Breaking a Lease Early in Connecticut: What Are My Options?

If you leave without a legal reason

1. 1

   If you leave early without a legal reason, your landlord can end the lease. They can sue you for the rent you agreed to but did not pay. Your landlord must make reasonable efforts to rent the home again at a fair rent. If they do not, the lease ends the day they learn you left.

   Source:

   1. § 47a-11c, Connecticut General Statutes. Law.
   Tip.

   Read your lease before you decide. Check whether it lets you end it early and what penalty you must pay.

When you can leave early

2. 2

   If your landlord seriously breaks the lease or a health and safety duty, send a written notice saying what is wrong. The law gives your landlord 15 days after they get it to fix it. If they do not, your lease ends. You cannot end your lease over a problem you, your family or someone there with your consent caused on purpose or by being careless. Only leases longer than one month count.

   Source:

   1. § 47a-12(a), Connecticut General Statutes. Law.
   Think before you call an inspector.

   You or a neighbor can ask the city to send a code inspector. Be careful: if the home is in very bad shape, the inspector can condemn it (say no one may live there). Then everyone must move out, you too, sometimes on short notice. Think about where you would go before you call.

   Tip.

   Write down each problem, every time you contacted your landlord, and the day you moved out.

   Tip.

   Keep a copy of every letter you give your landlord, and keep your mail receipt. Save the texts and emails you send your landlord, and any replies.

3. 3

   If you gave notice about a problem and it happens again within 6 months, you can end your lease. Send written notice at least 14 days before you move out. Say the date it happened again and the date you will move out. Move out within 30 days of the problem.

   Source:

   1. § 47a-12(a), Connecticut General Statutes. Law.
4. 4

   If fire or another disaster badly harms your home, you owe no rent while that lasts, unless you caused it by negligence or on purpose. Move out right away, then tell your landlord in writing within 14 days that you are ending your lease. Or, if you can lawfully stay, move out of the part you cannot use and pay proportionally less rent.

   Source:

   1. § 47a-14(a), Connecticut General Statutes. Law.

After you move out

5. 5

   Give your landlord your forwarding address in writing. The law gives your landlord until 21 days after your lease ends or 15 days after they get your address, whichever is later. By then they must send your deposit plus interest, or what is left after the cost of damage with a written list. If they miss it, they can owe you more than your deposit.

   Source:

   1. § 47a-21(d)(2), Connecticut General Assembly. Law.
   Tip.

   Before you leave, clean the home and take photos of how you left it.

6. 6

   If your landlord breaks the deposit return rules, you can claim twice your deposit. For example, with a $1,500 deposit, you can claim $3,000. You get this money only if you win your case and your landlord pays.

   Sources:

   1. Our editorial rules.
   2. § 47a-21(d)(2), Connecticut General Assembly. Law.
   Tip.

   This is only an example to show how the rule works. If it goes to court, a court decides the real amount.

7. 7

   If your landlord says you owe more, a debt collector may call or write to you. The collector must tell you how much, who it is for and how to say it is wrong. You have 30 days after you get that notice to write back. Then the collector must stop trying to get that money until it answers you.

   Sources:

   1. Our editorial rules.
   2. What information does a debt collector have to give me, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A government guide.
   3. What should I do when a debt collector contacts me, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A government guide.
8. 8

   Your landlord can take money from your pay or benefits only after winning in court. The court must issue a judgment (the court's final decision) that you owe the debt. If you are sued, do not ignore it. You can lose the case if you do not go to court.

   Sources:

   1. Our editorial rules.
   2. Can a debt collector take or garnish my wages, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A government guide.
   Tip.

   If you get court papers, do not ignore them. Go to court, or you can lose the case.

   From Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Special protections

9. 9

   To end your lease for family violence, send written notice at least 30 days before the date you will end it. You then owe no penalty or rent for the rest of the lease. You must reasonably believe you must leave because you fear harm that is about to happen to you or a dependent. Leases made or renewed on or after January 1, 2011 are covered.

   Sources:

   1. Our editorial rules.
   2. § 47a-11e(a), Connecticut General Statutes. Law.
10. 10

    To end your lease for sexual assault, send written notice at least 30 days before the date you will end it. You owe no penalty or rent for the rest of the lease. You must be the victim. If a dependent is the victim, you must be their parent or guardian with physical custody. You must fear harm that is about to happen. Leases made or renewed on or after January 1, 2014 are covered.

    Sources:

    1. Our editorial rules.
    2. § 47a-11e(a), Connecticut General Statutes. Law.
11. 11

    Your notice to end a lease for family violence or sexual assault must include a statement made under oath. It must say you or a dependent is a victim and the date you will end the lease. It must say you have moved out or will before that date, and taken your things. Things left on that date are treated as given up.

    Sources:

    1. Our editorial rules.
    2. § 47a-11e(b), Connecticut General Statutes. Law.
12. 12

    Your notice to end a lease for family violence or sexual assault must also include proof. It can be a court record dated within 90 days before your notice. Or it can be a signed statement, dated within 30 days, from the Office of Victim Services or the Office of Victim Advocate. If you feel safe, you can choose a police record. Write down what happened.

    Sources:

    1. Our editorial rules.
    2. § 47a-11e(b), Connecticut General Statutes. Law.
13. 13

    Ending your lease for family violence or sexual assault does not erase earlier unpaid rent or damage you caused. Other tenants on the lease still owe the landlord under it.

    Source:

    1. § 47a-11e(c), Connecticut General Statutes. Law.