HARTFORD, Conn. — Dave Richardson rents in Hartford and is living on a fixed income. One of his biggest fears is his rent increasing significantly like he’s seen happen to others around him.
"If the rent keeps going the way it’s going I won’t be able to afford anywhere in the next three years," he said. "You can’t even go buy clothes, groceries and all that. It would affect your life significantly. It would make it virtually impossible for me to live," Richardson said.
Advocates said that he is not alone. According to Cap the Rent CT, a coalition of organizations fighting for rent stability, on average renters in Connecticut have seen double-digit rent increases in the last two years.
"For some tenants especially folks here in Hartford they see rent increases of 30%, 40% and no ones wages have gone up by that much," said Stefan Keller, with the Connecticut Tenants Union.
In the Hartford area, the fair market rent for a one bedroom in 2019 was $960. In 2023, it’s $1207.
"For every $100 kind of like amount that rent goes up, there’s a 9% increase in homelessness," Keller said.
That’s why the coalition is backing a bill that would cap annual rent increases at 4%, plus inflation. Though they would like to see it capped at even less than that.
"We are trying to give them a little peace right? They need that kind of peace to survive in this country," said Teresa Quintana, housing equity organizer, for Make The Road CT. "it’s hard for them because they start thinking where do I have to live now? Because I can’t find anywhere that is affordable for my family," she said.
On the other side, landlords argue they’re also impacted by rising costs.
Higher taxes, electricity rates, insurance rates and more make it difficult to keep rent low.
"This inflation is horrible. It makes us all enemies, we’re all being eaten by the same monster slowly," said John Souza, president of the Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners. "What happens is at some point if the rents can’t keep up with the expenses, something’s got to give," he said.
He will be testifying against the bill. He said there are other solutions to the problem.
"We have to encourage more housing of all types that’s really the only way to solve the problem for everybody, it really is," Souza said.
He also said the state just created fair rent commissions for towns with 25,000 people or more last year, so many towns are just getting started, and that could be another way to keep rent increases down.
Cap the Rent CT will be having a press conference at the Legislative Office Building on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. before the public hearing begins.
Gaby Molina is a reporter and anchor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at mmolina@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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