Pub. 3 2018 Issue 3

10 www.ctaahq.org A ccording to PublicActNo. 17-22 of Senate House Bill No. 932, the following laws regarding a deceased tenant's possessions will take effect October 1, 2017: If the sole tenant of a rental property and the landlord has complied with any lease requirements related to lease termination upon the death of the occupant the landlord may reach out to an emergency contact or next of kin to handle the deceased tenant’s belongs. The provisions of Public Act No. 17-22 state that the following process must be met: Send notice to the emergency contact designated by the occupant, if any, and to the next of kin of such occupant, if known, by both regular mail, postage prepaid, and by certified mail, return receipt requested, stating that 1. The occupant has died 2. The landlord intends to remove any possessions and personal effects remaining in the premises and to re-rent the premises 3. If the next of kin or emergency contact does not reclaim the possessions, they should immediately contact the landlord or Probate Court for the district in which the dwelling unit is located for information on how to reclaim such possessions and personal effects, and 4. If such possessions and personal effects are not reclaimed within sixty days after the date of such notice, such possessions and personal effects will be disposed of as permitted by this section. The notice shall be in clear and simple language and shall include a telephone number and a mailing address at which the landlord can be contacted and the phone number of such Probate Court. If there is no known emergency contact or next of kin, the landlord shall file an affidavit with the Probate Court. The affidavit shall include the name and address of the deceased occupant, the date of death, the terms of the lease, and the names and addresses of the emergency contact, if any, and the next of kin, if known. These new laws regarding a deceased tenant’s possessions make it easier and less expensive for a landlord to manage a deceased tenant’s possessions if an emergency contact is identified in a lease agreement. New Connecticut Laws About Managing Deceased Tenant's Possessions