Connecticut landlord repair laws
What your landlord is required to fix, how long they have once you put it in writing, and what Connecticutlaw lets you do if they don't.
The deadline
15 days after written notice
Under C.G.S. § 47a-12(a), if the breach is not remedied within fifteen days after your receipt of this notice, the rental agreement terminates on that date.
C.G.S. § 47a-7 · C.G.S. §§ 47a-12, 47a-13
What your landlord must maintain
Under C.G.S. § 47a-7, a landlord must comply with applicable building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety, make all repairs necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition, and maintain electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning facilities.
Conditions the statute covers
- ✓No working heat
- ✓No running water
- ✓No hot water
- ✓Electrical system not working or unsafe
- ✓Plumbing not in working order
- ✓Sewage backup or unsanitary conditions
- ✓Air conditioning not working (where supplied)
- ✓Supplied appliances not working — stove, refrigerator
- ✓Unsafe floors, stairs, railings, ceiling, or roof
- ✓Roof, window, or plumbing leak causing damage
- ✓Mold growth
- ✓Rodent or insect infestation
- ✓Common areas unsafe or unsanitary
- ✓No garbage receptacles or removal
- ✓Broken exterior door, window, or lock
- ✓Building or housing code violation
What you can do about it
Once written notice has been given and the statutory period has passed, you may terminate the rental agreement under § 47a-12, exercise the essential-services remedies in § 47a-13 — including procuring substitute services and deducting their actual and reasonable cost, and reasonable attorney's fees — and bring an action under § 47a-14h with rent paid into court.
Connecticut has no repair-and-deduct remedy. Paying for a repair and subtracting the cost from your rent is not authorized here, and doing it anyway can put your tenancy at risk. Use the remedies the statute actually provides.
Retaliation is illegal
C.G.S. § 47a-20 protects a tenant who in good faith requested the landlord to make repairs within the preceding six months from termination, rent increase or reduced services.
Limits and exceptions
Section 47a-12(c) applies this remedy only to leases with a term of more than one month. An action under § 47a-14h additionally requires a complaint to the municipal housing-code agency at least twenty-one days before filing, and may not be instituted at all if a valid notice to quit for nonpayment of rent has already been served. Under § 47a-7(a)(6) the heat and hot water duty does not apply where the building is not required by law to be so equipped or where those services are generated within the tenant's exclusive control, and under § 47a-7(c) the landlord and tenant of a single-family residence may agree in writing that the tenant perform those duties.
Put it in writing — the way the statute expects
We'll write your notice citing C.G.S. § 47a-7, the deadline it gives your landlord, and what happens if they miss it. Free to generate and download. If you want it sent USPS Certified Mail with tracking, we do that too.
Write my Connecticut repair noticeCommon questions
- How long does a landlord have to make repairs in Connecticut?
- Under C.G.S. § 47a-12(a), if the breach is not remedied within fifteen days after your receipt of this notice, the rental agreement terminates on that date. That clock starts when your landlord receives written notice — which is why how you send it matters.
- Can I withhold rent or repair it myself in Connecticut?
- Connecticut does not provide a repair-and-deduct remedy — paying for a repair and subtracting it from rent is not something the statute allows here, and doing it can put your tenancy at risk. Your remedies are terminate the rental agreement under § 47a-12, exercise the essential-services remedies in § 47a-13 — including procuring substitute services and deducting their actual and reasonable cost, and reasonable attorney's fees — and bring an action under § 47a-14h with rent paid into court.
- Can my landlord retaliate if I ask for repairs in Connecticut?
- C.G.S. § 47a-20 protects a tenant who in good faith requested the landlord to make repairs within the preceding six months from termination, rent increase or reduced services.
- Do I have to put a repair request in writing in Connecticut?
- Yes — and it is the single most important step. Under C.G.S. §§ 47a-12, 47a-13, the landlord's obligations and your remedies run from written notice. A text message or a phone call generally leaves you arguing about whether and when your landlord was told.
Moving out of this Connecticut rental?
Connecticut gives your landlord 21 days to return your security deposit under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21. See the deposit rules →
Verified against Connecticut's published statute text on August 11, 2026 — read the statute yourself. General information, not legal advice. We are not a law firm.