MILFORD, CT – Milford’s Board of Aldermen has established a new ordinance focusing on Fair Rent in Milford.
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The commission managing the ordinance is called the Fair Rent Commission.
City Attorney Jonathan D. Berchem told the Board of Aldermen during their meeting on June 27 that the ordinance is due to Public Act 22-30, An Act Concerning Fair Rent Commissions.
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Public Act 22-30 requires any town, city, or borough with a population of 25,000 or more to create a fair rent commission. The Act states that any such commission shall make studies and investigations, conduct hearings and receive complaints about rental charges on housing, accommodations, except those accommodations rented on a seasonal basis within its jurisdiction.
According to Public Act 22-30, towns that fit the 25,000 or more requirements must create a fair rent commission on or before July 1, 2023.
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“I support the ordinance,” Aldermen Anthony Giannattasio (R-1) said during the Board of Aldermen meeting. “I’m confident that people coming before the commission will be treated fairly.”
After some deliberation of how many people should make up the commission, the board of aldermen decided that a quorum would consist of five members seated or alternates, consisting of two landlords, two tenants and one neutral all of whom must be Milford residents.
One of the questions asked was if the commission will meet monthly, and to that, Milford Mayor Richard Smith said he expects the commission will only meet when necessary.
“This is not fair housing,” said Berchem. “The fair rent commission considers market rate. The ordinance applies to residential rentals.”
Berchem said the ordinance allows a tenant to bring a complaint.
“There are certain standards, and the landlord will need to provide proof that rent increases are fair,” he said.”
Those standards are listed as 13 factors to determine excessive rent, which attorney Berchem said the Board of Aldermen does not have discretion over.
They are:
The entire ordinance can be found here.
Milford’s Board of Aldermen unanimously approved the Fair Rent Commission on Tuesday, June 27.
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