Housing Laws: Increase Tenant Protection, Strengthen Code Enforcement

NEW HAVEN, CT – City officials highlighted a package of new housing legislation Wednesday. The laws would increase tenant protections, expand residents’ ability to join a tenants’ union, and strengthen the city’s housing code enforcement capabilities to help ensure residents are living in affordable, safe, and healthy homes.

More than 70 percent of city residents are renters, and there are over 45,000 rental units in the Elm City.

Mayor Justin Elicker, Fair Rent Commission Executive Director Wildaliz Bermudez, Livable City Initiative Executive Director Liam Brennan, tenants and tenants’ rights advocates, and other city and community leaders gathered for a news briefing.

This week, the Elicker administration communicated new legislation (OR-2024-0033) to the Board of Alders that would expand the city’s landmark ordinance related to tenants’ union, which enables tenants to collectively organize and engage the city regarding potential excessive rent increases and unsafe and unhealthy property conditions, while also recognizing the due process rights of landlords.

The new legislation would expand the number of residents eligible to form a tenants’ union from those living at properties with 10 or more rental units to those with 5 or more rental units, increasing the number of eligible units to over 24,000 citywide. The legislation would also strengthen tenants’ protections against landlord retaliation, such as unfair rent increases and prematurely ending leases, among other proposals.

In addition, legislation previously introduced by the Elicker administration (OR-2024-0018) was unanimously passed by the Board of Alders, which will create a new, improved, and streamlined city citation process for housing code violations and enforcement, while also maintaining due process rights for landlords.

The new city law also increases the potential fines for non-compliant properties with health and safety violations from $250 total by state housing court to up to $2,000 per day by an independent city hearing officer, among other provisions.