Fairfield’s Fair Rent Commission is marking three years this month, since it was first created in June of 2023, and town officials say despite some staffing challenges, the group is beneficial for the town.
Fair Rent Commissions help mediate rent increases and investigate general rental cost complaints. Fairfield formed its commission in response to a state law requiring communities with more than 25,000 residents to create a Fair Rent Commission.
The extra workload as a result of the commission puts a toll on town staff, according to Fairfield's Director of Community and Economic Development Mark Barnhart.
“I'm always amused when they look at an impact analysis of pending legislation, they say we'll have no monetary impact on the town,” Barnhart said. “But somebody has to do the work, and you know that's been an additional challenge for our office.”
Fairfield’s Fair Rent Commission generated many inquiries from residents surrounding how it can help renters, several dozen a year, but few complaints were filed and even fewer reached the commission for a decision.
Most of the rent disputes in Fairfield have been settled in mediation without having to go before the Commission, Barnhart said. The Commission fielded about seven complaints in 2024 and 2025. So far this year, there’ve been two complaints.
The Commission is a tool in the town’s arsenal aimed at decreasing housing costs and making the town livable for all residents.
“It is always a good idea to try to provide balance to make sure that folks have the ability to seek redress if they feel something is not fair, not right,” Barnhart said.
In forming the commission, Fairfield looked toward West Hartford’s Fair Rent Commission. Barnhart said they used West Hartford as a reference point, due to the towns’ similarity in size and demographics.
After three years, Fairfield is still working to educate residents about the Commission, according to Barnhart.
“There's always an element where we're looking to create better awareness within the market, both in terms of making sure that tenants understand their rights, but also the property owners and managers understand the law and what’s required of them,” Barnhart said.
Fairfield hired a part-time staff member to help tackle the fair rent inquiries and balance the workload. A regional fair rent commission could be useful for smaller towns struggling to pay staff to go through the complaints, Barnhart said.
“We're fairly fortunate in Fairfield that we do have a department full-time staff that we could devote to this, and we obviously had to augment our own resources,” Barnhart said. “There's opportunities to create regional fair rent commissions that may be helpful for smaller communities that have to wrestle with this with even more limited resources on hand.”
