West Haven was ahead of its time in the early 1970s when it was one of the state’s first municipalities to establish a fair rent commission. After two decades of service, however, the commission became defunct in the early 1990s.
In 2022, the General Assembly passed legislation requiring each municipality with a population of at least 25,000 to enact an ordinance creating a fair rent commission.
According to the Fair Rent Commission Act, the commission “shall make studies and investigations, conduct hearings and receive complaints relative to rental charges on housing accommodations.”
Rental units include apartments, mobile homes and houses. They do not include accommodations rented on a seasonal basis, such as through the vacation rental website Airbnb.
Upon taking office in December 2023, Mayor Dorinda Borer breathed new life into the city’s Fair Rent Commission, appointing individuals with a wide range of backgrounds, including property management, business and civil service, to the refreshed panel.
“COVID-19 exacerbated the challenges regarding the rental process, and this resets the process to allow for a fair approach,” Borer said. “This commission is not a nice-to-have. It is law, and we needed a well-rounded commission in place to ensure the city is abiding by the rules and regulations set forth. This new group is both professional, dedicated and hardworking.”
“The Fair Rent Commission will be receiving complaints from tenants regarding what they believe to be unfair or unreasonable rent increases or unacceptable accommodations,” said Chairman Steven R. Mullins after an organizational meeting of the commission in the Harriet C. North Community Room at City Hall.
“At our last meeting, the commission adopted bylaws and procedures and created an application questionnaire that will be used to file a claim,” Mullins said. “These forms are available in Mayor Borer’s office and on the city website. An application in Spanish will be available in due course.”
Mullins, a former chairman of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, worked in residential property management for more than 20 years.
He is joined on the commission by Vice Chairman Cristian Sanchez, a paralegal; Secretary Jaime Connellan, a property manager; Colleen O’Connor, a former Republican councilwoman at large; Killian Gruber, a former executive administrative assistant to former Mayor Nancy R. Rossi; and Effie Prokopis, a businesswoman. Rich Deso, West Haven’s municipal veterans representative, is an alternate.
Connecticut General Statutes require that in addition to Democrats and Republicans, the commission is composed of homeowners, landlords and tenants.
“This is to ensure fair hearing procedures,” Mullins said.
Mullins, Sanchez and the city’s legal team have met with city building, health and fire officials to inform them of their potential roles in the commission’s work. The departments will make proper inspections of rental dwellings, depending on the nature of complaints reported.
The Fair Rent Commission meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 355 Main St. Meetings are open to the public. Only called witnesses of the complainant or landlord are allowed to testify during proceedings.