Urge the Legislature to Protect Renters’ Rights

Right now in Connecticut, it’s legal for a landlord to evict you for no reason, or for a new landlord to immediately hike rent without making any improvements to your building. There are two bills sitting in the Housing Committee that would help change these problems, but lawmakers need to hear from you about why it’s important to pass them.

On Tuesday, February 18, 2025, the Housing Committee is going to have a public hearing on H.B. 6892 and H.B. 6889, two bills that will help protect tenants from unexpected, unjustified evictions and unfair rent hikes. Share your own story of why lawmakers need to take action to respect renters and expand our rights.

Why is change needed?

Rent is already expensive. Connecticut has the eight-highest average cost for rental housing in the country. 34% of Connecticut residents are already cost-burdened by the cost of housing, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. If a new landlord unexpectedly hikes the rent by hundreds of dollars, it’s more than many working people can afford.

Legislators and landlords need to be accountable. When a new landlord comes in, they need to be accountable to the community. If they just buy a building and do nothing to improve it, they shouldn’t be allowed to make huge rent increases that price out hard-working tenants. When a resident has been a good tenant, a landlord shouldn’t be able to just evict them for no reason. Legislators need to do right by renters and keep landlords accountable to our communities.

More than 10% of evictions in Connecticut are without cause. It’s estimated that 2,000 no cause evictions happen each year. These are people who have done nothing wrong, but are being kicked out of their homes, anyway.

No cause evictions stay on your record. You’ve paid your rent and follow the conditions of your lease – and can still be evicted. That court filing stays on your record, making it harder to find another place to live.

Requiring just cause keeps housing safe. A landlord can use a no cause eviction to retaliate against renters who join a tenants union, ask for necessary repairs, or complain about unsafe conditions. Requiring a reason to evict a tenant will encourage better living conditions because renters won’t be afraid to speak out.

Renters’ rights keep communities together. When a greedy new landlord or bad actor sweeps in and makes huge, sudden rent increases, or evicts someone even though that person has paid their rent on time and followed the lease, they’re hurting our communities. Families are left scrambling to find housing and pay thousands for new deposits, kids have to change schools or daycares, neighbors are separated, and towns lose hard-working people.