Milford Board Of Aldermen Establish Fair Rent Commission

MILFORD, CT – Milford’s Board of Aldermen has established a new ordinance focusing on Fair Rent in Milford.

The commission managing the ordinance is called the Fair Rent Commission.

City Attorney Jonathan D. Berchem told the Board of Aldermen during their meeting on June 27 that the ordinance is due to Public Act 22-30, An Act Concerning Fair Rent Commissions.

Public Act 22-30 requires any town, city, or borough with a population of 25,000 or more to create a fair rent commission. The Act states that any such commission shall make studies and investigations, conduct hearings and receive complaints about rental charges on housing, accommodations, except those accommodations rented on a seasonal basis within its jurisdiction.

According to Public Act 22-30, towns that fit the 25,000 or more requirements must create a fair rent commission on or before July 1, 2023.

“I support the ordinance,” Aldermen Anthony Giannattasio (R-1) said during the Board of Aldermen meeting. “I’m confident that people coming before the commission will be treated fairly.”

After some deliberation of how many people should make up the commission, the board of aldermen decided that a quorum would consist of five members seated or alternates, consisting of two landlords, two tenants and one neutral all of whom must be Milford residents.

One of the questions asked was if the commission will meet monthly, and to that, Milford Mayor Richard Smith said he expects the commission will only meet when necessary.

“This is not fair housing,” said Berchem. “The fair rent commission considers market rate. The ordinance applies to residential rentals.”

Berchem said the ordinance allows a tenant to bring a complaint.

“There are certain standards, and the landlord will need to provide proof that rent increases are fair,” he said.”

Those standards are listed as 13 factors to determine excessive rent, which attorney Berchem said the Board of Aldermen does not have discretion over.

They are:

• The rents charged for the same number of rooms in other housing accommodations in the same and in other areas of the municipality.
• The sanitary conditions existing in the housing accommodations in question.
• The number of bathtubs or showers, toilets, kitchen sinks and lavatory basins available to the occupants.
• Services, furniture, furnishings and equipment supplied therein.
• The size and number of bedrooms contained.
• Repairs necessary to make such accordions reasonably livable for the occupants accommodated.
• The amount of taxes and overhead expenses.
• Whether the accommodations comply with the ordinances of the city of Milford and the General statutes of the state of Connecticut concerning health and safety.
• The income of the petitioner and the availability of accommodations.
• The availability of utilities.
• Damages done to the premises by the tenant, caused by other than ordinary wear and tear.
• The amount and frequency of increase in rental charges.
• Whether and the extent to which the income from an increase in rental charges has been or will be reinvested in improvements to the accommodations. Nothing in this section shall preclude the commission from considering other relevant circumstances.

The entire ordinance can be found here.

Milford’s Board of Aldermen unanimously approved the Fair Rent Commission on Tuesday, June 27.