The Legislative Council voted to create a five-member Fair Rent Commission in town at its May 17 meeting. The town was required to create such a commission by state mandate as part of “An Act Concerning Fair Rent Commissions,” passed in 2022.

Ordinance Subcommittee Chairman Ryan Knapp said the state, as part of the act, set requirements for the establishment of the commission and provided a toolkit of recommendations. He said the Ordinance Subcommittee looked at what other communities were doing, that Newtown has fewer examples of rental properties than other larger communities, and they are mostly single family homes.

Knapp also said that in crafting the ordinance, the committee tried not to be “too prescriptive,” noting that Stamford has a “seven-page-long ordinance that lists everything.”

Other towns have commissions ranging from three to 11 members, and Newtown “settled on five.” The commissioners will serve volunteer two-year terms, and will be appointed by the Board of Selectmen.

The commission may, but is not required to, contain one renter and one landlord.

The commission will meet as needed, or at minimum, once per year, and will have the power “to make studies and investigations, to conduct hearings and receive complaints relative to rental charges on housing conditions, except those rented on a seasonal basis (meaning housing accommodations rented for a period or periods aggregating not more than 120 days in any one calendar year), to ensure that rental charges are not harsh and unconscionable, thus creating a fair and equal process for the landlord.”

The ordinance states that to determine if a rental charge is excessive, the commission should consider rents of comparable properties in the area, sanitary conditions of the property, the number of bathroom and water accommodations, needed repairs, the cost of taxes on the property, the income of the petitioner and availability of other accommodations, any damage done to the property by the tenant, and the amount and frequency of rent increases, among other conditions.

The Fair Rent Commission has the power to collect fines and collect funds to be held in escrow under state statute. All funds received by the Fair Rent Commission from any source will be placed in the custody of the town’s financial director and administered and disbursed as part of the town’s general fund.

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.