I can't pay my rent. Can I be evicted during COVID?

End of Emergency Provisions for Rent and Eviction

Currently, renters in Connecticut can be evicted during COVID-19. 

• Connecticut’s Eviction Protection Moratorium expired June 30, 2021. On July 31, 2021, the federal eviction moratorium expired.

• On February 15, 2022, UniteCT stopped accepting new applications for rent and electricity.

• March 31, 2022 was the deadline for tenants and landlords with a rent relief case number to complete their applications. If not completed, these cases will be removed from the case review process. If completed, cases are reviewed to see if they comply with program guidelines and also to assess the availability of Treasury funding. 

Do You Have a UniteCT Application? 

Check the UniteCT page to see the status of your application. 

At Risk for Being Evicted? What You Can Do

Connecticut offers numerous resources to help citizens at risk for being evicted. 

The state now has a right to free counsel program to help reduce the risks of displacement, loss of housing subsidies and improve the chances of tenants staying in their homes. According to the program’s website (Evictionhelpct.org)

• A Connecticut renter facing eviction is 49% less likely to be forced to leave their home if they have a lawyer

• Connecticujt already had some of the highest eviction rates in the country and more than 80% of landlords had legal representation, compared to just 7% of tenants. 

• Governor Lamont and the Connecticut General Assembly committed $20M in federal coronavirus relief funds for the first two years of the program’s phase-in. 

If you are facing an eviction, be sure to learn about how to qualify for no-cost legal representation through this CT state program. Also check out the free resources page on Evictionhelpct.org

 

Learn more about other resources and  options:

Community Action Agencies - offers programs and resources (see pdf) such as:

• affordable and/or subsidized housing

• emergency shelter

• eviction prevention/mediation

• homelessness prevention

• supportive housing for adults and children

• senior support services

• employment and training

Connecticut Fair Housing Center - offers education about the rights of all individuals in CT to access to housing opportunities, free from discrimination. Visit their site to learn more about rights such as

• right to counsel for low income tenants facing eviction processes

• the expansion of Good Cause eviction protections (H.B. 5233) 

 

United Way 211 - offers services and resources for CT residents

Statewide Legal Services (SLS)  - offers free legal services to qualified individuals 

Find affordable housing options on CTHousingSearch.org

Explore resources and programs available on Connecticut’s DOH (Department of Housing) site

American Job Centers - offers free services to those seeking jobs in CT

Money Follows the Person Program (ct.gov) -DSS program to help qualified individuals regain autonomy and dignified living standards

Housing | MyPlaceCT - DSS program offering safe and affordable housing options for the elderly and the disabled. Options include:

• independent housing
• supportive housing
• institutional settings
• emergency housing
• CHESS program

Meals & Groceries | MyPlaceCT - DSS program offering low to no cost assistance for older and disabled adults

• delivery of prepared meals
• help paying for and getting grocery items

Section 811 ProjectBased Rental Assistance Program CT811 - Project based rental assistance program for extremely low-income individuals with disabilities, age 18-62. Subsidies are given to project owners on behalf of eligible families. 

Unemployment Services (state.ct.us)- File for unemployment and more through Connecticut's Department of Labor

 

 

HISTORICAL INFORMATION - COVID 19 Eviction Protections in Connecticut (For Reference) 

• Starting June 30, 2021, landlords were required to apply for the UniteCT rental assistance program before delivering an eviction notice, according to Executive Order No. 12D (Extended to September 30, 2021 by Executive Order 13). In other words, landlords had to complete an application for UniteCT before delivering a notice to quit (for not paying rent). The Notice to Quit had to include a UniteCT case number. 
• Landlords were required to send tenants eviction notices for nonpayment of rent, lapse of time, or whose right to occupy a unit has terminated at least 30-days’ notice prior to beginning an eviction. 

• Tenants were given the opportunity to continue all terms of their rental agreement by paying their outstanding rent within the 30 day notice to quit timeframe. 

• Eviction notices were required to be delivered along with information about the UniteCT program and the federal eviction moratorium (in English and Spanish) 

• A stay in eviction proceedings is allowed (up to 30 days) if the landlord or the tenant applied to the UniteCT program. If a UniteCT application was made during an eviction case, all proceedings (in the summary process case) would be stopped for 30 days, or until a decision was made for the UniteCT application (whichever happened earlier). If during this time, the renter's assistance is approved, the summary process case must halt until a UniteCT payment is made and a summary process action is dismissed or withdrawn.

• March 15, 2021, Governor Lamont announced UniteCT, a  state financial assistance program for approved Connecticut households financially impacted by the pandemic. Program provides up to $10,000 in rental assistance to landlords on behalf of qualified tenants. Both tenants and landlords can apply. Also, applicants can track the progress of their case online. To learn more please visit our UniteCT page.