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Breaking a lease in Connecticut

Source: Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 47a-3b, 47a-3d, 47a-11a, 47a-11c, 47a-11e, 47a-12, 47a-14, 47a-23, 47a-23c · Checked against the statute

Tenant notice, month-to-month
Varies (see rule)
Landlord must try to re-rent
Yes
State early-termination rights
Domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking; Unit unlivable or landlord fails to repair; Landlord harassment or illegal entry

When can I move out in Connecticut?

Choose your state, your situation and the date your landlord will receive notice.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

If you are the tenant

  • No Connecticut statute sets how much notice a month-to-month tenant must give. An oral lease with monthly rent and no agreed end date is treated as a lease for one month only (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-3d); the lease may set a notice period.

If the landlord ends it

  • A landlord who wants possession after a lease ends by lapse of time must serve a written notice to quit at least 3 days before the date to quit (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(a)); a month-to-month oral lease is a lease for one month (§ 47a-3d). Tenants aged 62+ or with a qualifying disability in buildings of 5+ units can be evicted only for good cause (§ 47a-23c).

Written notice required: Not stated. No statute sets the form of a tenant's general move-out notice. A landlord's notice to quit must be written (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23(b)); a domestic-violence termination notice must be written and sworn (§ 47a-11e).

Leaving a fixed-term lease early

If a tenant abandons the unit, the landlord must make reasonable efforts to re-rent it at a fair rental; if it does not, the lease is treated as ended by the landlord on the date it had notice of the abandonment (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-11a). In a damages suit the landlord may recover unpaid rent but must mitigate (§ 47a-11c).

Landlord's duty to re-rent: Yes. The landlord must make reasonable efforts to re-rent an abandoned unit in mitigation of damages (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-11a) and is obligated to mitigate damages for a tenant's breach (§ 47a-11c).

Lease-break fees: No statutory limit; the lease controls (subject to the landlord's duty to mitigate).

When Connecticut law lets you leave early

  • Domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-11e)

    A victim of family violence or sexual assault who reasonably fears imminent harm may end the lease with at least 30 days' written notice.

    Notice:
    30 days, in writing
    Proof:
    Sworn written statement plus a police or court record dated within 90 days, or a signed statement from the Office of Victim Services or Office of Victim Advocate dated within 30 days.
    What you still owe:
    No liability for the remaining term; still owes rent arrears and property damage before termination.

  • Unit unlivable or landlord fails to repair (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-12)

    For a material breach or health-and-safety violation, the lease ends 15 days after the landlord gets written notice if not fixed; a repeat within six months allows ending on 14 days' notice. Applies only to leases with a term longer than one month.

    Proof:
    Written notice naming the breach.
    What you still owe:
    Lease ends if the landlord does not fix the breach within 15 days after receiving the notice.

  • Unit unlivable or landlord fails to repair (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-14)

    If fire or casualty substantially impairs the unit, the tenant may move out immediately and end the lease.

    Proof:
    Written notice of intent to terminate within 14 days after vacating.
    What you still owe:
    Lease ends on the date of vacating; no rent while the impairment continues.

  • Unit unlivable or landlord fails to repair (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-13(a)(3))

    If the landlord willfully fails to supply heat, running water, hot water, electricity, gas or another essential service it must provide, the tenant may end the lease.

    Proof:
    Reasonable written or oral notice to the landlord specifying the breach.
    What you still owe:
    Landlord returns security and prepaid rent; tenant may recover up to two months' rent or double actual damages, whichever is greater.

  • Landlord harassment or illegal entry (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-18a)

    If the landlord enters unlawfully or makes repeated harassing demands for entry, the tenant may end the lease.

    Proof:
    None specified by statute.
    What you still owe:
    Tenant may also recover actual damages of at least one month's rent plus attorney's fees.

Military orders, every state: the federal SCRA lets servicemembers with orders (permanent change of station or deployment of 90+ days) end a lease with written notice and a copy of the orders. How the SCRA date is counted.

Also good to know

  • Unless the lease fixes a term, the tenancy is month-to-month, or week-to-week for weekly rent (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-3b).
  • No Connecticut statute in chapters 830 or 832 gives state military members a lease-termination right beyond federal SCRA.

Next steps

Sources

Laws change. This page was checked against the sources above on October 13, 2026. It is legal information, not legal advice; see our methodology.