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Senate bars ratio utility billing in rentals, codifying court ruling; landlords and tenants debate costs
Summary
Lawmakers passed a measure that stops rental agreements from charging tenants for utilities without separate meters, codifying a Supreme Court approach opponents call likely to push costs into rent. The bill passed after a sizable floor debate (27–9).
The Connecticut Senate voted to prohibit rental agreements from requiring tenants to pay utility charges when the dwelling lacks a separate meter, a change proponents said protects renters from unfair ratio utility billing practices.
Senator Katie Marks described the bill as aligning landlord‑tenant law with a Supreme Court ruling and making statutes easier to navigate for landlords and tenants. “The Supreme Court said ratio billing is not fair to tenants,” Marks said.
Opponents, led by Senator Rob Sampson, argued the policy will simply cause landlords to fold utility charges into rent and raise rents across the state. “What this bill does is it says there’s no more utility bill to divvy up — the landlord is just going to put the utilities into the rent,” Sampson said, warning of higher housing costs and expensive submetering for older buildings.
Supporters replied that submetering is an available option and that the bill will encourage fairness by aligning practice with court precedent. After debate the Senate passed the bill (yeas 27, nays 9). The law takes effect as specified in the bill text and will apply to rental agreements entered or renewed on or after the effective date listed in the statute.
