Is the Landlord Liable for a Tenant's Dog Bite in Connecticut?

By the FigureMyTax Editorial Team · How we calculate

Connecticut's unusually broad "owner or keeper" statute still doesn't typically reach a landlord — a real limitation worth understanding if a tenant's dog bites someone on rental property.

A landlord usually isn't an "owner or keeper"

Conn. Gen. Stat. §22-357 reaches both the dog's owner and its keeper — someone with actual care and custody of the animal. A landlord who simply owns the property where a tenant keeps a dog typically doesn't have that kind of custody or care over the animal itself, so the statute's strict liability generally doesn't extend to them.

Negligence remains a real path

This doesn't mean a landlord is automatically off the hook. A victim could still pursue an ordinary negligence claim against a landlord who knew the tenant's dog was dangerous and had the practical ability to address it — for example, by enforcing a lease provision or requiring the dog's removal — but failed to act.

Knowing a dog exists isn't the same as knowing it's dangerous

A landlord's pet-friendly policy, by itself, generally isn't enough to establish liability. The key fact a negligence claim needs is that the landlord knew this specific dog had dangerous propensities — not merely that tenants were permitted to have dogs under the lease.

Comparative fault still applies

If a victim's own conduct contributed to the incident in any way, Connecticut's 51% rule applies to a landlord liability claim exactly as it would to a claim against the dog's owner or keeper — recovery is barred only once the victim's fault exceeds 50%.

This is general information, not legal advice. Landlord liability for a tenant's dog turns heavily on the specific facts and what the landlord actually knew. Confirm how this applies to your situation with a licensed Connecticut attorney.