Conn. Gen. Stat. § 8 § 8-72
Operation of projects. Rentals. Tenant eligibility. Inspections. Semiannual statements. Penalty for false statement.
Operative Text
Each developer or housing authority shall manage and operate its housing projects in an efficient manner so as to enable it to fix the rentals for dwelling accommodations at the lowest possible rates consistent with providing decent, safe and sanitary dwelling accommodations, and no housing authority or nonprofit corporation shall construct or operate any such project for profit. To this end an authority or a nonprofit corporation shall fix the rentals for dwelling in its projects at no higher rates than it finds to be necessary in order to produce revenues which, together with all other available money, revenues, income and receipts of the authority or nonprofit corporation from whatever sources derived, will be sufficient (a) to pay, as the same become due, the principal and interest on the bonds of the authority or nonprofit corporation; (b) to meet the cost of, and to provide for, maintaining and operating the projects, including the cost of any insurance, and the administrative expenses of the authority or nonprofit corporation; provided nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting any authority or nonprofit corporation from providing for variable rentals based on family income. In the operation or management of housing projects an authority or nonprofit corporation shall, at all times, rent or lease the dwelling accommodations therein at rentals within the financial reach of families of low income. The Commissioner of Housing may establish maximum income limits for admission and continued occupancy of tenants, provided such maximum income limits and all revisions thereof for housing projects operated pursuant to any contract with any agency of the federal government shall be subject to the prior approval of such federal agency. The Commissioner of Housing shall define the income of a family to provide the basis for determining eligibility for the admission, rentals and for the continued occupancy of families under the maximum income limits fixed and approved. The definition of family income, by the Commissioner of Housing, may provide for the exclusion of all or part of the income of family members which, in the judgment of said commissioner, is not generally available to meet the cost of basic living needs of the family. No housing authority or developer shall refuse to rent any dwelling accommodation to an otherwise qualified applicant on the ground that one or more of the proposed occupants are children born out of wedlock. Each housing authority and developer shall provide a receipt to each applicant for admission to its housing projects stating the time and date of application and shall maintain a list of such applications, which shall be a public record as defined in section 1-200. The Commissioner of Housing shall, by regulation, provide for the manner in which such list shall be created, maintained and revised. No provision of this part shall be construed as limiting the right of the authority to vest in an obligee the right, in the event of a default by such authority, to take possession of a housing project or cause the appointment of a receiver thereof or acquire title thereto through foreclosure proceedings, free from all the restrictions imposed by this chapter with respect to rental rates and tenant selection. The Commissioner of Housing shall approve an operation or management plan of each housing project, which shall provide an income adequate for debt service, if any, administration, including a state service charge, other operating costs and establishment of reasonable reserves for repairs, maintenance and replacements, vacancy and collection losses. Said commissioner shall have the right of inspection of any housing during the period between the date on which construction thereof begins and the date the state loan is fully paid or, in the case of a grant, during the period for which any housing project built pursuant to such grant is used for housing for families of low and moderate income. An authority or developer shall semiannually submit to said commissioner a sworn statement setting forth such information with respect to the tenants and rentals for each housing project hereunder and the costs of operating each housing project under its jurisdiction as said commissioner requires. Any person who makes a false statement concerning the income of the family for which application for admission to or continued occupancy of housing projects is made may be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than six months or both. With regard to a family who, since the last annual recertification, received any public assistance or state-administered general assistance and received earnings from employment, the authority or developer shall not require any interim recertification due to an earnings increase. At the annual recertification, the authority or developer shall base rent levels on such family's average income throughout the preceding twelve months. During the subsequent twelve-month period, the authority or developer shall not require any interim recertifications due to increased earnings from employment. However, if a family's income has decreased, nothing in this section shall preclude an interim recertification or recertification based on the reduced income level.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 8-72 establishes a comprehensive framework for how publicly assisted housing projects in Connecticut must be operated. Rentals must be set at the lowest rates consistent with financial solvency, and dwelling units must remain within the financial reach of low-income families. The provision also sets rules for tenant eligibility based on income limits set by the Commissioner of Housing, prohibits discrimination against applicants with children born out of wedlock, requires application receipts and public waiting lists, mandates semiannual sworn financial reports, and makes it a criminal offense to submit false income information in connection with admission or continued occupancy.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Housing authorities and developers operating under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 8-72 are generally expected to set rents no higher than necessary to cover debt service, operating costs, insurance, and reasonable reserves—never for profit. Compliant operators maintain public application lists, issue dated receipts to applicants, and submit semiannual sworn statements to the Commissioner of Housing detailing tenant and rental information. For families receiving public assistance or state-administered general assistance who also have employment earnings, operators base rent at annual recertification on the family's average income over the prior twelve months and do not require interim recertifications solely due to earnings increases during that period.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 8-72, tenants and applicants in publicly assisted Connecticut housing projects have a right to rentals set within the financial reach of low-income families, and applicants cannot be turned away solely because a household includes children born out of wedlock. Applicants are entitled to a dated receipt upon applying, and the waiting list is a public record that can be reviewed. Tenants who receive public assistance and have employment earnings are generally protected from mid-year rent increases triggered by those earnings; if a family's income has decreased, an interim recertification based on the lower income level remains available—tenant-rights organizations or legal aid offices can help clarify how these protections apply in a given situation.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 24, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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