Senator MD Rahman Leads Passage of Nonresident Landlord Accountability Bill

HARTFORD — Senator MD Rahman (D-Manchester), Senate Chair of the Planning and Development Committee, led the passage Tuesday of SB 274, legislation strengthening tenant protections by requiring nonresident landlords to register with municipalities and increasing penalties for repeat building and fire code violations.

“Too often, Connecticut tenants are stuck in unsafe housing because the system makes it too easy for absentee landlords to stay invisible,” Senator Rahman said. “This bill changes that by requiring nonresident property owners to register with municipalities, so that when there is a code violation, local officials and prosecutors can find the responsible party and hold them accountable. Every tenant in Connecticut deserves to know that if their home is unsafe, someone is going to answer for it.”

Under current law, municipalities may ask nonresident property owners to register their contact information, but are not required to. That gap allows absentee landlords, particularly those who own property through corporate entities, to remain difficult to identify and contact when code violations arise. SB 274 makes registration mandatory for larger municipalities, requires landlords to provide current residential addresses and identifying information, and ensures that service of a compliance order to that address constitutes valid legal notice. The bill takes effect October 1, 2026.

The bill also increases penalties for repeat violations of the State Building Code and State Fire Safety Code. For a first offense, landlords face fines between $200 and $1,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both. Repeat offenders face fines of up to $2,000 for building code violations and up to $1,000 for fire code violations, with imprisonment of up to six months also available as a penalty.

Senator MD Rahman represents the 4th Senate District covering Manchester, Glastonbury, Andover, and Bolton.