More rights could be coming for renters in Connecticut. The “Just Cause” campaign was in full force Thursday morning, pushing for a change to state law.
More rights could be coming for renters in Connecticut.
The “Just Cause” campaign was in full force Thursday morning, pushing for a change to state law.
We spoke with people who said they were wrongfully evicted, and they tell us why this legislation is a step in the right direction.
Some lawmakers are pushing back.
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Advocates for tenant rights lined the halls of the State Capitol on Thursday morning.
The president of the Connecticut Tenants Union, Hannah Schreyer, said Connecticut is the worst state for renters.
“Corporate landlords are evicting thousands of families with nowhere to go,” Schreyer said.
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Delaine Hall, a single mother from Bridgeport, said her landlord raised her rent after she asked her neighbors to turn down their loud music late at night.
In response, hall said she asked her landlord for repairs to be made and to eliminate a mice and roach infestation.
“She instead served me with an eviction notice, so it was hard going through the eviction process," Hall said.
The "Just Cause" campaign aims to prevent evictions without documented justification.
Luke Melonakos-Harrison, an organizer with the Connecticut Tenants Union, said it's time to expand the rights for renters.
“Instead of having no opportunity to defend themselves because it is a no-fault, there is no justification for it. It would require the landlord to put on paper what the reasons are for the eviction," said Melanakos-Harrison.
Rep. Tony Scott (R-Monroe) said he has some concerns about the bill.
"If I own a property and I have a child who's graduated college, and I want that child to go live in that property -- based on the law that they were trying to pass, I would not be able to do that. I would not be able to stop renting to that current tenant," Scott said.
He said it could hurt the state if more landlords pull out of the housing market.
“The contract, it is really tough to get past the fact that there's a contract between two individuals. The government should not be getting involved in that,” Scott said.
Currently, Connecticut has just-cause eviction protections for tenants who are 62 and older or are disabled and live in complexes with five or more units.
Some Republicans said they may never be able to fully support this type of legislation.
