AN ACT DEFINING ADVANCE RENTAL PAYMENTS.

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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 333
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 1944

Referred to Committee on HOUSING

Introduced by:
(HSG)

AN ACT DEFINING ADVANCE RENTAL PAYMENTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsections (a) and (b) of section 47a-21 of the 2026 1
supplement to the general statutes are repealed and the following is 2
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 3
(a) As used in this chapter: 4
(1) "Accrued interest" means the interest due on a security deposit as 5
provided in subsection (i) of this section, compounded annually to the 6
extent applicable. 7
(2) "Advance rental payment" means a payment of any amount, up to 8
the remaining amount owed on the lease term, intended to serve as 9
partial or full payment of rent that is not yet due, but does not include a 10
security deposit. 11
[(2)] (3) "Commissioner" means the Banking Commissioner. 12
[(3)] (4) "Escrow account" means any account at a financial institution 13

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which is not subject to execution by the creditors of the escrow agent 14
and includes a clients' funds account. 15
[(4)] (5) "Escrow agent" means the person in whose name an escrow 16
account is maintained. 17
[(5)] (6) "Financial institution" means any state bank and trust 18
company, national bank, savings bank, federal savings bank, savings 19
and loan association, and federal savings and loan association that is 20
located in this state. 21
[(6)] (7) "Forwarding address" means the address to which a security 22
deposit may be mailed for delivery to a former tenant. 23
[(7)] (8) "Landlord" means any landlord of residential real property, 24
and includes (A) any receiver; (B) any successor; and (C) any tenant who 25
sublets his premises. 26
[(8)] (9) "Receiver" means any person who is appointed or authorized 27
by any state, federal or probate court to receive rents from tenants, and 28
includes trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, conservators, 29
receivers, and receivers of rent. 30
[(9)] (10) "Rent receiver" means a receiver who lacks court 31
authorization to return security deposits and to inspect the premises of 32
tenants and former tenants. 33
[(10)] (11) "Residential real property" means real property containing 34
one or more residential units, including residential units not owned by 35
the landlord, and containing one or more tenants who paid a security 36
deposit. 37
[(11)] (12) "Security deposit" means any [advance rental payment, or 38
any] installment payment collected pursuant to section 47a-22a, [except 39
an advance payment for the first month's rent or a deposit for a key or 40
any special equipment.] or any payment, fee, deposit or charge imposed 41
at the beginning of the tenancy to be used to reimburse the landlord for: 42

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(A) The repair of damages to the premises, exclusive of ordinary wear 43
and tear, caused by the tenant or by a guest or licensee of the tenant; 44
(B) The cleaning of the premises upon termination of the tenancy 45
necessary to return the unit to the same level of cleanliness it was in at 46
the inception of the tenancy; or 47
(C) To remedy future defaults by the tenant in any obligation under 48
the rental agreement to restore, replace or return personal property or 49
appurtenances, exclusive of ordinary wear and tear, if the security 50
deposit is authorized to be applied thereto by the rental agreement. 51
[(12)] (13) "Successor" means any person who succeeds to a landlord's 52
interest whether by purchase, foreclosure or otherwise and includes a 53
receiver. 54
[(13)] (14) "Tenant" [means a tenant, as defined in ] has the same 55
meaning as provided in section 47a -1, or a [resident] "resident", as 56
defined in section 21-64. 57
[(14)] (15) "Tenant's obligations" means (A) the amount of any rental 58
or utility payment due the landlord from a tenant; (B) a tenant's 59
obligations under the provisions of section 47a -11; and (C) the actual 60
reasonable cost of changing the locks of the dwelling unit pursuant to 61
section 47a-7b, if the tenant has not paid such cost. 62
(b) (1) In the case of a tenant under sixty-two years of age, a landlord 63
shall not demand a security deposit in an amount that exceeds two 64
months' rent. 65
(2) In the case of a tenant sixty -two years of age or older, a landlord 66
shall not demand a security deposit in an amount that exceeds one 67
month's rent. Any landlord who has received a security deposit in an 68
amount that exceeds one month's rent from a tenant who becomes sixty-69
two years of age after paying such security deposit shall return the 70
portion of such security deposit that exceeds one month's rent to the 71

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tenant upon the tenant's request. 72
(3) (A) Any tenant with a rental agreement term equal to or longer 73
than six months may offer, and the landlord may accept, an advance 74
rental payment. 75
(B) In the event that a tenant who has made an advance rental 76
payment is under no legal obligation to pay rent for any portion of the 77
time covered by the advance rental payment, a landlord shall return the 78
portion of rent to which the landlord was not legally entitled in a 79
manner that complies with subsection (d) of this section , provided that 80
the landlord has not paid for substitute housing for the tenant during 81
such time. 82
Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 47a -4d of the general statutes is 83
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 84
1, 2026): 85
(b) No landlord may demand from a prospective tenant any 86
payment, fee or charge for the processing, review or acceptance of any 87
rental application, or demand any other payment, fee or charge before 88
or at the beginning of the tenancy, except a security deposit or advance 89
rental payment pursuant to section 47a -21, as amended by this act , 90
[advance payment for the first month's rent or ] a deposit for a key or 91
any special equipment, or a fee for a tenant screening report as provided 92
in subsection (c) of this section. No landlord may charge a tenant a 93
move-in or move-out fee. 94
Sec. 3. Section 47a -13 of the general statutes is repealed and the 95
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 96
(a) If the landlord is required to supply heat, running water, hot 97
water, electricity, gas or other essential service, and if the landlord fails 98
to supply such essential service and the failure is not caused by 99
conditions beyond the landlord's control, the tenant may give notice to 100
the landlord specifying the breach and may elect to (1) procure 101

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reasonable amounts of heat, hot water, running water, electric, gas or 102
other essential service during the period of the landlord's 103
noncompliance and deduct the actual and reasonable cost of such 104
service from the rent; or (2) procure reasonable substitute housing 105
during the period of the landlord's noncompliance if the landlord fails 106
to supply such service within forty-eight hours of such breach, except if 107
the breach is the failure to provide the same service and such breach 108
recurs within six months, the tenant may secure substitute housing 109
immediately; or (3) if the failure to supply such service is wilful, the 110
tenant may terminate the rental agreement and recover an amount not 111
more than two months' periodic rent or double the actual damages 112
sustained by him, whichever is greater. If the rental agreement is 113
terminated, the landlord shall return all security and [prepaid rent ] 114
advance rental payments and interest [required pursuant to section 47a-115
22,] recoverable under section 47a-21, as amended by this act. 116
(b) If the tenant elects to procure substitute housing as provided in 117
subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, rent otherwise owed to 118
the landlord shall abate for the period of the landlord's noncompliance. 119
In addition, the tenant may recover the actual costs of such substitute 120
housing, but in no event shall the tenant recover more than an amount 121
equal to the amount of rent abated under this subsection. In any cause 122
of action or defense to any action arising under subsection (a) of this 123
section, the tenant may recover reasonable attorney's fees. 124
(c) Rights of the tenant under this section do not arise (1) until the 125
tenant has given reasonable written or oral notice to the landlord or (2) 126
if the condition was caused by the wilful or negligent act or omission of 127
the tenant, a member of his family or other person on the premises with 128
his consent. 129
(d) For the purposes of this section, "tenant" includes each resident of 130
a mobile manufactured home park, as defined in section 21 -64, 131
including a resident who owns his own home, and "landlord" includes 132
a "licensee" and an "owner" of a mobile manufactured home park, as 133

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defined in section 21-64. 134
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 47a-21(a) and (b)
Sec. 2 October 1, 2026 47a-4d(b)
Sec. 3 October 1, 2026 47a-13

Statement of Purpose:
To differentiate advance rental payments and security deposits and
permit the use of advance rental payments.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]