Connecticut Lease Agreement: What to Include

A Connecticut residential lease needs to reflect this state's actual rules on security deposits, entry notice, late fees, and required disclosures — not a generic template written for a different state. The figures below come from Connecticut's residential landlord-tenant statute; where the state sets no fixed number, that's stated plainly rather than glossed over, since "the state doesn't specify" is itself something you need to know.

Security deposit

Security deposit limit: 2 months rent; 1 month if tenant age 62+. Connecticut requires landlords to pay interest on held deposits — check the current statutory rate and any escrow requirements before you hold tenant funds. Return deadline after move-out: 21 Days after move-out or 15 Days after forwarding address, whichever later.

Entry notice, late fees, and rent increases

Entry notice: Reasonable notice; no fixed statutory hours commonly stated. Late fees: Late charge restrictions apply; use state-specific formula/lease review, with a grace period of 9. Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies: 45 days. (Entry notice citation: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-16.)

Required disclosures

A Connecticut lease should include or accompany:

• • Federal lead-based paint
• • common interest community rules
• • security deposit interest
• • fire sprinkler/CO where applicable

Eviction notice for nonpayment

For nonpayment of rent, Connecticut's standard notice period is 3 days. This is the minimum notice before you can move to the next step in the eviction process — actual court timelines run longer once a case is filed. (Eviction notice citation: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23 (3 days after 9-day grace period).)

What actually distinguishes Connecticut

Connecticut caps the security deposit at: 2 months rent; 1 month if tenant age 62+.

Connecticut is one of a smaller group of states that requires landlords to pay tenants interest on held security deposits — factor that into how you hold the funds.

Connecticut requires reasonable notice; no fixed statutory hours commonly stated notice before a landlord enters an occupied unit for routine, non-emergency purposes.

At 3, Connecticut's notice period for nonpayment is on the short end nationally — landlords can move to the next step quickly, but that also means less room for a paperwork mistake to cost you time.

Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies in Connecticut is 45 days — different from the 30-day default most other states use, so don't assume the general rule applies here.

Sources and the bottom line

The figures above reflect Connecticut's residential landlord-tenant statute as summarized on LeasePilot HQ's Connecticut landlord-tenant law page, which lists the specific sources behind each number. Security deposit rules specifically are codified at Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21, with the return deadline set by Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21 (21 days). Primary and cross-reference sources used in compiling this page:

• • https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/security-deposits
• • https://www.justia.com/real-estate/landlord-tenant/information-for-landlords/right-of-entry/
• • https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/state-landlord-tenant-laws

State landlord-tenant law changes through legislative sessions and court decisions — treat the numbers above as a starting point, verify against Connecticut's current statute (linked above) before relying on them for an actual lease, and see LeasePilot HQ's full Connecticut landlord-tenant law summary for the complete breakdown, or generate a lease with Connecticut-specific clauses built in automatically.