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Free Connecticut Short-Term
Rental Agreement Template

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Last reviewed September 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Connecticut Short-Term Rental Agreement

This Short-Term Rental 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 Short-Term Rental Agreement
Security deposit limit2 months’ rent · 1 month if the tenant is 62 or olderC.G.S. §47a-21(b)
Deposit returnLater of 21 days after move-out or 15 days after a written forwarding address, with interestC.G.S. §47a-21(d)
Escrow accountThe 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 noticeThe amount held and the bank’s name and address, within 30 days of receiving the deposit (§47a-21).
Late feesOnly after a 9-day grace period; max the lesser of $5/day (up to $50) or 5% of the late paymentC.G.S. §47a-15a

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).

Rent, late fees & rent increases

Connecticut’s 2023 and 2024 housing acts reshaped the money side of a lease: late charges are tightly capped, most up-front fees are banned, and rent increases need advance written notice.

  • Grace period — Tenants get a 9-day grace period after the due date (4 days for a one-week tenancy). No late charge can be assessed, and no eviction for nonpayment can begin, before it runs (§47a-15a).
  • Late-fee cap — A late charge must be in a written lease and may not exceed the lesser of $5 per day up to $50, or 5% of the delinquent payment — and only one late charge per late payment, however long it stays unpaid (§47a-15a). A lease clause charging more, or charging during the grace period, is unenforceable (§47a-4).
  • Up-front fees — Beyond the security deposit and first month’s rent, a landlord may charge only a tenant-screening fee (capped at $50, adjusted for inflation) and a deposit for keys or special equipment — no application, move-in or move-out fees. A landlord who charges the screening fee must give the applicant a copy of the report (or how to get it) and the screening company’s receipt (§47a-4d).
  • Rent increases — No increase takes effect unless the tenant received written notice at least 45 days in advance — or, for a lease with a term of one month or less, notice equal to one full term. Silence isn’t agreement, and rent can’t rise mid-lease (§47a-4e, for leases entered into, renewed or extended on or after October 1, 2024).
  • Fair rent commissions — Towns above a population threshold (25,000, being lowered to 15,000 under a November 2025 special-session housing act) must have a fair rent commission that can hear tenant complaints and roll back increases it finds harsh and unconscionable (§§7-148b–7-148f).
  • All-in advertised rent — Since October 1, 2025, advertised rent must include the periodic or recurring fees the tenant is required to pay, with limited exceptions such as pet charges and separately paid utilities (P.A. 25-44).

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 Short-Term Rental 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)).

What is the maximum late fee in Connecticut?

No late charge can be assessed until the 9-day grace period after the due date has run. After that, a late charge written into the lease may not exceed the lesser of $5 per day up to $50, or 5% of the late payment — and only one late charge per late payment (§47a-15a).

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