Researcher: SM Page 1 3/23/23
OLR Bill Analysis
HB 6666
AN ACT EXPANDING RENTERS' RIGHTS.
SUMMARY
This bill makes unrelated changes in laws on landlord-tenant security
deposits (§ 1), municipal regulatory authority relating to safe and
sanitary housing (§ 2), and housing discrimination due to sexual
orientation or civil union status (§ 3).
Regarding landlord-tenant security deposits, the bill does the
following:
1. sets the maximum deposit amount a landlord may demand from
any tenant, regardless of age, at one month’s rent;
2. allows landlords to keep, until the end of the tenancy, any deposit
amount over one month’s rent received before October 1, 2023;
and
3. requires landlords to return any amount over one month’s rent
upon the request of a tenant who turns 62 during the tenancy.
Current law sets the maximum security deposit at (1) one month’s
rent for tenants age 62 or older and (2) two months’ rent for all other
tenants.
Regarding municipal regulatory authority, the bill expressly
authorizes municipalities to impose civil penalties of up to $1,000 for
each violation of their rules on maintaining safe and sanitary housing.
Existing law also has related municipal penalties and fines (see
BACKGROUND).
Lastly, the bill subjects the rental of certain owner-occupied dwelling
units to a state law that prohibits housing discrimination specifically 2023HB-06666-R000183-BA.DOCX
Researcher: SM Page 2 3/23/23
due to a person’s sexual orientation or civil union status. Current law
exempts from these antidiscrimination provisions the rental of (1) rooms
in a dwelling the owner lives in or (2) units located in a dwelling
containing up to four units, one of which the owner occupies (i.e.,
“owner-occupied units”). The bill eliminates this exemption, and in
doing so now subjects such an owner who violates the state’s anti-
housing discrimination law to a class D misdemeanor, punishable by up
to 30 days in prison, a fine of up to $250, or both.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2023
DISCRIMINATORY HOUSI NG PRACTICES
Housing Discrimination
Existing law prohibits housing discrimination based on a person’s
sexual orientation or civil union status and establishes a list of specific
actions that are considered discriminatory practices. (A related law, the
Discriminatory Housing Practices Act (DHPA), also provides similar
protection against housing discrimination based on other protected
classes, such as race, marital status, or gender expression or identity.)
By eliminating current law’s exemption from these provisions, the
bill now makes it a discriminatory practice for an owner of an owner-
occupied unit (as described above) to do any of the following based on
someone’s sexual orientation or civil union status:
1. refuse to negotiate, sell, or rent after a legitimate offer;
2. discriminate in terms, conditions, or privileges of a sale, rental,
or provision of services or facilities;
3. deny access to real estate multiple listing services;
4. place housing ads indicating a discriminatory preference; and
5. represent that the dwelling is not available for inspection, sale, or
rental when it is in fact available.
CHRO Investigations
Under existing law, unchanged by the bill, individuals who believe 2023HB-06666-R000183-BA.DOCX
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they have been discriminated against in violation of the DHPA, or the
similar protections against housing discrimination due to sexual
orientation or civil union status, may file a complaint with the
Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) within 180
days after the alleged incident. When CHRO finds reasonable cause that
discrimination occurred, it negotiates a settlement agreement between
the parties. If an agreement cannot be reached, it conducts an
administrative hearing (CGS § 46a-82 et seq.).
BACKGROUND
Related Municipal Penalties and Fines
Existing law allows a municipality to do the following:
1. prescribe penalties of up to $250 for a violation of any regulation
or ordinance adopted under its statutory authority (CGS § 7-
148(c)(10));
2. establish fines of between $10 and $100 per day for housing
blight, which constitute a lien on the property if unpaid (CGS §§
7-148(c)(7)(H)(xv) & 7-148aa); and
3. enact an ordinance imposing a special assessment on blighted
housing to cover blight enforcement and remediation costs (CGS
§ 7-148ff).
By law, municipalities are generally required to notify individuals of
their right to contest a citation before a hearing officer, whose decision
can be appealed in Superior Court (CGS § 7-152c).
Related Bill
sHB 6781, § 1, reported favorably by the Housing Committee,
contains provisions allowing (1) municipalities to prescribe civil
penalties of up to $2,000 per violation of their rules on maintaining safe
and sanitary housing and (2) landlords to appeal these fines to the
municipality’s zoning board of appeals, under certain circumstances.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Housing Committee 2023HB-06666-R000183-BA.DOCX
Researcher: SM Page 4 3/23/23
Joint Favorable
Yea 12 Nay 3 (03/02/2023)