CT HB05241

Property owners or lessors who operate buildings without required certificates of occupancy face civil penalties of up to $20 per day per unit, capped at $200 days of unlawful occupation.

Rent is not recoverable by owners or lessors for any period a rental unit is occupied without a valid certificate of occupancy.

Municipalities that adopt the ordinance provisions require apartment and dwelling units in structures with three or more housing units to obtain certificates of occupancy after any vacancy, with exemptions for owner-occupied structures with three or fewer units.

Rent collected in violation of certificate requirements must be returned to tenants immediately if collected before application submission or after denial, or placed in escrow if collected after application submission but before certificate issuance.

Exemptions apply to structures constructed or substantially reconstructed within the 10-year period before the certificate requirement would apply.