Why homeowners like us support just cause protection for renters

Connecticut is currently considering a bill, SB 143, that would protect tenants in larger buildings from “no-fault” evictions — a form of forced displacement in which a landlord does not need to justify an eviction with a reason. SB 143 would require “just cause” for evictions of covered tenants, increasing housing stability and peace of mind for tens of thousands of Connecticut families.

As homeowners, we know just how life-changing it is to have stable housing. And as recent renters, we experienced the stark difference that came with home ownership — significantly less disrespect, precarity, or stress associated with having a roof over our head. We support just cause protections because it would help bring housing stability to more renters in our state and ensure more neighbors in our communities can live without fear of displacement.

[RELATED: What are no-fault evictions and why is CT considering eliminating them?]

I (Kasia) lived in the Broadmoor Apartments in Hamden from 2021 to 2023. My time there was filled with the typical cautionary tales you hear about renting: missing or broken appliances, black mold, absentee landlords, and unhelpful property managers. In September of 2022, my neighbors and I endured over 40 days without heat or hot water, while receiving only inconsistent and contradictory communication about it from the property manager.

On Christmas Eve, after my apartment went cold yet again, I finally called the health department and town representatives — suddenly, the issue was fixed within an hour. That was when I understood that my landlord either didn’t know about the issues in his property or didn’t care. Instead, he was warm and comfy, spending Christmas in his mansion in another state.

I started to build relationships with my neighbors and we formed the Broadmoor Tenant Union. I noticed that many of my fellow union members began to receive eviction notices for advocating for themselves, such as by filing fair rent complaints. These tenants were frustrated with the lack of safety we had in our homes. Every time I advocated for a tenant union member — for example, by contacting a health department on behalf of a child with symptoms of mold poisoning or petitioning the property manager to move a disabled tenant’s parking space closer — I felt that my own tenancy grew increasingly tenuous and would be ended as soon as my absentee landlord decided I was too outspoken. I knew that I was not protected by Connecticut’s current version of Just Cause Eviction Protection, which meant I could face a non-renewal notice and no-fault eviction at the end of my lease. At Broadmoor, I lived in fear that my union efforts would get me evicted.

[RELATED: CT advocates push for just cause evictions, transit-oriented housing]

I (Jen) also experienced the fear of eviction firsthand when the property I called home suddenly changed hands. My fiancé and I had happily rented the same apartment for 11 years, with a responsive and fair landlord and great neighbors, some of whom became our close friends.

Our story was not the exception: most tenants at this apartment complex had rented there for over 10 years, developed close friendships, and built a community. We didn’t own our apartments, but this was home to us. My rent typically increased $25 on a bi-annual basis. The affordable rent with minimal yearly increases meant stability and opportunity: my fiancé paid off his significant student loans, I finished my bachelor’s degree, and we gradually saved for a down payment on a house. This would not have been possible had we been paying the current “market rate” rents with exorbitant yearly rental increases that we are now seeing from predatory landlords.

Yet on New Year’s Eve in 2021, our fairytale rental story took a grim turn. A piece of paper taped to the wall in our entryway notified us that the property had been sold to new, corporate investors. Things went downhill fast. Maintenance and living conditions rapidly deteriorated.

The most concerning aspect of this change in ownership was that the new owners would not give us a long-term lease. We were automatically transitioned to month-to-month tenancies. Because we were not in the category of tenants protected by Connecticut’s current version of Just Cause Eviction Protection, we feared being non-renewed or no-fault evicted — so the new owners could “renovate” and raise rents for new tenants — or else pushed out ourselves by rent increases, rumored from limited communications with the landlord to be as much as 40%. This instability left us anxious about our future.

For profit-driven reasons beyond our control, my neighbors and I lost our stable community that year. Although home prices had increased significantly in 2022 — due to the same real estate financialization trend that is inflating rents — my fiancé and I rushed to purchase something. We stretched ourselves financially to afford our own new home rather than continue tenancy in a state of uncertainty. Yet our ability to buy a home made us a rare exception. Some of my former neighbors moved out, often into smaller and yet more expensive apartments. Others stayed, eventually facing the no-fault eviction notices we all feared — though they fought back and won , through their tenant union.

[RELATED: Sale of CT apartment complex tests state’s no-fault eviction law]

Even though Just Cause protections no longer apply to us as homeowners, we believe these protections are essential for our communities. My (Kasia’s) apartment at Broadmoor felt just as much like home as my new home in Clinton, but this one grants me much more autonomy and peace. My safety and happiness were just as important then as they are now — I just have fewer obstacles in my way now because I don’t have to rent the roof over my head.

I (Jen) feel the same way. Just Cause Eviction Protection would have given us greater housing security during our time as renters and tenant union members.

Whether you rent it or own it, a secure home is a basic human need and a foundation for a decent life. With homeownership less accessible than ever, and while tenants are facing painfully high rents and worsening living conditions , bolstering tenant protections with policies like Just Cause is urgently needed. Protecting tenants against arbitrary, no-fault evictions is a bare minimum, common sense policy that everyone who understands the importance of home should get behind — homeowners included.

Kasia Phillips of Clinton and Jen DePalma of Bethany are former members of the Connecticut Tenants Union.