Free Connecticut Cash for Keys Agreement Template

Last reviewed September 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Connecticut Cash for Keys Agreement

This Cash for Keys Agreement is built with Connecticut as the governing state. These are the Connecticut landlord-tenant rules that most often bear on it, with the statute for each.

Connecticut rules at a glance

Connecticut rules for a Cash for Keys Agreement
Security deposit limit	2 months’ rent · 1 month if the tenant is 62 or olderC.G.S. §47a-21(b)
Deposit return	Later of 21 days after move-out or 15 days after a written forwarding address, with interestC.G.S. §47a-21(d)
Escrow account	The full deposit must go immediately into an escrow account at a Connecticut financial institution. Within 30 days of receiving it, the landlord must tell the tenant in writing how much is held and the name and address of the institution (§47a-21(h)).
Deposit escrow notice	The amount held and the bank’s name and address, within 30 days of receiving the deposit (§47a-21).
Notice to quit (month-to-month)	At least 3 days before a summary-process (eviction) caseC.G.S. §47a-23
Nonpayment	Once the 9-day grace period passes, the landlord may serve a notice to quit giving at least three days before filing an eviction (§§47a-15a, 47a-23).

Security deposits in Connecticut

Connecticut caps the security deposit at two months’ rent, or one month’s rent if the tenant is 62 or older. A landlord already holding more than one month from a tenant who turns 62 must refund the excess on request (§47a-21(b)).

Escrow account — The full deposit must go immediately into an escrow account at a Connecticut financial institution. Within 30 days of receiving it, the landlord must tell the tenant in writing how much is held and the name and address of the institution (§47a-21(h)).
Mandatory interest — Deposits earn interest at no less than the annual “deposit index” set by the Banking Commissioner (0.49% for 2026), paid or credited on each anniversary of the tenancy. A lease can’t waive it (§§47a-21(i), 47a-4).
Return deadline — The landlord must return the deposit plus interest, or the balance with an itemized written statement of damages, within 21 days after the tenancy ends or 15 days after receiving the tenant’s forwarding address in writing — whichever is later (§47a-21(d)).
Penalty — A landlord who misses the deadline is liable for twice the deposit; if the only failure is unpaid interest, the penalty is the greater of $10 or twice the interest (§47a-21(d)).
Walk-through — Before move-in, the landlord must offer the tenant a walk-through using the Department of Housing’s checklist, signed by both sides; the landlord can’t later charge the deposit for conditions recorded on it (§47a-7c).

Ending a Connecticut tenancy

Connecticut doesn’t use the familiar “30 days to end a month-to-month” rule. A month-to-month tenancy ends by its own terms at the close of each rental period; what the statute regulates is the notice to quit that must precede an eviction case. The eviction itself runs through the summary-process court procedure — a landlord can never lock a tenant out.

Key Connecticut notice periods
Notice to quit (before summary process)	At least 3 full days§47a-23
Nonpayment grace period	9 days (4 days week-to-week)§47a-15a
Lease violation — right to cure	15 days§47a-15
Rent increase	45 days (or one full term for a lease of one month or less)§47a-4e
Family violence / sexual assault termination	30 days, with documentation§47a-11e

Nonpayment — Once the 9-day grace period passes, the landlord may serve a notice to quit giving at least three days before filing an eviction (§§47a-15a, 47a-23).
Lease violations — For a curable material breach the landlord must first give written notice and 15 days to fix it; the right to cure doesn’t apply to a repeat within six months or to serious nuisance (§47a-15).
Protected tenants — In buildings with five or more units, tenants who are 62+ or have a qualifying disability can be evicted only for good cause — not simply because the lease ended (§47a-23c).
Survivors — A victim of family violence or sexual assault may end the lease on 30 days’ written notice with a sworn statement and a police, court or victim-services record; unpaid rent before termination is still owed (§47a-11e).

Required disclosures in Connecticut

Rental Terms Summary Form — For any written lease signed or renewed on or after April 1, 2026, the Department of Housing’s standardized summary (premises, tenants, landlord, contact person, term, rent and every recurring charge) must be the first page, in English and Spanish (P.A. 25-44 §9).
Protected-tenant notice — In buildings with five or more units, the DOH notice of senior and disability eviction protections must be given at signing and at every renewal (§47a-23c).
Walk-through checklist — An offer of a pre-occupancy walk-through using the DOH checklist (§47a-7c).
Fire sprinklers — Where the building is required to have a sprinkler system, the lease must state in 12-point bold type whether an operative system exists and, if so, its last maintenance and inspection date (§47a-3f).
Owner / agent identity — In writing at or before move-in, the name and address of the person authorized to manage the premises and of the person authorized to receive notices, demands and service of process — kept current (§47a-6).
Bed bugs — Before renting, a landlord must tell a prospective tenant whether the unit or any contiguous unit the landlord owns currently has a bed bug infestation, and can’t offer a unit known or reasonably suspected to be infested (§47a-7a(c)).
Lead-based paint — Federal lead warning and known-hazard disclosure for housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. §4852d).
Deposit escrow notice — The amount held and the bank’s name and address, within 30 days of receiving the deposit (§47a-21).

Connecticut Cash for Keys Agreement FAQs

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Connecticut?

No more than two months’ rent — or one month’s rent if the tenant is 62 or older. A landlord holding more than one month from a tenant who later turns 62 must refund the excess on request. The deposit must sit in an escrow account and earns mandatory annual interest (C.G.S. §47a-21).

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Connecticut?

The later of 21 days after the tenancy ends or 15 days after receiving the tenant’s forwarding address in writing. The landlord must return the deposit with interest, or the balance with an itemized list of damages. Missing the deadline can cost twice the deposit (§47a-21(d)).

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