Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday publicly pledged his support for a controversial bill that would require landlords to provide a reason when they evict renters, marking a significant political victory for tenants’ rights advocates across the state. Lamont spoke at a press conference Thursday alongs ide members of the Connecticut Tenants Union, housing advocates, members of the General Assembly and faith leaders. The governor has previously stayed out of the debate on the issue of eviction reform, which has come up the past few legislative sessions. “Your apartment is your home. Your apartment is dignity. Your apartment is respect. Your apartment is access to a local school for your child, knowing where that’s going to be, knowing it’s not going to change on short notice, knowing you have a little continuity and a little bit of respect. This bill is about a little bit of respect for folks who are playing by the rules,” said the governor, who is running for a third term and faces a challenger from the left for a primary race. Rep. Josh Elliott, D-Hamden, is running against the incumbent and has criticized Lamont’s record on housing. Senate Bill 257 would largely end no-fault evictions, which typically occur at the end of a lease. These are evictions in which the landlord isn’t claiming that the tenant did anything specific wrong, but wants them out of the apartment. If passed, the law would only apply to buildings with five or more units. Landlords say they use these types of evictions when people are a nuisance or danger on the property — for example, if someone smokes in the hallways. But tenants say no-fault evictions are destabilizing to people and the community, and that larger landlords often use them to conduct evictions en mass and raise the rent. The bill has faced fierce criticism from Republicans who say it violates landlords’ property rights and could discourage people from renting out their properties altogether. Landlord groups have also opposed the measure, saying it would make it harder for them to evict problem tenants. “When a tenant violates their lease or creates an unsafe situation that is disruptive or threatening to other apartment residents, ending the lease at its end date is the only reasonable tool housing providers have to protect their communities. This idea has failed in each of the past two years, it has bipartisan opposition, and nothing has changed since then to make this a workable bill,” said Jessica Doll, executive director of the Connecticut Apartment Association, in a statement. Lamont said he decided to be more outspoken on the issue because of a tough housing market and news about landlords of large properties evicting lots of tenants at once. “I think the market has gotten really tight. I think in some cases, some of the landlords got a little arrogant,” Lamont said. “People are playing by the rules, all the rules in the lease, and you can’t treat them differently just because you don’t like them.” Over the past couple of years, lawmakers have tried to run the bill through the House first. This year, they’ve decided to start with the Senate. Housing Committee co-Chair Sen. Martha Marx, D-New London, said she was confident that it would be called. “I am telling everybody behind me to fight like you are a badass, and it is your apartment that is going to be taken away,” Marx said, adding that it was time to put pressure on the House. Lamont said Thursday he plans to help with that effort. Asked whether he’d talk to Democratic lawmakers who were on the fence about the bill, Lamont said “that’s what I do for a living.” Housing Committee co-Chair Rep. Antonio Felipe, D-Bridgeport, declined to comment on expected vote counts in the House. Earlier this week, House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, indicated he didn’t think the House had the votes to pass the bill, although he said he wanted to give Felipe time to work on it. “Instead of helping you address those living conditions, they look at you, dismiss your problems, dismiss you as a human being, and force you out,” Felipe said of landlords. “Then they say, ‘Oh, you know what, we’re not getting enough rent from this person.’ They force you out, so they can raise the rent, make sure they can price you out of getting the next apartment, and that’s just something that we can’t abide by.” Tenants also shared their stories about being evicted without cause. “If we’re paying our rent on time, there is no reason why you should be coming to us and saying, ‘You know what? I don’t want you here,’” said Michael Duffy, vice president of a New London tenant union. Duffy and many of his neighbors got eviction notices when a large company purchased their apartment complex late last year. East Hartford resident Maria Martinez trailed after Lamont as he left the press conference, handing one of his aides a folder with detailed information about her daughter’s pending eviction in Hartford, which she claims is tied to discrimination. One of the common problems raised by renters about no-fault evictions is that they are used in discriminatory ways or as retaliation against tenants who complain about poor housing conditions. “We cannot be silent,” Martinez said. “This is an abuse.” Lamont left with promises that his office would review the documents. “We won’t forget about your daughter,” he said. ...read more read less