Senator Looney Applauds Signing of Law Protecting Tenants from Improper Utility Charges

HARTFORD — Today, Governor Ned Lamont signed Senate Bill 335, An Act Concerning Utility Charges for Residential Dwelling Units, into law. The legislation, championed by Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney (D-New Haven), prohibits landlords from charging tenants separately for utilities unless those utilities are measured by a meter dedicated exclusively to that tenant’s dwelling unit. The new law takes effect October 1, 2026, and applies to rental agreements entered into or renewed on or after that date.

Under current law, some landlords have charged tenants for utilities by dividing the building’s overall utility bill evenly among all units, regardless of individual consumption. Senate Bill 335 amends Connecticut law to make such provisions in a rental agreement unenforceable. Going forward, a landlord may bill a tenant separately for utilities only when a separate meter measures that tenant’s usage, ensuring that tenants are not subsidizing others’ consumption.

“This legislation addresses a consequential issue of fairness in Connecticut’s rental market,” said Senator Looney. “Tenants who conserve energy and practice responsible use of utilities should not be penalized by being charged the same amount as those who do not. By codifying the requirement that utility charges correspond only to a tenant’s actual consumption, we are strengthening Connecticut’s landlord-tenant protections in a meaningful and practical way. I am grateful to Governor Lamont for signing this bill and to my colleagues in the General Assembly for supporting it.”

The new law amends the landlord-tenant statute to add two provisions to the list of terms that are prohibited from being included in a rental agreement: a surcharge for heat or utilities when those services are already included in the rental agreement, and a charge for utilities when no separately dedicated meter measures consumption exclusively to that tenant’s dwelling unit. Any rental agreement provision that violates either prohibition is unenforceable.

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Contact: Kevin Coughlin | kevin.coughlin@cga.ct.gov | 203-710-0193