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Fair Rent & Quality Housing Commission

What Are Fair Rent Commissions?

Under Connecticut law (Connecticut General Statute § 7-148b) each town with a population greater than 25,000 is required to adopt a fair rent commission ordinance in accordance with the Fair Rent Commission Act (C.G.S. 7-148b through 7-148f). Fair Rent Commissions are municipal boards of volunteers that are empowered to (1) stop an unconscionable rent increase and reduce such rent to a fair level, (2) phase-in a rent increase, or (3) delay a rent increase until housing code violations are fixed. In order to make these determinations the commission has the authority to receive and investigate rent complaints, complaints on rental unit health and safety requirements, issue subpoenas, hold hearings, and order landlords to reduce rents for specific reasons. A fair rent commission has this authority only within the boundaries of the city/town that established it. The Town of East Hartford established a Fair Rent & Quality Housing Commission in July 2023.

What Can the Commission Do?

The Fair Rent & Quality Housing Commission's primary power is to restrict rental charges in residential housing that is deemed to be “so excessive as to be harsh and unconscionable,” except for those accommodations rented on a seasonal basis. 

  • After holding a hearing on a complaint, a commission can determine that a rent increase is excessive and order "rent be limited to such an amount as it determines to be fair and equitable."
  • If the housing in question fails to meet local or state health and safety requirements, then the commission can order the suspension of rent increases until the unit meets standards. 
  • If the commission determines, after holding a hearing, that a landlord has retaliated in any way against a tenant who has complained to it, the commission can order the landlord to cease the retaliation.

Determining Excessive Rent

Fair Rent Commissions must consider a number of factors when determining whether a rental charge is excessive to the point of being "harsh and unconscionable." The factors include:

  • Rents for comparable units
  • Amount and frequency of rent increases
  • Sanitary conditions
  • Number of bathtubs or showers, toilets, and sinks
  • Services, furniture, and furnishings
  • Bedroom size and number
  • Repairs necessary to make the accommodations livable
  • Amount of taxes and overhead expenses, including debt service
  • Compliance with state and local health and safety laws and regulations
  • Renter's income and housing availability
  • Utility availability
  • Tenant damage to the premises, other than ordinary wear
  • The degree to which income from the rent increase will be reinvested in property improvements

Questions? Contact the Fair Rent Commission FairRent@easthartfordct.gov (860)-291-7204.

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