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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6891
January Session, 2025
AN ACT PROHIBITING A LANDLORD FROM REQUIRING A SECURITY
DEPOSIT IN EXCESS OF ONE MONTH'S RENT FROM ANY TENANT.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 47a-21 of the general 1
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective July 1, 2025, and applicable to rental agreements entered into on or 3
after said date): 4
(a) As used in this chapter: 5
(1) "Accrued interest" means the interest due on a security deposit as 6
provided in subsection (i) of this section, compounded annually to the 7
extent applicable. 8
(2) "Commissioner" means the Banking Commissioner. 9
(3) "Escrow account" means any account at a financial institution 10
which is not subject to execution by the creditors of the escrow agent 11
and includes a clients' funds account. 12
(4) "Escrow agent" means the person in whose name an escrow 13
account is maintained. 14
(5) "Financial institution" means any state bank and trust company, 15
national bank, savings bank, federal savings bank, savings and loan 16 Substitute Bill No. 6891
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association, and federal savings and loan association that is located in 17
this state. 18
(6) "Forwarding address" means the address to which a security 19
deposit may be mailed for delivery to a former tenant. 20
(7) "Landlord" means any landlord of residential real property, and 21
includes (A) any receiver; (B) any successor; and (C) any tenant who 22
sublets his premises. 23
(8) "Receiver" means any person who is appointed or authorized by 24
any state, federal or probate court to receive rents from tenants, and 25
includes trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, conservators, 26
receivers, and receivers of rent. 27
(9) "Rent receiver" means a receiver who lacks court authorization to 28
return security deposits and to inspect the premises of tenants and 29
former tenants. 30
(10) "Residential real property" means real property containing one 31
or more residential units, including residential units not owned by the 32
landlord, and containing one or more tenants who paid a security 33
deposit. 34
(11) "Security deposit" means any advance rental payment, or any 35
installment payment collected pursuant to section 47a-22a, except an 36
advance payment for the first month's rent or a deposit for a key or any 37
special equipment. 38
(12) "Successor" means any person who succeeds to a landlord's 39
interest whether by purchase, foreclosure or otherwise and includes a 40
receiver. 41
(13) "Tenant" means a tenant, as defined in section 47a-1, or a resident, 42
as defined in section 21-64. 43
(14) "Tenant's obligations" means (A) the amount of any rental or 44
utility payment due the landlord from a tenant; (B) a tenant's obligations 45 Substitute Bill No. 6891
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under the provisions of section 47a-11; and (C) the actual reasonable cost 46
of changing the locks of the dwelling unit pursuant to section 47a-7b, if 47
the tenant has not paid such cost. 48
(b) (1) [In the case of a tenant under sixty-two years of age, a] A 49
landlord shall not demand a security deposit in an amount that exceeds 50
[two months'] one month's rent. 51
(2) [In the case of a tenant sixty-two years of age or older, a landlord 52
shall not demand a security deposit in an amount that exceeds one 53
month's rent.] Any landlord who has received a security deposit in an 54
amount that exceeds one month's rent from a tenant [who becomes 55
sixty-two years of age after paying such security deposit] shall return 56
the portion of such security deposit that exceeds one month's rent to the 57
tenant upon the tenant's request. 58
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2025, and
applicable to rental
agreements entered into on
or after said date
47a-21(a) and (b)
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
The effective date was changed to add reference to rental agreements
entered into on or after the effective date to avoid a potential
impairment of contract issue.
HSG Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO