How long can a residential lease be in Connecticut?

The maximum length of a standard residential lease agreement is one (1) year in Connecticut. Leases can be longer than one year if the term is fixed or agreed upon beforehand by both the tenant and the landlord.

Is a Contract to Lease Binding in Connecticut?

Yes, a contract to lease is legally binding in Connecticut. As long as a written lease is signed by the landlord and the tenant, both parties are bound to the terms of the lease.

Do Lease Agreements Need to Be Notarized in Connecticut?

No, your Connecticut lease agreement does not need to be notarized. Here, leases are binding without requiring a notary seal.

Can a Lease Automatically Renew in Connecticut?

Yes, leases can automatically renew in Connecticut. Fixed-term leases are expected to end on the specified date without any required notice, but most leases can renew if the tenant decides to stay on the rental property.

Connecticut Lease Agreement (Free) | 2022 Official

The Connecticut residential lease agreement (“rental agreement”) is a written document outlining the terms and conditions between a landlord and tenant to rent real property for a fee. Once endorsed by the landlord and the tenant, the agreement becomes legally binding.

Connecticut Lease Agreement Disclosures

The below disclosures are required for some or all residential lease agreements in Connecticut.

Disclosure	Applicable to
Landlord’s Name/Address	All Units
Common Interest	All Units in a Common Interest Community
Fire Sprinkler System	All Units that Require a Fire Sprinkler System
Bed Bugs	All Units
Lead Paint	All Units Built Prior to 1978

Questions? To chat with a Connecticut landlord tenant attorney, click here

Landlord’s Name & Address

Applicable to all rental units in Connecticut.

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 rental units located in a common interest community in Connecticut.

If a rental property is located in a common interest community (where the tenant pays fees for shared amenities), this must be disclosed in the rental agreement.

The below notice is an example of sufficient 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 rental units that require a fire sprinkler system in Connecticut.

All rental dwellings that require a fire sprinkler system pursuant to the State Fire Safety Code or the Sate Fire Prevention Code in Connecticut must include a notice informing the tenant if the property has a functioning operative fire sprinkler system.

The notice must be written in 12-point, boldface and uniform font. If there is a system in place, the lease must include the maintenance/inspection history.

Download: Connecticut Operative Fire Sprinkler Disclosure Form (PDF)

Bed Bug Disclosure

Applicable to all units in Connecticut.

Landlords may not offer a unit for rent that has a bedbug infestation or a potential infestation. If there is an adjacent or contiguous property that has bed bugs, the landlord must provide a notice of the infestation. Upon a tenant’s request, the landlord must disclose the last date of inspection for bed bugs.

An example of a bed bug addendum or section would be:

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 rental units built prior to 1978.

It is a federal law in the United States that any home built prior to 1978 must disclose the risks posed by lead-based paints. Paint, paint chips or dust may cause lead-based paint exposure. This law requires landlords in Connecticut to:

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 additional records or reports about the presence or hazards of any known 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 & Addendums (Recommended)

The below lease agreement disclosures and addendums are not required by Connecticut law. These disclosures can be helpful to include to help reduce future conflicts with tenants or reduce legal liability for landlords.

Optional Disclosure	How the Disclosure is Helpful
Asbestos	This disclosure informs tenants if there is asbestos at the property. If there is asbestos a tenant can take certain precautions to minimize the chance of disturbing the asbestos fibers.
Late/Returned Check Fees	Landlords should disclose if they will charge a late fee or a returned check fee in the lease agreement. In Connecticut a late fee must be reasonable and a there is a $20 limit on bounced checks.
Medical Marijuana Use	Inform tenants if medical marijuana use on the property is permittable. Some state laws allow landlords to restrict marijuana usage to non-smoking methods only or inform tenants of designated smoking areas to not interfere with other tenants’ enjoyment of the premises.
Mold Disclosure	Informing the tenant of the current mold status of a property protects the landlord against future liability of mold damages.
Move-in Checklist	A move-in checklist holds the tenant accountable for future damages that they may cause.
Non-Refundable Fees	A non-refundable charge must be written in the lease agreement. If a non-refundable charge is not written in the lease, the tenant may be subject to a refund upon termination of the lease.
Shared Utilities Arrangements	For rental units with shared utilities, a landlord should disclose the specifics of how they are shared, and how each party’s bill is calculated. Providing this information to tenants will give them a reasonable expectation of what they owe each month.
Smoking	Inform tenants of designated smoking areas to not interfere with other tenants’ enjoyment of the premises.

Consequences of Not Including Mandatory Disclosures

Disclosures outline the important health, safety and property information and vary by state. If a landlord does not provide the tenant with the federally or state mandated disclosures, they could face legal repercussions or monetary penalties.

In Connecticut, a landlord who fails to comply with the bed bug disclosure can face monetary penalties. A landlord can be found to be liable to the tenant for attorneys’ fees and may be liable to pay $250 or the tenant’s actual damages, whichever is greater. (House Bill No. 5335, Public Act 16-51)

If a landlord fails to disclose the lead-based paint hazard disclosure, they can face fines up to $18,364 per violation. (24 CFR § 30.65)

It’s best to check with your local laws on which disclosures are required to provide to your tenant.

Sources

1 CT Gen Stat § 47a-6 (2019): …(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): …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): …(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): …(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): …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…