Connecticut Landlord Guide — Get Your Action Plan in 60 Seconds

Tenant behind on rent? Damage beyond wear and tear? Holding over after the lease ended? Describe the situation in your own words and get a plain-English breakdown, severity rating, step-by-step next steps, and ready-to-send notices — specific to Connecticut law.

Connecticut landlord law, at a glance

• Security deposit: you must return it within 21 days of move-out, with an itemized statement for deductions.
• Tenant entry: No state law sets a minimum notice period — check your lease, which may require one.
• Eviction: you must go through the courts. Self-help eviction is illegal.

Since Oct. 1, 2023, deposits (plus accrued interest, which must be paid yearly) must be returned within 21 days after termination, or 15 days after receiving the tenant's written forwarding address, whichever is later; willful non-return can yield double the deposit (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21). The statute requires only 'reasonable' entry notice (§ 47a-16), with no fixed hour minimum. Connecticut is one of the few states where the statute literally names the window a 'grace period': rent unpaid for 9 days (4 days for week-to-week leases) lets the landlord terminate; late fees cannot be assessed until after the grace period and are capped at $5/day up to $50 or 5% of the delinquent rent. Self-help eviction has long been banned (§ 47a-43), and as of Oct. 1, 2025, a landlord lockout without a court order is a criminal offense.

Free legal help in Connecticut

• Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut — (800) 453-3320 — Free legal-aid advice and referral hotline for low-income people, incl. housing.
• Eviction Help CT — (800) 559-1565 — State Right to Counsel program: free lawyers for eligible tenants facing eviction.
• CTLawHelp — Free legal information site from CT's nonprofit legal-aid orgs; eviction self-help.
• Call or text 211 for free local referrals.

Common questions