Connecticut security deposit rules
How Connecticut deposit returns generally work
Connecticut generally requires a landlord to return the security deposit with accrued interest, or the balance with a written statement itemizing any damages, within 21 days after the tenancy ends or 15 days after receiving the tenant’s written forwarding address, whichever is later. Deposits are generally capped at two months’ rent (one month for tenants 62 or older), interest is owed at a rate the Banking Commissioner sets each year, and Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d)(2) provides that a landlord who violates the return rules shall be liable for twice the deposit, which a court decides.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21(d)(2) generally requires the deposit plus accrued interest, or the balance with a written statement itemizing damages, within 21 days after the tenancy ends or 15 days after the landlord receives the tenant’s written forwarding address, whichever is later.
Section 47a-21(b) generally caps deposits at two months’ rent, or one month’s rent for tenants 62 or older, and interest is owed at no less than the Banking Commissioner’s deposit index (0.49% for 2026).
Section 47a-21(d)(2) provides that a landlord who violates the return requirements shall be liable for twice the amount of the security deposit; Connecticut small claims may award those damages even above the usual $5,000 limit.
Watch your own deadline: The 15-day period runs from the landlord’s receipt of your written forwarding address, and an Appellate Court decision listed in the statute’s annotations upheld striking a double-damages claim where the tenant gave no forwarding address. Send your forwarding address in writing (this letter lists your mailing address) by a method that proves receipt, such as certified mail with a return receipt.
Check coverage: Under § 47a-2(a), § 47a-21 does not govern arrangements such as institutional residence, transient hotel or motel occupancy, condominium owner occupancy, or occupancy under a contract of sale; it does apply to mobile manufactured home park residents. Where a housing session exists, deposit small claims are filed there.
These are general summaries, not conclusions about your situation. Review the linked official text and obtain legal advice when needed.
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