For ordinary tenancies under §47a-15a(a).
Separate statutory period for a one-week tenancy.
Lesser of $5/day up to $50, or 5% of the delinquent rent payment; qualifying assisted rent uses the tenant share for the 5% branch.
Effective January 1, 2026, for the affected rental period when the landlord’s online payment system prevents timely payment.
Start with the correct grace period before calculating any fee
For an ordinary Connecticut tenancy, count the statutory nine-day grace period from the rent due date. For a one-week tenancy, use four days instead. A late charge is not analyzed from the lease percentage alone; the timing condition comes first.
Keep the contractual due date, the date payment was attempted or completed and the ledger posting date as separate facts.
The cap is the lesser of a daily branch and a percentage branch
After the applicable grace period, §47a-15a(b) limits a valid late charge to the lesser of two calculations: $5 per day with a $50 ceiling, or 5% of the delinquent rent payment.
This is a lower-of formula. A landlord cannot select the larger branch simply because it appears in the lease.
Government or charitable rent assistance changes the percentage base
If the rental agreement is paid in whole or in part by a governmental or charitable entity, the 5% branch is calculated from the tenant’s share of the delinquent rent payment. Preserve the tenant-share breakdown rather than applying 5% to the full contract rent.
A landlord online-payment failure can extend the grace period in 2026
The 2026 supplement adds five days to the ordinary nine-day or four-day grace period when the landlord’s online rental payment system prevents payment when due. The extension applies only to the affected week or month.
Save screenshots, error messages, support tickets and timestamps showing that the landlord-controlled payment system prevented timely payment.
Only one late charge may be assessed on the delinquent rent payment
Section 47a-15a(b) says the landlord may not assess more than one late charge on a delinquent rent payment, regardless of how long that rent remains unpaid. Review repeated ledger entries carefully if the same delinquent payment appears to generate multiple late-charge lines.
Documents to compare
- Executed rental agreement showing the due date and written late-charge term.
- Resident ledger showing the delinquent rent payment and late-charge posting.
- Payment confirmation or bank record.
- For a one-week tenancy, records showing the weekly rental structure.
- For assisted rent, the tenant-share amount used for the 5% branch.
- Screenshots or support records for any landlord online-payment-system failure.
- Calculation of both cap branches before choosing the lower amount.