As Tenants Suffer, Legislators Examine Landlord Registration, Rent Cap

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It’s happening with more regularity. An out-of-state landlord gobbles up property in the city and then jacks the rent on people with limited incomes. Key members of Bridgeport’s legislative delegation are now examining ways to avoid likewise situations including requiring landlords to register apartments with municipalities and implementing a temporary cap on rent increases when apartment buildings change hands.

From Alexander Soule, CT Post:

Both draft proposals were introduced during a hearing of the legislature’s Housing Committee Thursday on potential new laws. The committee did not take up an omnibus bill filed by Senate Democrats to address Connecticut’s housing crisis, but several other concepts were discussed, including a proposal to require landlords of residential property to provide clear lines of ownership and points of contact to cities and towns, ensuring officials and tenants know how to get a hold of the owners.

The committee’s overarching theme of the 2025 session: high rents, and too few new apartments and houses being built to reduce those costs. The statewide multiple listing service SmartMLS reported on Friday that Connecticut home prices were up 8.2% in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to a year earlier, as calculated on a cost-per-square foot basis.

“We see a rise in people purchasing properties in excess of millions and millions of dollars, and then raising the rent — not by just 5% or 10%, we’re talking about raising the rent in some cases up to 50% or 60%,” said Sen. Herron Gaston, D-Bridgeport, adding that the tenants living in those buildings “are people whose incomes have stayed the same.”

…”We’re not sure exactly how that’s going to work out, but we do want to make sure that some of the LLCs that may own property have a point of contact for their residents,” said Rep. Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport, who co-chairs the Housing Committee.

Full story here

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11 comments

  1. After reading the full article above, you learn that Stamford, Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury, four of the five largest cities in the State already have taken such action. Any question for the Mayor? For the City Council who has taken action on Fair Rent Commission activity over two years ago and it has citizen members and a budget!! But that is not true of a Fair Housing Commission, that has been dead for two decades without mayoral appointees, though it exists on paper, due to the City Council approving such a body, once again.
    Who doesn’t want a FAIR Housing Commission, and why not?
    How does Bridgeport get a directory of registrations of residential property owners (who are not residents and likely live outside Bridgeport or the State) ? If it is wise for the Connecticut cities most like Brideport, in size, at least, why no similar regulation? What are the reasons? Time will tell.

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    1. Who doesn’t want a FAIR Housing Commission, and why not?

      You with your Fair Housing Commission fascination. It would just be another toothless commission–they can’t pass any State Laws. Do you get it now.

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      1. Joel,
        Naturally, a municipal FAIR HOUSING COMMISSION looks toothless to you? Boards and commissions are oversight, review, and reporting to the community “purposed” groups. They do not legislate, and if they are municipal, they do not make State laws!
        I get it. But do you, asking such a question?
        If Success Village owner-residents had an operating Fair Housing Commission when their own self-governing group was going ‘off the tracks’, would it have taken so long, or cost as much, or forced the community to seek alternative expensive answers?
        Failures of leaders, elected and appointed officialdom, to help persons who are residents, registered voters, citizens all, to know their rights and duties to participate in governing is CIVICS.
        You sacrificed a part of your body to make a statement years ago to the public. You continue to have heart, lungs, and a brain to contribute to self-governance. Why not demonstrate the common sense that is too often ignored, locally? Time will tell.

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  2. John, you know the Port ‘s always last to the show.

    To be fair, how effective do you think any Fair Housing Commission is outside of blindness to an apartment with Generally sub standard living conditions.

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  3. Gentlemen,
    You offer rapid response but no specific answer as to why Bridgeport the largest of the cities in the State by population if not in educational rankings, or other metrics of importance, has not seen fit to create such a registry. Why do Stamford, Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury find such a registry works for them.
    Perhaps I ought to be asking the members of the State delegation who live in the City and hear from people in higher places than me, as well as neighbors on the block or in the ‘hood, why isn’t such a registry of import in our City?
    Aren’t we ready to track down ownership of cars registered in other states who seem to be avoiding City taxes by hiring a firm who will earn a flat amount per vehicle registration identified, but also a good percentage of new tax money coming to the City? How about ownership of buildings? What would Mayor Ganim propose to them as a non-financial “investment in the City”? Participation in “alternatives, ideas, and/or solutions” that meet the problems, issues, and concerns we face as a City? What a concept?
    Time will tell.

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  4. Sanctuary city status contributes to housing crisis, overcrowded schools and problems like that. One reasons land lords are boosting the rents is due to the fact that people rent apartments and pack the apartments. I rent a 5 room Apt. and then turn around and rent rooms. Then the person I rented a room to brings another person to share the rent for the room. When I find out I raise the rent as I had to pay higher water bill, etc, etc, etc. Multiply this by numbers of room. Now each person living in my apartment/house has a car, van, pick up…. Lets not get into illegal basement apartments. Is it a Housing Crisis or an over-crowded Sanctuary City or Town.

    WHAT THE FUCK, NO PARKING SPOTS.

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  5. I’m not a bright man , but does anybody in the Port have some Neosporin for Joel. Because I think Speedy just got burned by Yale intellect 🙃

    John, perhaps speedy could have demonstrated common sense and not sacrificing part of his body to make a statement but locally speaking we should not use the word sacrifice so loosely.

    While Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for the giveness of sins for those who believe in him, However it can be made his sacrifice, as God was also for the other members of the God of Abraham spiritual family Yahweh/Allah, considering the God of the patriarch Abraham is a God betrayed as God who went Darth Vader and killed a bunch of kids, to say the least have you read some of that content in those spiritual books?

    https://youtu.be/d5huH3kFVX8?si=YEaCWG7VUUzTIdYK

    Joel, while your heart was present in your gesture to combat gun violence in the Port by ” sacrificing”

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  7. John,I may not know, understand Speedy’s State of Mind to take such measures two make a statement on gun violence in the Port by cutting off a body part, butt I know he meant how he felt about wanting to stopping gun violence on the Port.

    To be fair, while I am reading the tea leaves that you made a slight to Speedy about his mental state/ common sense of cutting off a body part in your your informed intellect writing. If so, where do you stand on the Common Sense and people’s mental state that cuts off other body parts? 🙃

    https://youtu.be/qBEjZEJdnbY?si=bli2BISmRPwokxaSI

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