Facing Eviction in Connecticut: What Can I Do?

1. Before your landlord can start an eviction case in court, your landlord must give you a written notice to quit. Connecticut calls this kind of case summary process (the court process to evict a renter). A notice to quit is a letter saying you must move out. It must reach you at least 3 days before the date it says you must leave. If you do not leave by then, your landlord can file court papers to start the case.

   Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-23(a)

   ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

2. After your court papers are filed, you must appear in the case within 2 days after your return day. Your return day is the date on your papers that starts your deadlines. If you do not appear, your landlord can ask the court for a judgment (the court's final decision in your case). The judgment gives your landlord the home.

   Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-26

   ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

3. If you appear but do not answer within 2 days after your return day, your landlord can ask the court to act. The court can then give a judgment (the court's final decision in your case) for your landlord. If you still have not answered within 3 days after that request is filed, the court gives your landlord the home.

   Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-26a

   ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

4. Some Connecticut renters have extra eviction protection. First, you must live in a building with 5 or more homes, or in a mobile home park. Second, you must be 62 or older, or have a disability expected to last at least 12 months or to cause death. It also counts if certain close family members who live with you are 62 or older or have such a disability. If this protection applies, your landlord can evict you only for a reason the law lists. Examples include not paying rent, seriously breaking the lease, or the landlord's honest plan to live there.

   Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-23c(a)(1)

   ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

5. You can defend an eviction case by proving your landlord brought it only because you lawfully tried to fix a housing problem. Lawful ways include contacting a town or state office, or filing a complaint with a fair rent commission. You must still pay rent for the home while the court decides this defense.

   Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-33

   ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

6. While your case is open, your landlord can ask the court to order you to pay rent-like payments to the court. This is called use and occupancy (rent-like payments made to the court, not your landlord). If you appear in your case, you must deposit your last agreed rent with the court within 10 days of your landlord's request. You can object instead within 5 days.

   Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-26b(a)

   ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

7. If you miss your use and occupancy payments (rent-like payments made to the court), the clerk orders you to answer. If you still have not answered within 4 days, the court gives a judgment (the court's final decision in your case) for your landlord.

   Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-26b(d)

   ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

8. At your trial, your landlord must prove that your lease or rental agreement ended. Your landlord must also prove that you got a proper notice to quit. Your landlord must also prove that you are still living there after the date on that notice. If your landlord proves this and you cannot show a legal right to stay, the court rules against you. This is called a judgment (the court's final decision in your case).

   Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-26d

   ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

9. After the court gives a judgment (the court's final decision in your case) against you, your landlord cannot remove you for 5 days. Sundays and legal holidays do not count toward those 5 days. If you want to appeal, you must file it within this same 5-day period. If you miss this deadline, you lose the right to appeal.

   Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-35(a)

   ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

10. If your eviction case was for unpaid rent, you can pay what you owe after a judgment (the court's final decision in your case). You must pay this to the court clerk within 5 days of that decision. Paying this lets you then ask the court for more time before you must move out. This extra time is called a stay of execution.

    Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-37(a)

    ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

11. If you do not move out by the end of any stay the court grants, your landlord can ask the court for an execution. An execution is a court order allowing removal. A state marshal then removes you and your things from the home.

    Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-42(a)

    ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

12. Before the eviction, the state marshal must try to tell you the date and time it will happen. The marshal must also give the town's chief official 24 hours notice before removing you. Anything left behind is taken to a storage location. If you do not claim your things and pay the storage cost within 15 days, the town can sell them at a public auction.

    Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-42(b)

    ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

13. If your eviction case is withdrawn or dismissed, the court system must remove any record of it from its website within 30 days. The same happens if the case ends with a judgment (the court's final decision in your case) for you, the renter. If there is later activity in the case, such as an appeal, the record can be put back on the website.

    Connecticut General Assembly § 47a-26j(a)

    ✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026

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