Lamont Backs CT Bill to End No-Fault Evictions

Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday threw his public support behind a bill that would largely end no-fault evictions in Connecticut, breaking from his previous silence on one of the General Assembly’s most contested housing debates.

Lamont appeared at a press conference alongside members of the Connecticut Tenants Union, housing advocates, faith leaders, and legislators to announce his backing of Senate Bill 257. The move hands tenants’ rights advocates a significant political win heading into what has been a difficult stretch of legislative sessions for eviction reform.

The bill would require landlords to provide a specific reason before evicting a renter. It would apply only to buildings with five or more units, meaning smaller landlords and owner-occupied two- or three-family homes would be exempt. No-fault evictions, which typically happen at the end of a lease without the landlord claiming any wrongdoing by the tenant, would be prohibited under the measure.

Why Lamont moved now

The governor has steered clear of this fight for several sessions. He told reporters Thursday that a tighter rental market and news coverage of large landlords evicting multiple tenants at once pushed him off the sidelines.

“I think the market has gotten really tight. I think in some cases, some of the landlords got a little arrogant,” Lamont said. “People are playing by the rules, all the rules in the lease, and you can’t treat them different.”

He went further in explaining his position, framing the measure less as a regulatory intervention and more as a basic question of dignity. “Your apartment is your home. Your apartment is dignity. Your apartment is respect. Your apartment is access to a local school for your child, knowing where that’s going to be, knowing it’s not going to change on short notice, knowing you have a little continuity and a little bit of respect. This bill is about a little bit of respect for folks who are playing by the rules,” Lamont said.

That framing carries political weight. Lamont is running for a third term and faces a primary challenge from Rep. Josh Elliott, a Democrat from Hamden who has criticized the governor’s housing record. Endorsing Senate Bill 257 lets Lamont move left on a high-visibility issue without abandoning the centrist identity he’s built across two terms.

What landlords say

The bill’s opponents aren’t backing down. Jessica Doll, executive director of the Connecticut Apartment Association, said the measure solves a problem that doesn’t exist while creating new ones.

“When a tenant violates their lease or creates an unsafe situation that is disruptive or threatening to other apartment residents, ending the lease at its end date is the only reasonable tool housing providers have to protect their communities,” Doll said in a statement. “This idea has failed in each of the past two years, it has bipartisan opposition, and nothing has changed since then to make this a workable bill.”

Landlord groups say no-fault evictions serve a practical purpose that “just cause” language doesn’t capture neatly. A tenant who smokes in hallways or creates recurring disturbances, for example, may not have technically violated a lease clause in a way that holds up in eviction court. Critics of the bill argue that if landlords can’t remove problem tenants cleanly, some will simply exit the rental market, shrinking supply in a state that already doesn’t have enough housing.

Republicans in the General Assembly have raised similar objections, arguing the bill interferes with property rights.

What this means for renters

For Connecticut renters, especially those in cities like Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven where large-portfolio landlords dominate the market, Senate Bill 257 could provide meaningful protection against sudden displacement. The five-unit threshold is designed to keep the law’s reach focused on corporate and institutional landlords rather than small-time property owners.

CT Mirror has tracked the bill’s path through previous sessions, when it stalled despite significant advocacy pressure. Lamont’s endorsement changes the calculus heading into the final stretch of the current session.

For Gold Coast renters who don’t own, or for the growing number of professionals renting in Stamford and Norwalk while they wait out the home-buying market, the bill’s passage would mean a landlord can’t decline to renew a lease without stating a reason on record. That’s not a minor procedural protection. It’s the difference between stable housing and a 60-day notice that has nothing to do with how you’ve treated the property.

The Connecticut General Assembly’s bill tracking system lists Senate Bill 257 as active. The Connecticut Judicial Branch’s housing court data shows eviction filings have remained elevated since 2023, context that advocates cited repeatedly Thursday as justification for moving the bill this session.