Connecticut Essential Service Substitute Housing and Rent Abatement Notice
Connecticut Essential Service Substitute Housing and Rent Abatement Notice
Before you use this: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-13(a)(2) permits reasonable substitute housing when a required essential service remains unavailable 48 hours after the breach. If the same service failure recurs within six months, the tenant may secure substitute housing immediately. The tenant must first give the landlord reasonable written or oral notice of the failure. Use this form to record the substitute-housing election and the resulting rent and cost accounting.
Date: [__/__/____]
To landlord or authorized agent: [NAME AND ADDRESS]
From tenant: [NAME, PHONE OR EMAIL]
Rental premises: [STREET ADDRESS, UNIT, CITY, CONNECTICUT, ZIP]
Service failure and prior notice
Under [LEASE TERM OR OTHER BASIS], you are required to supply ☐ heat ☐ running water ☐ hot water ☐ electricity ☐ gas ☐ other essential service: [DESCRIBE]. The service stopped on [__/__/____] at [TIME]. The facts concerning the interruption are [DESCRIBE].
I gave you reasonable ☐ written ☐ oral notice specifying the failure on [__/__/____] at [TIME], by [METHOD], to [NAME OR CONTACT]. I described [DETAILS]. Your response was [DETAILS OR NONE]. The service ☐ remains unavailable as of [DATE AND TIME] ☐ was restored on [__/__/____] at [TIME].
The interruption was not caused by conditions beyond your control. It was not caused by a wilful or negligent act or omission of me, a family member, or another person on the premises with my consent. The facts supporting those statements are [DESCRIBE].
Substitute-housing election
I elect reasonable substitute housing under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-13(a)(2) on this basis:
☐ The service was still unavailable 48 hours after the breach. The 48-hour point was [__/__/____] at [TIME].
☐ The same service failure recurred within six months. The earlier failure was on [__/__/____], and the current failure began on [__/__/____] at [TIME]. I secured substitute housing immediately after the current failure and notice.
My substitute housing is [PROVIDER AND ADDRESS]. Occupancy began on [__/__/____] at [TIME] and ☐ continues ☐ ended on [__/__/____] at [TIME]. It is reasonable for these circumstances because [DESCRIBE]. I will update the accounting when service is restored or the housing period ends.
Rent abatement and housing-cost accounting
Under § 47a-13(b), rent otherwise owed for the landlord's period of noncompliance abates when the tenant elects substitute housing. The statute also permits recovery of actual substitute-housing costs, limited to an amount equal to the rent abated. My current calculation is:
| Item | Period or basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rent otherwise owed during the service failure | [DATES AND DAILY-RENT CALCULATION] | $[____] |
| Rent abated for that period | [DATES] | $[____] |
| Actual reasonable substitute-housing cost paid | [DATES, RECEIPTS ATTACHED] | $[____] |
| Housing-cost recovery requested, capped at rent abated | [LESSER OF ACTUAL COST AND ABATED RENT] | $[____] |
| Other rent due outside the abated period | [DATES] | $[____] |
The receipts and rent calculation are attached. I request payment of the housing-cost recovery amount shown above by [DATE] using [PAYMENT METHOD], or a written response identifying any disputed item. I will pay any rent due outside the abated period as required by the rental agreement. This notice does not claim the cost of replacement services or elect termination.
Tenant signature: [________________________________] Date: [__/__/____]
Enclosures and delivery record
☐ Earlier written notice or contemporaneous record of oral notice
☐ Substitute-housing receipts or invoices
☐ Service interruption or restoration records
☐ Rent calculation
I delivered this notice and its enclosures to [NAME] on [__/__/____] by [METHOD] at [ADDRESS OR DELIVERY DETAILS].
Person making delivery: [________________________________]
Sources and References
About this template
- Last updated
- November 5, 2026
- Citations checked
- November 5, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- Connecticut
- Category
- Landlord & Tenant
Legal authority
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-13(a)(2), (b), (c)
Landlord-tenant paperwork governs who can stay in a property, on what terms, and what happens when something goes wrong. Leases, notices to quit, security deposit demands, and habitability complaints all have state and often city-specific requirements for timing, content, and service. Getting the paperwork right is what makes an eviction actually succeed or a security deposit actually come back, because judges regularly dismiss cases over small procedural mistakes.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on November 5, 2026.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-13(a)(2) (checked November 5, 2026): "procure reasonable substitute housing during the period of the landlord's noncompliance if the landlord fails to supply such service within forty-eight hours of such breach"
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-13(b) (checked November 5, 2026): "rent otherwise owed to the landlord shall abate for the period of the landlord's noncompliance"
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-13(c) (checked November 5, 2026): "Rights of the tenant under this section do not arise (1) until the tenant has given reasonable written or oral notice to the landlord"
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