Connecticut tenant screening & landlord laws

Connecticut caps tenant screening report fees at $50, adjusted annually for inflation, effective October 1, 2023. Landlords generally may not otherwise demand any application, processing, or review fee, and may not charge move-in or move-out fees. If a fee is charged, the landlord must provide the applicant a copy of the screening report (or information on how to obtain one) and a copy of the receipt or invoice for the fee.

Connecticut does not appear to have a standalone statute specifically restricting how criminal history may be used in tenant screening decisions, beyond the general protections of the federal Fair Housing Act. Under that federal framework, a blanket "no criminal record" policy may still create disparate-impact liability because of documented racial disparities in the criminal justice system, and the Connecticut Fair Housing Center advises landlords to do an individualized assessment (nature of the offense, time elapsed, evidence of rehabilitation) rather than a categorical ban. This is federal case-law and guidance-based theory, not a Connecticut statute. The underlying Fair Housing Act and cases like Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project (2015) remain unaffected by changes to agency guidance.

Connecticut is one of the states that protects "lawful source of income" as its own protected class under the Connecticut Fair Housing Act, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-64c — this is broader than federal law, since the federal Fair Housing Act does not cover source of income at all. Landlords generally may not refuse to rent, or apply different terms, because an applicant's income includes a housing voucher or other lawful income source. There is a carve-out: the statute does not prohibit denying an applicant solely for insufficient income, and courts have held a landlord may not apply stricter income standards to voucher holders than to other applicants.

Connecticut tenant screening is governed at baseline by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, including the FCRA §615 requirement to send an adverse action notice (naming the reporting agency, and the applicant's right to a free copy of the report and to dispute it) when a landlord denies an applicant based in whole or part on a consumer report. There is no additional Connecticut-specific adverse action statute beyond the § 47a-4d fee/report-disclosure duty described above.

Connecticut caps security deposits at two months' rent for tenants under 62, and one month's rent for tenants 62 or older (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21). Deposits must generally be held in an escrow account, and landlords must generally pay annual interest at a rate tied to a state-set "deposit index." At the end of tenancy, the deposit (plus accrued interest), or the balance after itemized deductions for damages, must generally be returned within 21 days after termination or 15 days after receiving the tenant's forwarding address, whichever is later; violations can generally result in liability for double the deposit amount.

Connecticut does not have general statewide rent control, but state law requires certain municipalities to provide a review mechanism, and a narrow group of tenants get added eviction protection. Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23c, tenants 62 or older (or a co-resident spouse/relative who is) or tenants with a qualifying physical or mental disability, living in a building or complex of five or more units or a mobile manufactured home park, generally cannot be evicted except for specific reasons (nonpayment, lease violation, refusal of a fair rent increase, removal of the unit from the rental market, or the landlord's bona fide intent to occupy it), and any rent increase for these tenants must generally be "fair and equitable." Separately, since 2024, Connecticut law requires that any eviction (summary process) case that is withdrawn, dismissed, or decided in the tenant's favor generally be removed from the Judicial Department's public website within 30 days, and bars using such removed records for any commercial purpose — including tenant screening or consumer reports (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-26j, effective July 1, 2024).

Connecticut requires — rather than merely permits — any town, city, or borough with a population of 25,000 or more to adopt an ordinance creating a fair rent commission by ordinance (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-148b), which can investigate complaints about "excessive" rent increases and enforce the § 47a-23c fair-and-equitable rent standard for protected tenants. This applies in major cities including Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, and Bridgeport. This is a complaint/review mechanism, not a rent cap, and it does not override the statewide security-deposit or screening-fee ceilings described above. No additional city-specific tenant-screening, criminal-history, or source-of-income ordinance beyond the statewide rules above was confirmed for these cities. Connecticut's local government is organized into towns, cities, and boroughs rather than a California-style "unincorporated county" system, so there is generally no separate county layer to check outside these municipal boundaries.

Does Connecticut cap tenant screening fees? Yes — landlords generally may charge no more than $50 (plus an annual inflation adjustment) for a tenant screening report, and must provide a copy of the report and a fee receipt.

Is source of income a protected class in Connecticut? Yes, under the Connecticut Fair Housing Act, though a landlord may still deny an applicant for insufficient income alone.

How much can a Connecticut landlord charge for a security deposit? Generally up to two months' rent for tenants under 62, or one month's rent for tenants 62 or older.

Can a Connecticut eviction case show up on a tenant screening report? If the case was withdrawn, dismissed, or decided for the tenant, Connecticut law generally requires it be removed from the public court website within 30 days and bars its use for tenant screening after that.

Checkr can help Connecticut landlords and property managers run FCRA-compliant tenant screening while staying mindful of Connecticut's fee cap, source-of-income protections, and eviction-record rules. Get started at tenant.checkr.com/signup to build a screening workflow suited to your properties.

The resources and information provided here are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Always consult your own counsel for up-to-date legal advice and guidance related to your practices, needs, and compliance with applicable laws.