Connecticut Retaliation Law: What Counts & the Presumption Window (2026)

What counts as retaliation, and the window where the law presumes it

At a glance

• Protection window: 180 days
• Governing authority: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-20

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers landlord retaliation in Connecticut — what a landlord may not do after you exercise a protected right.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conduct outside the protected window described below.

What the law prohibits

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-20 — 房东不得在租客 (1) 善意向政府机构投诉建筑/住房法规违规 (2) 向 Fair Rent Commission 投诉 (3) 善意请求维修 (4) 行使其他法律权利后，6 个月内涨租、减服务或提起/维持驱逐之诉。

⚠️ 康涅狄格是「flat six-month prohibition」——官方 portal.ct.gov 明确「does not require proof of retaliatory motive」，无需证明报复动机，比多数州的「可反驳推定」更强。47a-20a 列非报复行为；47a-33 报复是 summary process 的抗辩。

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-20 ↗

The protection window

For 180 days after a protected act, certain landlord actions are presumed retaliatory.

受保护行为后 6 个月内，房东不得涨租、减服务或驱逐——这是「flat prohibition」（无需证明报复动机，官方 portal.ct.gov 明确）。比「可反驳推定」更强：房东 6 个月内直接禁止上述行为。

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-20 ↗

Protected activities

What a landlord may not do

Burden of proof

无需证明报复动机（flat prohibition）；房东须证明行为属于 47a-20a 列明的非报复例外（如欠租、租客过失、房产税/运营成本大涨等）。

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-20a ↗

Remedies

Exemptions and limits

47a-20a：房东仍可行动的情形——欠租、租客过失/故意损害、房东证明房产税或运营成本大涨（至少在涨租要求前 4 个月发生）等。

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-20a ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-20	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-20(1)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-20(2)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-20(3)-(4)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-20a	2026-10-16	official text ↗
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-33	2026-10-16	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More Connecticut guides

Connecticut Security Deposit Return · Connecticut Security Deposit Rules · Connecticut Eviction Process · Connecticut Rent Increase Rules · Connecticut Repairs & Habitability

→ All Connecticut tenant rights topics

Common questions