Commission staff Carlos Duque told the Norwalk Fair Rent Commission on Sept. 3 that he attended a July 24 training for fair rent commissions hosted by Partnership for Strong Communities at the Boathouse in New Haven and summarized takeaways for Norwalk.
Duque said the event included presentations from municipal officials and nonprofit housing advocates and that, in network sessions, statewide participants including the Connecticut Fair Rent Commission Network and officials from the Department of Housing discussed support for local commissions. “They stressed the importance of having the fair rent commissions meet on a regular basis and how this will impact and benefit residents throughout Connecticut,” Duque said.
Duque also briefed the commission on three public acts passed during the most recent legislative session that affect commission practice. He reported the session produced three public acts he listed as Public Act 25‑121, which requires fair rent hearings to be open to the public; Public Act 25‑146, which provides tenants the right to request a rent ledger from landlords; and Public Act 25‑44, which requires landlords to disclose upfront fees when advertising units for rent. Duque said staff have been answering resident questions on eviction and security deposits and assisting Section 8 tenants with communications to the housing authority.
Nut graf: staff framed the training and statutory changes as reinforcing the commission’s role — case-by-case review of alleged unfair rent practices — and announced two upcoming network events for commissioners.
Duque invited commissioners to attend a Fair Rent Commission Network meeting to be held at Norwalk City Hall on Sept. 25 (closed to the public but open to commission representatives) and said commissioners had been invited to a Department of Housing workshop scheduled for Oct. 23 at Foxwoods; Duque said the department’s commissioner, Seila Mosquera‑Bruno, extended the invitation. He asked interested commissioners to notify staff so organizers can plan seating and meals.
Duque also reported that he has been assisting Section 8 tenants with releases and communications to the housing authority and that he is able to obtain responses when residents provide a signed release for staff outreach. He warned that residents often have difficulty communicating directly with the housing authority but that staff has secured responses in several recent cases.
The commission thanked Duque for coordinating the training and for his ongoing casework.