Connecticut eviction notice and late fee rules

Notice for unpaid rent

3 days — The owner must give each lessee or occupant a notice to quit at least three days before the termination of the rental agreement or before the time specified in the notice to quit.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

Not found in the statutes we read

Late-fee limit

A late charge may not exceed the lesser of $5 per day up to a maximum of $50, or 5% of the delinquent rent payment (5% of the tenant's share where rent is paid partly by a governmental or charitable entity).

Grace period before a late fee

If rent is unpaid when due and the tenant does not pay within nine days (four days for a one-week tenancy), the landlord may terminate the rental agreement under the summary process statutes; these periods are defined as the "grace period".

Notice for unpaid rent

The owner must give each lessee or occupant a notice to quit at least three days before the termination of the rental agreement or before the time specified in the notice to quit.

“shall give notice to each lessee or occupant to quit possession or occupancy of such land, building, apartment or dwelling unit, at least three days before the termination of the rental agreement or lease, if any, or before the time specified in the notice for the lessee or occupant to quit possession or occupancy.”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(a)

Nonpayment of rent within the residential grace period of § 47a-15a is a listed reason for a notice to quit.

“(D) nonpayment of rent within the grace period provided for residential property in section 47a-15a or 21-83;”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(a)(1)(D)

Paying to stop an eviction

If a breach is remediable by repairs or payment of damages and the tenant adequately remedies it within the fifteen-day period, the rental agreement does not terminate.

“(1) if the breach is remediable by repairs or the payment of damages and the tenant adequately remedies the breach within such fifteen-day period, the rental agreement shall not terminate;”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15

Notice for other lease violations

When evicting for a material noncompliance under § 47a-15, the landlord must give written notice that the agreement will end not less than fifteen days after receipt.

“the landlord shall deliver a written notice to the tenant specifying the acts or omissions constituting the breach and that the rental agreement shall terminate upon a date not less than fifteen days after receipt of the notice.”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15

Just cause and good cause

For tenants described in § 47a-23c(a), a landlord may bring summary process only for the reasons listed in the statute.

“No landlord may bring an action of summary process or other action to dispossess a tenant described in subsection (a) of this section except for one or more of the following reasons:”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23c(b)(1)

Section 47a-23c applies to tenants in buildings or complexes of five or more units, or in mobile manufactured home parks, who are sixty-two years of age or older (among the listed groups).

“this section applies to any tenant who resides in a building or complex consisting of five or more separate dwelling units or who resides in a mobile manufactured home park and who is either: (A) Sixty-two years of age or older,”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23c(a)(1)

Lockouts and utility shutoffs

A person put out of possession by forcible entry, or by entry causing damage or removal or detention of the possessor's personal property, may file a complaint with a Superior Court judge.

“the party thus ejected, held out of possession, or suffering damage may exhibit his complaint to any judge of the Superior Court.”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-43(a)

If the court finds forcible entry or detainer under § 47a-43, the aggrieved party may recover double damages and costs in a civil action.

“The party aggrieved may recover in a civil action double damages and his costs against the defendant, if it is found on the trial of a complaint brought under section 47a-43 that he entered into the land, tenement or dwelling unit by force or after entry held the same by force or otherwise injured the party aggrieved in the manner described in section 47a-43.”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-46

Retaliation

A landlord may not bring an eviction, demand a rent increase, or decrease services within six months after any of the tenant actions listed in the statute.

“A landlord shall not maintain an action or proceeding against a tenant to recover possession of a dwelling unit, demand an increase in rent from the tenant, or decrease the services to which the tenant has been entitled within six months after:”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-20

What the notice must say and how it is delivered

A copy of the notice to quit must be delivered to each lessee or occupant or left at their residence by a proper officer or indifferent person, on any day of the week.

“A copy of such notice shall be delivered to each lessee or occupant or left at such lessee's or occupant's place of residence or, if the rental agreement or lease concerns commercial property, at the place of the commercial establishment by a proper officer or indifferent person. Delivery of such notice may be made on any day of the week.”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(c)

Court deadlines and the eviction case

If the defendant does not appear within two days after the return day and the landlord files a motion with the notice to quit, the court must enter judgment for possession no later than the next court day.

“If the defendant does not appear within two days after the return day and a motion for judgment for failure to appear and an endorsed copy of the notice to quit is filed with the clerk, the court shall, not later than the first court day after the filing of such motion, enter judgment that the complainant recover possession or occupancy of the premises with the complainant's costs,”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-26

Late fees and grace periods

If rent is unpaid when due and the tenant does not pay within nine days (four days for a one-week tenancy), the landlord may terminate the rental agreement under the summary process statutes; these periods are defined as the "grace period".

“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. For purposes of this section, “grace period” means the nine-day or four-day time periods identified in this subsection, as applicable.”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(a)

A late charge may not exceed the lesser of $5 per day up to a maximum of $50, or 5% of the delinquent rent payment (5% of the tenant's share where rent is paid partly by a governmental or charitable entity).

“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.”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b)

A late charge requires a valid written agreement in the rental agreement, and may be assessed on a rent payment made after the grace period.

“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.”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b)

The landlord may not assess more than one late charge on a delinquent rent payment, regardless of how long it remains unpaid.

“The landlord may not assess more than one late charge upon a delinquent rent payment, regardless of how long the rent remains unpaid.”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b)

If you have received a notice

1. Write down the date you received it and how it was delivered.
2. Check what it asks for — payment, fixing a problem, or moving out — and the deadline it gives against the Connecticut rules above.
3. Keep paying what you can document; ask for receipts.
4. If you receive court papers, note the response deadline on them; a legal-aid office or the court’s self-help center can help.

Check another situation with the eviction notice checker or the late fee checker.

Common questions

How much notice does a landlord in Connecticut have to give for unpaid rent?

The owner must give each lessee or occupant a notice to quit at least three days before the termination of the rental agreement or before the time specified in the notice to quit. (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(a)).

Is there a limit on rent late fees in Connecticut?

A late charge may not exceed the lesser of $5 per day up to a maximum of $50, or 5% of the delinquent rent payment (5% of the tenant's share where rent is paid partly by a governmental or charitable entity). (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(b)).