Updated May 29, 2026
Whether you are a landlord trying to remove a tenant who stopped paying, or a renter fighting an eviction or a withheld deposit, Connecticut law moves on strict timelines. Hartford eviction cases run through the state's Housing Session, and the process starts with a Notice to Quit. Below are vetted Hartford firms that handle landlord-tenant work, plus plain answers on how Connecticut's rules and costs actually work.
These lawyers represent either side of a rental dispute: landlords filing evictions or chasing unpaid rent, and tenants defending an eviction, demanding repairs, or recovering a security deposit. In Connecticut the eviction process is called summary process, and it is fast and form-heavy. One missed step, like a defective Notice to Quit, can throw out the whole case and force the landlord to start over. A lawyer makes sure the notices, timelines, and filings hold up.
An eviction in Connecticut starts with a Notice to Quit Possession served on the tenant. For nonpayment of rent, the tenant gets at least three days after the rent grace period before the notice can be served. If the tenant does not move, the landlord files a summary process summons and complaint in the Housing Session. The tenant has two days to appear and then a short window to answer. A simple, uncontested case can finish in three to six weeks; a contested one with defenses takes longer. Self-help lockouts and shutting off utilities are illegal and expose a landlord to damages.
Connecticut caps security deposits at two months' rent, and one month if the tenant is 62 or older, under General Statutes section 47a-21. Landlords must hold deposits in an escrow account, pay annual interest, and return the deposit with an itemized statement within 30 days of move-out, or 15 days after receiving the tenant's forwarding address, whichever is later. A landlord who wrongfully withholds a deposit can owe the tenant double the amount. Deposit fights are one of the most common reasons renters call a lawyer.
Hartford-area landlord-tenant cases go to the Connecticut Judicial Branch Housing Session for the Hartford Judicial District, which handles evictions and rent disputes separately from the regular civil docket. Because housing cases move quickly and the forms are technical, even a small mistake on a notice or affidavit can cost weeks. That is the main reason both landlords and tenants hire counsel rather than going it alone.
Most Hartford eviction lawyers charge landlords a flat fee of roughly $500 to $1,200 for a straightforward, uncontested case, plus court filing and marshal service costs. Contested matters and tenant-side defense are usually billed hourly at about $200 to $400. Tenants fighting a wrongful deposit withholding can recover up to double the deposit, which sometimes makes a lawyer worth the cost even on a smaller claim. Ask any firm for a written fee estimate before the Notice to Quit goes out.
Each is a real, independently listed CT firm verified across public legal directories and its own practice pages. For background on this area of law, see our Landlord-Tenant guide.
An established Connecticut firm whose Housing Court attorneys prepare, serve, and file the Notice to Quit, summons, and complaint in eviction cases for landlords and property managers.
A Hartford-area firm that represents clients across Connecticut in landlord-tenant disputes, including summary process evictions and lease enforcement.
A general-practice Hartford firm where Attorney Mark D. Colson has represented many property managers, landlords, and tenants in summary process cases in the state's housing courts.
A Connecticut real estate litigation practice that represents landlords on an ongoing basis and tenants in landlord-tenant disputes.
A firm focused on real estate law, civil litigation, foreclosure, and landlord-tenant matters serving the greater Hartford area.
Tell us briefly what is going on. We route a confidential request to a best-fit Hartford firm in this directory.