Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21 § 21-83

Rental agreements: Permissible and prohibited provisions.

In Force
Verified 9/17/2026 · Next check 9/24/2026
effective 1/1/2026ConnecticutProhibited Clauses

Operative Text

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21 § 21-83
(a) An owner and a resident may include in a rental agreement terms and conditions not prohibited by law, including rent, term of the agreement and other provisions governing the rights and obligations of the parties. No rental agreement shall contain the following:

(1) Any provision by which the resident agrees to waive or forfeit rights or remedies under this chapter and sections 47a-21, 47a-23 to 47a-23b, inclusive, 47a-26 to 47a-26h, inclusive, 47a-35 to 47a-35b, inclusive, 47a-41a, 47a-43 and 47a-46, or under any section of the general statutes or any municipal ordinance, unless such section or ordinance expressly states that such rights may be waived;

(2) Any provision which permits the owner to terminate the rental agreement for failure to pay rent unless such rent is unpaid when due and the resident fails to pay rent within (A) nine days thereafter, or (B) fourteen days thereafter if an online rental payment system prevented the payment of rent when due;

(3) Any provision which permits the owner to collect a penalty fee for late payment of rent without allowing the resident a minimum of nine days beyond the due date in which to remit or which provides for the payment of rent in a reduced amount if such rent is paid prior to the expiration of such grace period;

(4) Any provision which permits the owner to charge a penalty for late payment of rent in excess of five per cent of the total rent due for the mobile manufactured home space or lot or four per cent of the total rent due for the mobile manufactured home and mobile manufactured home space or lot;

(5) Any provision which allows the owner to increase the total rent or change the payment arrangements during the term of the rental agreement;

(6) Any provision allowing the owner to charge an amount in excess of one month's rent for a security deposit or to retain the security deposit upon termination of the rental agreement if the resident has paid his rent in full as of the date of termination and has caused no damage to the property of the owner or to waive the resident's right to the interest on the security deposit pursuant to section 47a-21;

(7) Any provision allowing the owner to charge an entrance fee to a resident assuming occupancy;

(8) Any provision authorizing the owner to confess judgment on a claim arising out of the rental agreement;

(9) Any provision which waives any cause of action against or indemnification from an owner, by a resident for any injury or harm caused to such resident, his family or his guests, or to his property, or the property of his family or his guests resulting from any negligence of the owner, his agents or his assigns in the maintenance of the premises or which otherwise agrees to the exculpation or limitation of any liability of the owner arising under law or to indemnify the owner for that liability or the costs connected therewith;

(10) Any provision permitting the owner to dispossess the resident without resort to court order;

(11) Any provision consenting to the distraint of the resident's property for rent;

(12) Any provision agreeing to pay the owner's attorney's fees in excess of fifteen per cent of any judgment against the resident in any action in which money damages are awarded;

(13) Any provision which denies to the resident the right to treat as a breach of the agreement, a continuing violation by the owner, substantial in nature, of any provision set forth in the rental agreement or of any state statute unless the owner discontinues such violation within a reasonable time after written notice is given by the resident by registered or certified mail.

(b) A provision prohibited by this chapter included in a rental agreement is unenforceable.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21 § 21-83 governs what may and may not appear in mobile manufactured home park rental agreements in Connecticut. Owners and residents are free to negotiate lawful terms covering rent, duration, and other rights and obligations, but the statute lists thirteen categories of clauses that are flatly prohibited—ranging from waivers of statutory tenant rights and improper late-fee structures to confession-of-judgment clauses and provisions allowing self-help eviction. Any prohibited clause that does appear in a rental agreement is rendered unenforceable by operation of law, meaning the rest of the agreement can still stand.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on September 17, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Property owners and managers operating under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21 § 21-83 generally review their lease templates to ensure none of the thirteen prohibited clause types are present before presenting agreements to residents. Compliant operators structure late fees at or below the statutory caps—five percent of monthly space rent, or four percent when the home and lot are combined—and provide at least a nine-day grace period before any fee applies. Operators also avoid provisions that would allow mid-term rent increases, entrance fees, security deposits exceeding one month's rent, or any self-help remedy that bypasses a court order.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21 § 21-83 gives mobile manufactured home park residents a clear set of protections: any lease clause that falls into one of the thirteen prohibited categories is unenforceable, even if a resident signed the agreement. Tenants who believe a lease contains a prohibited provision—such as an excessive late fee, a waiver of statutory rights, or an improper security-deposit term—may raise that unenforceability as a defense in any legal proceeding where the owner attempts to rely on that clause. Tenant-rights organizations and Connecticut legal aid offices can help residents identify whether a specific clause conflicts with § 21-83 and explain the range of options available.

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 17, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Current
Jan 1, 2026
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Related Rules

§ 28
Waivers of Secs. 23 to 27 void and unenforceable
§ 966.6
§ 966.6 Prohibited lease provisions.
§ 12
Stay of proceedings; validity of waiver in lease

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