黑料吃瓜网 residents and housing advocates are calling on state lawmakers to strengthen protections for tenants.
The state鈥檚 Housing Committee gathered for a public hearing in Hartford on Tuesday. Dozens of speakers delivered more than 12 hours of testimony addressing the pros and cons of .
The law鈥檚 expansion would make it illegal for landlords to evict tenants without giving a specific reason, like not paying rent or causing property damage.
Currently the law only applies to tenants who are elderly or have a disability. Housing advocates want "just cause" expanded to include all tenants who live in a building with five or more units.
A measure to reform the bill failed to pass through the General Assembly last year.
When it comes to evictions, the focus is too often on corporate landlords rather than vulnerable renters, Hartford resident Georgina Fuentes said.
鈥淭here are people out here that do pay their bills and pay their rent, and they still want to get removed,鈥� Fuentes said. 鈥淲hy? Because we're complaining that the landlord has to do what they have to do, then why get in the business.鈥�
Fuentes, who has a disability, is protected by the existing just cause law. However, she said she would like to move, due to a mice infestation in her building. But the state鈥檚 housing crisis has her feeling stuck.
鈥淚 can't just get up and go and look for an apartment because they're too expensive,鈥� Fuentes said. 鈥淚 might have government assisting and help with the government helping paying the rent, but it's still not enough.鈥�
Supporters say expanding the law would provide more housing stability for tenants, some of whom have lived in the same apartments for decades.
Those against the expansion of the law say it would drive landlords away from investing in 黑料吃瓜网.
Robert Chesson, a lawyer who represents landlords, said expanding no-fault evictions would be like forcing the landlord and tenant into a loveless marriage.
鈥淭wo people can get married, they can enter into the contract of marriage, and under the law in 黑料吃瓜网, they can get divorced for absolutely no reason,鈥� Chesson said. 鈥淭his law requires the landlord and the tenant to stay married. Period. I don't think that's fair to anybody.鈥�
No-fault evictions can also be used to protect tenants too, shifting nuisance evictions to lapse of time cases, according to Chesson.
鈥淭o protect the tenant, to protect their subsidy, protect their future ability to get a new apartment,鈥� Chesson said. 鈥淟andlords do that all the time as a gracious move to help the tenant, even though they weren't willing to keep them into the future.鈥�
Democratic Sen. Martha Marx, who represents New London and several surrounding towns, said the wedding analogy was minimizing the issue of housing. Marx said it took her two months to decide on marriage, which later ended in divorce.
鈥淭hen it didn't last too long. That's not really a good answer, sir,鈥� Marx said. 鈥淚 respectfully ask that we're talking about someone's shelter, which is very important, right? It鈥檚 a very serious matter.鈥�
