with this section. Such late charge may not exceed the lesser of (1) five dollars per day, up to a maximum of fifty dollars, or (2) five per cent of the delinquent rent payment or, in the case of a rental agreement paid in whole or in part by a governmental or charitable entity, five per cent of the tenant’s share of the delinquent rent payment. The landlord may not assess more than one late charge upon a delinquent rent payment, regardless of how long the rent remains unpaid.
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8 Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-565a(i): Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, in the case of a drawer who negotiates a check which is dishonored, the payee or its assignee may impose on the drawer a service charge of up to twenty dollars, provided, no such service charge may be imposed if (1) the drawer has stopped payment on the check, (2) the check was stolen, or (3) the drawer has raised a reasonable defense with respect to the validity of the underlying debt. The drawer shall not be liable under this subsection for more than one such service charge for each dishonored check.
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