NEW LONDON — Tenants of five properties in the city of New London are unionizing and joining already unionized tenants in nearby Niantic in what they say is a response to actions taken against them by their new landlord, Alpha Capital Funds.
The Shelton-headquartered company has recently purchased 6 Redden Ave, 36 Nathan Hale St, 461 Williams St and 105 and 111 Broad Street in New London and according to tenants at those properties, some have received notices to ‘quit’ their homes, the first step in the process of eviction.
Tenants at Bay Point Apartments in Niantic, previously known as Windward Village had their properties purchased by Alpha Capital in 2024 and shortly after say, they received drastic rent hikes as high as $900 which spurred them to organize the East Lyme Rent Commission to help them build negotiating power and go on to form the Bay Point Tenants Union in 2025.
At a press conference on Thursday at New London City Hall, residents and local leaders announced the formation of a new tenant’s union by the affected New London residents to push back against Alpha Capital and its plans.
Michael Duffy is one of the affected residents and lives at 6 Redden Avenue.
“I lived there for eight years. Last Thanksgiving we had everybody in the building come together and then on the 21st of this month, we got notices to quit. And on the back of that notice had a piece of paper that said we are here to help from Alpha Capital, which was a slap to our faces because if you were there to help, then come see us and tell us what’s going on. All we want is a conversation.”
Duffy says he’s tried to reach Tyler Smith, the CEO of Alpha Capital by phone without success and that he and other residents claim that Alpha Capital staff, posing as other people, have come to his building turning off things like the heat and in Duffy’s words, “giving us a hard time over trying to get it put back on.”
Duffy says he and the other residents pay their rent on time and just want new leases and not the month-to-month contracts they have now.
Duffy draws disability and Social Security and says he is paid $967 a month and his rent is now $950, leaving him struggling to pay his rent as well as his bills.
Luke Melonakos is the VP of the Connecticut Tenants Union and says Michael is one of 14 others who have received notices to quit in the last week alone from Alpha Capital.
Melonakos says Alpha Capital wants to come in and clear out longstanding tenants at their new properties, but he touted power of organizing across town lines.
“Niantic and New London residents coming together to combine their power across many different lines of difference and across municipalities is something extremely powerful that certainly Tyler Smith should take note of,” said Melonakos. “People in elected office should take note of and are taking note of. There is an enormous amount of power and potential in people working together across different buildings because they’re all suffering under the actions and the tactics of really one guy and the company that he owns.”
Elected officials at the rally said they have reached out to Tyler Smith and his company and asked to meet, but have not heard back.
New London Mayor Michael Passero said he’s concerned with what he’s hearing and seeing, “I’m here with my staff and the challenges that we face with housing throughout the city of New London, and certainly with what we heard today and comparing, the testimony that I heard from the tenants this morning. With what my staff is being told by Alpha Capital. We have some discrepancies to work out.”
Passero said he and his housing team hold all landlords to the same high standards and that is also seeking a meeting with Alpha Capital to address the issues that many tenants are facing in the city.
Connecticut doesn’t have statewide rent control laws but does have fair rent protection law through local Fair Rent Commissions in some towns.
These commissions can review and rule on tenant complaints and about excessive rent increases and are required in municipalities with a population of 25,000 or more. The City of New London meets that standard and has a Fair Rent Commission.
However, landlords and tenants in towns without a commission cannot challenge rent increases through the state and must accept the increase or move to avoid eviction.
In a statement to CT Examiner, Tyler Smith of Alpha Capital Funds said:
“Alpha Capital has acted fully within Connecticut housing law in all recent notices to tenants. Under state statute, property owners are permitted to take possession of an apartment upon the natural expiration of a lease term, provided all legal requirements are followed. We have complied with these statutes in every case, including providing appropriate notice and accommodations for any residents who are over 62 years of age or disabled.”
Alpha Capital respects the legal right of tenants to organize and express their views. However, we do not recognize or engage with any tenant group as a formal bargaining representative. At this time, we are not planning to hold a formal meeting, but we remain committed to maintaining lawful, respectful, and transparent communication with all residents through the proper channels.
Our focus continues to be on improving the quality and safety of housing in New London through responsible investment and property upgrades.”
Alpha Capital Funds has come under fire after it purchased Winward Village in Niantic in 2024 and six of its employees appeared to have falsely posed as tenants giving testimony before the state legislature to oppose a bill that would end lapse-of-time evictions, the practice of evicting tenants when a lease ends.
Despite lawmaker’s efforts to pass the bill it died in session in spring 2024.