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At lengthy hearing, landlords warn bills on deposits, holdover fees and 'just cause' could chill construction; advocates call for right-to-counsel funding
Summary
Stakeholders debated multiple housing measures: industry witnesses warned that limits on security deposits and losing lapse-of-time as a remedy would reduce investment and new units; advocates pressed for tenant protections, right-to-counsel funding and nonresident landlord registration to hold absentee owners accountable.
Several other bills were discussed alongside HB 6889 and HB 6948.
Industry groups — including the Connecticut Apartment Association, Home Builders Association, and individual housing providers — opposed provisions in HB 6891 (limits on security deposits), HB 6943 (holdover/late-fee and ledger transparency measures) and certain changes to lapse-of-time rules, saying the combined effect would discourage investment and constrain the ability to manage risk. "This will drive down the incentive to develop and maintain housing," a CTA witness said, urging the committee to focus on increasing supply through permitting and incentives.
Tenant advocates and legal-aid lawyers supported bills to require landlords to provide account ledgers on request, restrict excessive holdover fees and require registration of nonresident (out-of-state) landlords to improve enforcement (SB 1303). Advocates said many tenants cannot access portals controlled by off-site managers and that ledger access is necessary to contest improper arrearage claims.
Right-to-counsel funding (HB 6947) and municipal penalties for code violations (SB 1305) were also raised: providers and tenants asked the state to increase funding for legal aid and to consider penalties and registration to hold absentee owners accountable for building-code failures.
Committee members indicated some appetite for technical fixes and for reconciling tenant-protection measures with incentives to encourage construction and maintenance, but no votes were taken.
