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Housing advocates and their allies in the Connecticut legislature are pushing a bill this year that would require landlords to provide a reason when they evict renters.
The state Housing Committee approved the bill on Feb. 29, meaning that it may appear on the Senate floor in the coming weeks. Sometimes, bills recommended by a committee do not make it to the floor for a vote because Democratic leaders do not have the votes to pass them.
Here’s what to know about the eviction reform legislation, which advocates call the “just cause” eviction protection bill.
What is a just cause eviction?
Currently, the state operates under a no-fault framework, which means that a landlord can choose not to renew a tenant’s lease at its expiration for any reason.
Connecticut already protects against lapse-of-time evictions for senior citizens and people with disabilities — meaning a tenant was evicted after their lease term was up. Under Senate Bill 143, which was recommended by the state Housing Committee, Connecticut would expand those protections to most tenants who live in apartments with five or more units.
The new law, if passed, would require landlords to cite a cause when they evict tenants. There were more than 20,600 evictions filed in 2023 in Connecticut, of which 11% were lapse-of-time evictions.
When would a no-fault eviction be filed?
Kelly DeMatteo, a landlord and president of the Connecticut Apartment Association, said she uses lapse-of-time evictions when a tenant is disruptive to their neighbors.
She added that she doesn’t think those types of evictions happen often. A statement from the Apartment Association called lapse-of-time evictions “a very important tool used as a last resort,” to prevent “improper or illegal activity.”
But tenants can also face lapse-of-time evictions as retaliatory measures for joining a tenant union, complaining about housing conditions or reporting problems to city government, said Luke Melonakos-Harrison, vice president of the Connecticut Tenants Union.
The housing committee recommended other landlord-tenant relationship bills as well. What’s in those?
House Bill 5242 would limit landlords’ ability to use a person’s criminal history when deciding whether to rent to someone. Crimes that are at least three years old cannot be considered, with some exceptions, including people applying to public housing who have manufactured methamphetamines in federally subsidized housing or have a lifetime registration requirement, like sex offenders.
House Bill 5156 would require landlords give tenants at least 60 days notice before increasing rent. If they do not issue the notice in time and raise rents, they would be prohibited from issuing a notice to quit if tenants do not pay.
Who supports and opposes these changes?
More than 200 people signed up to testify on the bills, with consideration of them by the Housing Committee spanning over several days.
The American Civil Liberties Union, the Connecticut Tenants Unions, and other advocacy groups all spoke in favor alongside Democrats on the committee, while landlords and Republicans on the committee all voiced opposition.
All three bills were voted out of committee along party lines. Democrats control both houses of the state legislature.
CT Mirror Housing & Children’s Issues Reporter Ginny Monk contributed to this report.