Effective Date: November 1, 2025
Jurisdiction: State of Connecticut
Applies To: All landlords, property managers, agents, and listing entities using Tentunit to list residential rental units (including student-oriented, young-professional, and family housing) in Connecticut.
1. Purpose
This Statement defines the obligations operational, legal, ethical that landlords must meet when listing properties on the Tentunit platform in Connecticut. Use of Tentunit constitutes acceptance of this Statement, the Tentunit Terms of Service, Payment Terms, Fair Housing & Equal Access Policy, and all applicable federal, state and local laws. This is not legal advice; landlords should consult qualified counsel for detailed compliance.
2. Listing Accuracy, Transparency & Advertising Standards
Landlords must ensure every listing is truthful, complete, and up-to-date, accurately reflecting the unit and terms offered.
Required Disclosures
Each listing must clearly disclose:
- Monthly rent, lease term or renewal/notice terms, and earliest availability date.
- All upfront and recurring fees: application/processing fees, move-in/administrative fees, parking or amenity fees, pet deposits/fees, utility re-billing or allocation charges.
- Security deposit amount (or fee-in‐lieu if applicable) and full disclosure of return, deduction conditions, and timeframe.
- Utility responsibilities: which utilities the tenant will pay, which are landlord’s responsibility; method of sub-metering or allocation if used.
- Unit condition and amenities: High-quality photos reflecting the actual unit offered, not model units unless clearly stated as such.
- Screening criteria in advance: income requirement, credit standard, guarantor/co-signer policy, student status or other criteria.
- True availability status: units already leased must be removed/updated promptly.
Prohibited Practices
- Advertising units that are unavailable without timely update.
- Misrepresenting square footage, bedroom/bath count, finishes, condition, view, amenities or location.
- Using “starting at” or “from” rent pricing without full disclosure of eligibility, timing, and unit availability.
- Omitting material fees or charges so that effective cost to tenant is misleading.
- “Bait-and-switch” tactics (advertising one set of unit/terms and offering materially different without disclosure).
State-Specific Note
Under Connecticut law, security deposit and escrow rules are tightly regulated (see Section 12 below). Landlords should also verify any applicable local municipal housing, health, or advertising regulations in the city/town where the unit is located.
3. Fair Housing & Equal Access
Landlords must comply with the federal Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq.) and any applicable Connecticut and local non‐discrimination laws and regulations.
Landlords must:
- Apply neutral, consistent screening criteria to all applicants regardless of protected class (race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, familial status) and any additional protected classes under Connecticut or local law.
- Provide required reasonable accommodations and modifications for persons with disabilities.
- Avoid discriminatory language or practices in advertising, screening, communications, or leasing.
- Maintain documentation of screening criteria and decisions for audit or compliance purposes.
4. Communication Standards & Platform Responsiveness
To maintain the student/young-professional friendly experience supported by Tentunit, landlords must ensure timely, documented communications:
- Acknowledge listing inquiries, application submissions, and maintenance/repair requests within 24 hours, and provide a substantive response within 48 hours.
- Keep applicants informed about application status, and keep tenants informed about upcoming entries, inspections, repairs, or lease changes.
- Update listings promptly when terms, availability, fees or policies change.
- Maintain professional, courteous, and non-discriminatory interactions; repeated failures or abusive conduct may lead to listing suspension or account termination by Tentunit.
5. Lease Execution, Legal Compliance & Contract Terms
Leases executed via Tentunit for Connecticut properties must comply with applicable state law and reflect best practices.
Required Lease Elements
- Lease must be in writing or digitally documented and executed via Tentunit’s approved process or equivalent.
- Landlord/agent full legal name and mailing address for notices must be included.
- Clear specification of: rent amount, due date, lease term (fixed or periodic), renewal/termination mechanics; security deposit amount, handling; all recurring and one-time fees; utilities responsibility; screening criteria; any student-housing special terms (subletting policy, roommate obligations).
- Required disclosures: for example, for pre-1978 housing the federal lead-based paint disclosure; any state/local required disclosures under Connecticut law.
- Lease must not include unlawful self-help eviction clauses (lock-outs, utility shut-offs) or waive tenant rights under law.
- Termination/notice provisions must comply with Connecticut statutes.
Notices & Termination
- The lease should clearly specify notice requirements for non-renewal, termination, or early release if applicable.
- Landlord must follow proper legal procedure for eviction or lease termination under Connecticut statute § 47a-23 and related sections.
6. Habitability, Maintenance & Repair Obligations
Landlords must deliver and maintain rental premises in a safe, clean, habitable condition consistent with Connecticut law and applicable local housing codes. Key landlord obligations:
- Maintain structural components: roof, walls, floors, windows, doors, porches, stairways, handrails in safe condition.
- Provide and maintain functioning utilities: heating, plumbing, electrical, sanitation, safe locks/egress.
- Life–safety devices: smoke detectors, carbon-monoxide alarms where required by local or state code.
- Respond promptly to tenant repair requests for conditions materially affecting health or safety.
- Document all maintenance requests, repair work orders, completion, tenant communications and, where applicable, before/after photos.
- Retaliation is prohibited: Landlord must not retaliate (raise rent, reduce services, evict) when a tenant requests repairs or exercises rights under law.
7. Entry, Inspection & Tenant Privacy
Landlords must respect the tenant’s right to quiet enjoyment of the leased premises while providing legitimate access as permitted by law and as required for operational purposes.
- Connecticut statutes do not prescribe a uniform statewide mandatory notice period for non-emergency entries, but best practice (and expectation via Tentunit) is at least 24 hours’ written notice for non-emergency access, and entry during reasonable business hours, e.g., 8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
- Entry may be for legitimate purposes: repairs, inspections, showing unit to prospective tenants or purchasers, agreed improvements.
- Landlord should document all entry notices and actual entries: date/time, purpose, attendees, results/photos if applicable.
- For move-out inspections, it is a best practice to offer tenants a walk-through pre-vacation and document condition via checklist/photographs to support security deposit return.
8. Security Deposit Handling & Administration
Security deposit rules in Connecticut are robust and must be strictly complied with. (See Chapter 831 – Security Deposits, Conn. Gen. Stat. Title 47a).
Key Rules
- Maximum deposit: For tenants under age 62, the deposit may not exceed two months’ rent. For tenants age 62 or older, limit is one month’s rent.
- Holding: Landlord must immediately deposit the security deposit into one or more escrow accounts in Connecticut financial institutions; deposit remains tenant’s property though landlord holds security interest.
- Interest: Landlord must pay tenant accrued interest annually at rate set by Banking Commissioner.
- Return timeline: Upon termination of tenancy, if forwarding address provided, landlord must deliver either full deposit plus interest or itemized deductions and remainder within 21 days after termination or 15 days after receiving forwarding address, whichever is later.
- Deductions: Allowed only for unpaid rent, unpaid utilities (if tenant responsible), damage beyond normal wear & tear. Normal wear & tear cannot be charged.
- Penalties: If landlord violates required timeframe or fails to provide required statement, tenant may recover twice the amount of deposit paid.
Tentunit Requirements for Landlords
- Use a signed move-in condition checklist dated and photographed, retained in landlord’s records.
- Clearly disclose deposit amount, conditions of return, deduction policy and deposit holding/interest obligations in lease and listing.
- Maintain ledger of deposit funds, escrow account information, interest payments, forwarding address notifications, itemized deduction statements, refund date.
- Deposit must be held in trust; landlord must comply with escrow account reporting and transfer rules on change of ownership.
- Return deposit (or provide itemized statement + remainder) within statutory timeframe; maintain proof of mailing or delivery.
9. Student-Housing & Young-Professional Focused Standards
Because Tentunit is oriented toward the student/young-professional rental market, landlords must adopt additional standards:
- In the listing clearly disclose: campus/university proximity, parking or transit policy/costs, sub-letting or early-termination policy, lease-renewal or non-renewal policy.
- Provide digital onboarding materials tailored to younger renters: move-in guide, utility-setup instructions, emergency contact, shared-housing rules if applicable.
- Avoid predatory practices aimed at students/young professionals (e.g., excessive upfront fees, misleading campus-access claims, requiring guarantor without alternatives).
- Maintain communication channels suited to younger demographic: mobile/app messages, after-hours responsiveness, clear roommate/house-rule policies.
- Ensure house-rules, cleaning schedules, noise/guest policies do not conflict with tenant statutory rights or lease conditions; disclose and enforce fairly.
10. Documentation, Audit, Compliance & Platform Enforcement
Landlords must maintain full documentation and operate at institutional-compliance level; Tentunit retains strong enforcement rights.
Record-Keeping Requirements
Landlords must maintain for each rental unit/tenancy:
- Listing metadata: upload date, photo versions, fee schedule changes, availability updates.
- Applicant logs: inquiries, screening criteria used, application dates, approvals/denials, communication timestamps.
- Lease file: executed lease (digital or paper), amendments, renewals, disclosures.
- Maintenance/repair logs: tenant request date/time, vendor/work order, completion date/time, tenant notifications, before/after photographic evidence.
- Entry/inspection logs: notice date/time, entry date/time, purpose, attendees, outcome, photos.
- Security deposit records: deposit amount, escrow account information, interest paid, forwarding address documentation, itemized deduction statements, refund date.
- Communication logs: tenant-landlord messages (via Tentunit or other documented channel), notices (rent increase, inspections, entries, non-renewal/termination).
Enforcement Rights of Tentunit
Tentunit may:
- Audit landlord compliance (listing practices, lease files, maintenance/entry/deduct records) at any time without prior notice.
- Suspend or remove listings for material or repeated non-compliance with this Statement, Tentunit policies or Connecticut/federal law.
- Freeze or withhold landlord payouts tied to non-compliant units (e.g., unresolved deposit disputes, habitability complaints).
- Terminate landlord platform account permanently for serious or repeated violations.
- Report non‐compliance or unlawful conduct to appropriate state/local regulatory agencies (e.g., Connecticut Banking Department, Department of Housing).
- Seek recovery of enforcement costs, attorney fees, and damages caused by landlord non-compliance.
11. Indemnification
Landlord hereby agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Tentunit, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents and contractors from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, costs (including attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to:
- Landlord’s breach of this Statement or any Tentunit policy.
- Landlord’s violation of federal, state or local housing laws/regulations.
- Landlord’s misrepresentation of listing, unit condition, terms, fees or availability.
- Tenant claims or disputes arising from landlord’s acts or omissions.
- Platform enforcement or regulatory investigations triggered by landlord non-compliance.
12. Governing Law & Reference Statutes
Connecticut Statutes & Reference Materials
- Conn. Gen. Stat. Title 47a – Landlord and Tenant; Chapter 831 – Security Deposits (particularly § 47a-21 through § 47a-22a) Justia+1
- Specific deposit rules: § 47a-21(b)-(d) limiting deposits and return timelines. FindLaw Codes
- CTLawHelp summary of deposit law. ctlawhelp.org
- Rentable overview of deposit law. Rentable
Federal Foundations
- Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq.)
- Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act (for structures built pre-1978)
- Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) for eligible tenants