Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a § 47a-13
Failure of landlord to supply essential services. Tenant's remedies.
Operative Text
(a) If the landlord is required to supply heat, running water, hot water, electricity, gas or other essential service, and if the landlord fails to supply such essential service and the failure is not caused by conditions beyond the landlord's control, the tenant may give notice to the landlord specifying the breach and may elect to (1) procure reasonable amounts of heat, hot water, running water, electric, gas or other essential service during the period of the landlord's noncompliance and deduct the actual and reasonable cost of such service from the rent; or (2) procure reasonable substitute housing during the period of the landlord's noncompliance if the landlord fails to supply such service within forty-eight hours of such breach, except if the breach is the failure to provide the same service and such breach recurs within six months, the tenant may secure substitute housing immediately; or (3) if the failure to supply such service is wilful, the tenant may terminate the rental agreement and recover an amount not more than two months' periodic rent or double the actual damages sustained by him, whichever is greater. If the rental agreement is terminated, the landlord shall return all security and prepaid rent and interest required pursuant to section 47a-22, recoverable under section 47a-21. (b) If the tenant elects to procure substitute housing as provided in subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, rent otherwise owed to the landlord shall abate for the period of the landlord's noncompliance. In addition, the tenant may recover the actual costs of such substitute housing, but in no event shall the tenant recover more than an amount equal to the amount of rent abated under this subsection. In any cause of action or defense to any action arising under subsection (a) of this section, the tenant may recover reasonable attorney's fees. (c) Rights of the tenant under this section do not arise (1) until the tenant has given reasonable written or oral notice to the landlord or (2) if the condition was caused by the wilful or negligent act or omission of the tenant, a member of his family or other person on the premises with his consent. (d) For the purposes of this section, “tenant” includes each resident of a mobile manufactured home park, as defined in section 21-64, including a resident who owns his own home, and “landlord” includes a “licensee” and an “owner” of a mobile manufactured home park, as defined in section 21-64.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-13 establishes what happens when a landlord who is obligated to provide essential services—such as heat, hot water, electricity, or gas—fails to do so through no circumstance beyond their control. Under this provision, tenants gain specific remedies, including the ability to obtain the service themselves and deduct the cost from rent, secure substitute housing with rent abatement, or, if the failure is willful, terminate the lease and recover damages. These rights are triggered only after the tenant gives the landlord reasonable notice, and they do not apply when the tenant's own actions caused the service failure.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Landlords who are contractually or legally obligated to supply essential services must maintain those services consistently, as Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-13 creates significant financial exposure when they fail to do so. A compliant operator responds promptly to any tenant notice of a service outage—particularly within the 48-hour window the statute references—and documents the steps taken to restore service. Operators of mobile manufactured home parks should be aware that this provision explicitly extends to park owners and licensees as well.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-13 gives tenants whose landlords fail to supply required essential services several potential remedies, including self-procuring the service and deducting costs from rent, obtaining substitute housing with rent abatement, or—if the failure is willful—terminating the lease and seeking damages up to two months' rent or double actual damages, whichever is greater. To preserve these rights, a tenant generally must first give the landlord reasonable written or oral notice of the breach, and the statute also allows recovery of reasonable attorney's fees in related legal actions. Tenants seeking to understand which remedy fits their circumstances may benefit from consulting a tenant-rights organization or legal aid provider familiar with Connecticut housing law.
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.
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