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Connecticut Subsidized Housing Attorneys

Assisting Housing Authorities and Subsidized Landlords with Legal Issues Related to Housing

At the Landlord Law Firm, we believe that subsidized housing is a highly important resource for many individuals and families throughout Connecticut. However, we also have seen firsthand the issues that public housing authorities throughout the state can face when it comes to managing public housing projects.

Like any other type of property manager or landlord, a housing authority can experience a wide variety of legal issues that can significantly drain resources and can even result in unnecessary liabilities. Housing authorities must have skilled legal representation by a law firm that has extensive knowledge of public housing regulations, requirements, and procedures, and that can protect the rights and interests of housing authorities both in regulatory matters and litigation.

Whether your housing authority would like general legal information or needs representation regarding specific legal issues, please do not hesitate to contact the Landlord Law Firm today. In addition, please feel free to browse our extensive catalog of information regarding landlord rights in Connecticut.

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance

First and foremost, all public housing authorities must comply with the many requirements and regulations enacted and enforced by the Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH), as well as those of other local, state, and federal agencies with jurisdiction over rental properties. Regulations are regularly revised, and it can be difficult to be certain that your housing authority is in compliance with all necessary requirements regarding all applicable properties and rental agreements.

Constantly reviewing regulations and procedures for compliance can take a lot of time and resources away from the other tasks that your staff needs to complete. At the Landlord Law Firm, we can review your records and management policies to assess whether your procedures and actions are in compliance with the many relevant regulations.

Then, to foster better compliance or to adjust for recent changes in the law, we will present you with all findings from our analysis, along with recommendations for changes to your policies and procedures. We will provide counsel and assistance to implement any changes, helping every step of the way until you achieve full compliance with necessary public housing regulations. By doing so, the Landlord Law Firm helps to prevent any issues of noncompliance, including possible costly civil liability or penalties.

Lease Review and Drafting

Like any other type of tenant, the tenants of housing authority-managed properties should always sign thorough lease agreements that address all relevant rights and responsibilities of both the tenants and the landlords. Lawyers should carefully tailor all lease agreements to each specific property and tenant, fully complying with all Section 8 lease requirements and including all necessary provisions. If certain provisions are not properly updated or included, housing authorities may face unnecessary liabilities should legal issues arise.

At the Landlord Law Firm, we will carefully draft and review all lease agreements or lease updates for subsidized housing managed by your housing authority. By having an experienced attorney review your contracts, you will not have to spend time researching possible lease provisions or worrying about whether a lease is legally enforceable and adequately protects the rights and interests of your housing authority. Call today to learn more about how we can assist you with your lease agreements.

Defending Against Fair Housing Claims

While fair housing claims can arise in any rental scenario, they seem particularly common among subsidized housing projects. Both the Federal Fair Housing Act and Connecticut Fair Housing Laws set out anti-discrimination requirements for all landlords or subsidized housing properties. Such discrimination is prohibited under these laws on the basis of the following factors:

  • Source of lawful income
  • Disability
  • Race
  • Color
  • National origin
  • Sex
  • Religion
  • Familial status
  • Ancestry
  • Marital status
  • Age
  • Sexual orientation
  • Gender identity or expression

Accusations of discrimination can arise at any stage of the housing process, from applications to evictions. If applicants or tenants believe they were discrimination victims, they can file complaints with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) or the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

All fair housing claims—even frivolous ones filed by disgruntled individuals—can have serious implications, so any landlord or housing authority should seek qualified legal assistance from a law firm that will defend your housing authority against these allegations in the most efficient manner possible.

Assisting With Tenant Grievances

When subsidized housing tenants or applicants have certain allegations against landlords or property managers, they must follow proper procedures set out by the applicable laws or regulations and cite qualified grounds for their grievances. Grievances can involve many different allegations, and your housing authority should prepare to defend against these grievances to avoid civil penalties or liabilities. Examples of grievances the Landlord Law Firm regularly defends against include:

  • Wrongful denial of subsidized housing
  • Denial of transfer to another property
  • Unfair rent increases
  • Failure of housing authorities to make repairs
  • Wrongful late fees
  • Wrongful lease terminations

Representing Housing Authorities in Evictions

Specific circumstances under which a housing authority may evict a tenant from subsidized housing in Connecticut include:

  • Repeated or serious lease violations, such as nonpayment of rent
  • Violating any local, state, or federal landlord-tenant laws
  • Drug-related activity in or around the property
  • Criminal activity that affects the safety or enjoyment of others
  • Other good causes, such as property destruction or regularly disturbing others

The Landlord Law Firm will evaluate your situation and determine whether you have the right to evict a tenant, and will help you through every stage of the eviction process to protect your rights.

Contact an Experienced Connecticut Housing Authority Lawyer for Assistance

If you need assistance with any aspect of a subsidized housing project, we can help—from regulatory compliance to eviction. We work to help avoid legal conflicts up front and to efficiently address them as they arise. Please contact the Landlord Law Firm or call for help at (203) 874-4747.

Connecticut Lease Audit Attorneys

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Connecticut Nonpayment of Rent Attorneys

Helping Landlords Collect Rent and Evict Delinquent Tenants

The fundamental premise of the landlord-tenant relationship is that the landlord provides real property to occupy and the tenant pays rent. As such, collecting the rent is the most important function of a landlord or property management company. After all, unless you are running a charity, the purpose of having property that you do not personally occupy is to build wealth through returns on investments in commercial or residential real estate.

When tenants do not pay the rent, not only are they in violation of the terms of their leases, they also can put landlords in precarious financial positions. Large developments run the risk of rapidly accumulating receivables that distract management from other aspects of the community. For smaller property owners, if you financed your investment property, you are probably counting on a certain level of paid occupancy to make your mortgage payments each month. Even one or two missed rent payments have the potential to put you in a position where you could lose your property and have your credit ruined by foreclosure.

Generally speaking, tenants miss rent payments when they have financial problems. Common reasons these issues arise include:

  • The loss of a job
  • Road construction diverting traffic from a retail location
  • An economic downturn
  • Medical problems
  • Changing market conditions
  • Divorce
  • Unexpected Injury

Whether you are a commercial or residential landlord, if you are having trouble collecting rent, you should speak to an attorney as soon as you can to protect your rights. To schedule a consultation with one of our lawyers, call the Landlord Law Firm today at (203) 847-4747.

Pursuing Past-Due Rent without Resorting to Eviction

As a landlord, you are probably aware that one way you can deal with a tenant who has not paid rent is by eviction, which is formally known as “summary process” in Connecticut. Do not delay in dealing with a tenant who has not paid rent. While alternatives to eviction exist, the summary process can be a valuable tool to address acute or chronic late payers.

You may want to put off evicting a tenant. Some common reasons include:

  • Your residential tenant is going through a hard time and you want to give him an opportunity to catch up on rent during the course of a few months
  • Your commercial tenant may simply have an unusually bad month
  • You may not want to jeopardize a long-term relationship with a tenant that you have developed during years or decades
  • Evicting your tenant immediately may jeopardize your ability to collect any of the past-due rent
  • Your commercial tenant may anchor the property in such a way as to make the property available to other, smaller businesses

In many cases, it is advisable to escalate attempts to collect past-due rent rather than head down to the courthouse to start the eviction process at the first opportunity you have. Generally speaking, it is advisable to start the process by simply contacting your tenant and letting him know you have not received the rent for the period in question. In some cases, your tenant may have simply forgotten to put a check in the mail or thought that an employee, roommate, or spouse had done so at their request.

If you are unable to contact your tenant or it seems that he is avoiding your attempts at communication, it is a good idea to get a lawyer involved immediately. In many instances, an attorney’s involvement is enough to induce reticent tenants to resolve a rent delinquency, because hiring an attorney often indicates imminent legal action. Sometimes, a lawyer can help negotiate a settlement to a past-due rent situation in which the tenant stays current on payments that come due while making installment payments on the missed month. In many cases, tenants who are offered this type of arrangement are more likely to keep up with their rent payments in the future. Of course, it is always a good idea to have any arrangement memorialized as a formal contract should a dispute arise. One really effective and enforceable way to do this is through the court process.

Helping Landlords Avoid Nonpayment in the First Place

Of course, a better option than working to collect past-due rent is leasing to tenants who do not fall behind on their payments in the first place. We consult with landlords about how to evaluate prospective tenants in a way that minimizes the risk of nonpayment of rent while remaining compliant with the Fair Housing Act.

Evicting Nonpaying Tenants Requires Adherence to Connecticut Law

Sometimes, the only way to solve the problem of nonpayment of rent is by pursuing eviction. Eviction is highly regulated by state law, and a landlord is required to take certain steps before removing a tenant from a property. Failure to follow these rules can result in the tenant having a defense against eviction, which may result in your property being occupied by a non-paying tenant for a significant period of time, ultimately costing you money. For this reason, any landlord who is considering evicting either a residential or commercial tenant should do so with the counsel and representation of an experienced lawyer.

Call the Landlord Law Firm Today to Schedule a Consultation with a Nonpayment of Rent Attorney

If you are having difficulty collecting rent from a tenant or tenants, speak to an attorney as soon as possible. The assistance of a lawyer can often result in you obtaining the money you are owed without resorting to legal action. In addition, should legal action become necessary, a lawyer can help you remove a delinquent tenant from your property and assist you in collecting any back rent a tenant owes you. For practical information regarding legal issues of interest to landlords and property managers, please consult our easy-to-search catalog of articles. To obtain specific advice regarding your situation, schedule an appointment with a Connecticut nonpayment of rent lawyer by calling the Landlord Law Firm today at (203) 874-4747 or by sending us an email through our online contact form.

Connecticut Eviction and Lease Enforcement Litigation Attorneys

Working With Connecticut Residential and Commercial Landlords and Property Developers Seeking to Enforce the Terms of a Lease or Evict Problem Tenants

Financial success as a landlord, whether a multi-state company or an small LLC with a few units, depends in large part on ensuring that your properties are used in ways that maximize their value and that the rent is paid on time. Often this involves the enforcement of the terms of your lease and the ability to remove tenants who are negatively affecting your rental income through nonpayment or driving down the value of your property.

As a landlord, it is extremely important to understand your rights and to stay informed about new (and continuously evolving) developments in Connecticut’s landlord-tenant law. To help you achieve this goal, we have provided an easy-to-search catalog of hundreds of articles on legal issues of interest to landlords and property managers.

To discuss your specific case with an attorney familiar with the relevant law in the state, call Landlord Law Firm today at (203) 874-4747 or send us an email through our online contact form.

Nonpayment of Rent

While your lease may cover the way the property will be used, the essence of your lease agreement is that you will allow the tenant to occupy your property in return for periodic (typically monthly) rental payments. As a result, the nonpayment of rent is among the most egregious—and unfortunately, the most common and vexing—violations of a lease agreement, and landlords should do everything they can to enforce their rights when the rent has stopped coming in. In many cases, addressing the nonpayment of rent as soon as possible can rectify the problem before it gets out of control and can mitigate any losses that you could potentially sustain.
Connecticut law allows landlords to begin eviction proceedings against tenants just a few days after the rent was due. The law states that the rent is immediately late and that, after a brief grace period, the landlord may charge late fees and initiate legal proceedings to address the late payment. If your informal attempts to collect the rent as dictated by your operational policies prove unsuccessful, you may use the legal process to enforce your rights, including a complete eviction if necessary.

If you choose to evict a tenant for unpaid rent, understand that both landlords and tenants have rights, and failure to follow the legal procedures associated with eviction can result in your tenant raising legal defenses to eviction that may allow him or her to stay in the unit—while still not paying rent. Commonly raised defenses to eviction include:

  • The rent has been paid in full
  • The rent was tendered by the tenant and refused by the landlord
  • Improper service of a notice to quit
  • The landlord engaged in self-help eviction
  • The unit was not adequately maintained by the landlord

It is critically important that you act swiftly—and accurately. Your failure to act promptly can eliminate your ability to use the legal system to enforce your lease and protect your rights.

Lease Violations

The terms of your lease protect your interest in your property in many ways. For example, a residential landlord may have a “no pets” policy that is intended to minimize the amount of time or money you need to spend cleaning or updating a unit when you are getting it ready for a new tenant. Likewise, a commercial landlord may have clauses in a lease that promise tenants not to rent to competitor businesses or that restrict business activities with a high likelihood to cause property damage.

Summary Process

As is the case with situations involving past-due rent, Connecticut law and your lease terms allow landlords and property managers to protect their interests in the property and the lease through the use of what the Connecticut Housing Courts call “summary process.” This is designed to get cases into the court and before a judge on a much faster timeline than traditional court cases might follow. If your efforts to address violations of the terms of the lease directly with the tenant prove fruitless, it is advisable to retain an attorney who can initiate legal action quickly and protect your interests throughout the entire court process.

Serious Nuisance Violations

Some lease violations meet the statutory definition of a serious nuisance on your property. For example, if you suspect that the tenant is using your property for illegal purposes or engaging in conduct that threatens the safety of your other tenants, begin the process of eviction as soon as you can. When you do, you follow all relevant procedures to ensure that your legal rights as a landlord are fully protected. Failure to do so may result in your problem tenant staying in the property longer, potentially exposing you to financial losses and even legal liabilities in the event that your other tenants are harmed as a result of the problem tenant’s actions.

Call the Landlord Law Firm to Speak with a Connecticut Eviction and Lease Enforcement Attorney Today

Dealing with problem tenants can be complicated and frustrating, especially when you are not completely aware of your legal rights. If you’re a landlord or property manager who’s considering evicting a tenant or believe that a tenant is in violation of a lease, speak to an experienced landlord attorney as early as possible. At Landlord Law Firm, we focus our entire practice on providing effective and solution-based counsel and representation to landlords throughout Connecticut. We’ve successfully handled nearly 20,000 summary process and eviction cases spanning every housing court in the state. To schedule a consultation with one of our lawyers, call our office today at (203) 874-4747, or send us an email through our online contact form.