Housing Committee
JOINT FAVORABLE REPORT
Bill No.: HB-5126
AN ACT CONCERNING INSPECTIONS OF RENTAL PROPERTY PRIOR TO
OCCUPANCY OR TERMINATION, LATE RENTAL PAYMENTS AND
Title: DESIGNATION OF A RENTAL HOUSING OMBUDSMAN.
Vote Date: 3/10/2020
Vote Action: JFS To Floor
PH Date: 2/18/2020
File No.:
Disclaimer: The following JOINT FAVORABLE Report is prepared for the benefit of the
members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and
explanation and does not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber
thereof for any purpose.
SPONSORS OF BILL:
Rep. Ritter, M. 001
REASONS FOR BILL:
This bill is necessary to provide housing stability and rent protection for tenants by permitting
tenants to request an inspection of rental property prior to occupancy and after notice of
termination of a tenancy. This would help prevent disputes regarding the condition of the unit
at the beginning and end of the tenancy. This bill would also cap late fees for rental
payments and create a Rental Housing Ombudsman with the Department of Housing.
RESPONSE FROM ADMINISTRATION/AGENCY:
Seila Mosquera-Bruno, Commissioner of the Department of Housing, Hartford: The DOH is
opposed to sec. 3 of HB-5126. Mosquera-Bruno states that the information that would be
required to be collected and analyzed would require much more funding and many more staff
than the DOH currently has.
NATURE AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT:
Raphael Podolsky, Public Policy Advocate for Connecticut Legal Services, New Britain:
Podolsky explains that his organization supports HB-5126 with changes. Podolsky believes
that Section 1 of the bill would work better if the language was changed so inspections would
occur after a tenant has removed all their belongings out of a dwelling. Podolsky is also
concerned that the language under Section 2, he is concerned that the 10% cap on late fees
is excessive, and that there is nothing stopping landlords from charging late fees on late fees
or using current rent payment for the late fee rather than the current rent. He does support a
cap on late fees but would like to work further on the language of Section 2. Podolsky states
that he supports Section 3 as written.
NATURE AND SOURCES OF OPPOSITION:
Carrie Rowley, Co-Chair of Government Relations of the Connecticut Property Association:
Rowley states that Section 1, regarding inspections, is unnecessary. She states that during
her career she has never heard of an inspection not being conducted before a tenant moves
into a dwelling. She also voiced that Section 2 does not consider the cost of collecting rent,
and that a late fee is not a punishment for not paying rent, but compensation for the landlord
due to fees on the landlord's part.
Jim Perras, CEO of Home Builders and Remodelers Association, South Windsor: Perras
opposes the bill as it currently stands but would support the bill if section 2 and mention of
late fees were removed from the bill's language. He states that the bill would remove
enforcement to pay bills on time by allowing tenants to be late paying rent with no
repercussions.
The following people are opposed to HB-5126 because they believe that it would establish
government control over their businesses, along with allowing tenants to extort money away
from the landlords and there will be no deterrent to late payment.
Michael Batista, Resident, Waterbury
Adam Bonoff, Resident
Allison Bonoff, Resident, Easton
Sandra Borducci, Property Owner
Michael Cervellino, Landlord, Waterbury
Pete D'Amato, Property Owner, Woodbury
Shirish Dhume, Resident, Cheshire
Richard Dubina, Resident, Chaplin
David Epstein, Landlord
Naomi Freeman, Landlord
Kevin Harris, Landlord
Diane Jones, Broker, Brookfield
Lucien Laliberty, Brooker, Danielson
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Peter Lucchese, Broker
Robert Makas, Resident
Marie Matta-Isona, Realtor, East Haven
Jeffery Mita, Landlord
Rudy O'Neil, Landlord, New Britan
Yashesh Parikh, Landlord, Rocky Hill
Denise Robillard, Landlord, Jewett City
Eric Rodgers, Landlord
John Souza, President of the Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners
Cheryl Reynolds, Landlord, Chester
The following people have voiced opposition to HB-5126.
Guihong Cui, Resident, New Britan
Rich Pavlik, Real Estate Agent
Filipe Pereira, Resident
Raj Pillai, Resident
Lantha Rams, Property Owner
Steven Iovanna, Landlord, Meriden
Kalidas Sukumaran, Landlord
Sean Toomey, Resident
Reported by: Dalton Mongeau Date: 03/10/2020
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Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: