Published 2026-09-25 · 9 min read

Rhode Island Landlord-Tenant Law 2026: The Plain-English Guide

Rhode Island runs its rentals under the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-1 et seq. — a URLTA-based statute first enacted in 1986 (P.L. 1986, ch. 200). Fair housing sits in a separate, unusually broad chapter, the Fair Housing Practices Act, §§ 34-37-1 et seq. The Act is unusually complete: it supplies its own notice and complaint forms (§ 34-18-56), a furniture-deposit carve-out (§ 34-18-19), a rental registry that gates nonpayment evictions (§ 34-18-58), an application-fee ban (§ 34-18-59), and — new in 2025 — a ban on immigration-status inquiries (§ 34-18-62).

Three warnings, because the earlier version of this page got them wrong: First, the rent-increase notice periods are 60 days for everyone and 120 days for month-to-month tenants over 62 — the old 30/60 figures were replaced effective June 24, 2024 (§ 34-18-16.1, as amended by P.L. 2024, chs. 243, 244). Second, there is no statutory grace period before late fees: the famous 15 days is the arrears threshold before a nonpayment demand may be sent (§ 34-18-35(a)), not a fee grace period. Third, the repair-and-deduct cap is $500 in the aggregate per year, not $125 — raised by P.L. 2023, chs. 286, 287, effective January 1, 2024 (§ 34-18-30).

Rhode Island at a glance

How the Rhode Island stack is built

Four layers do the work. The Act itself (Chapter 34-18) is the core: agreement terms (§ 34-18-15), prohibited provisions (§ 34-18-17), deposits (§ 34-18-19), disclosure (§ 34-18-20), the landlord's maintenance duties (§ 34-18-22) and the tenant's (§ 34-18-24), access (§ 34-18-26), the tenant-remedy sections (§§ 34-18-28 to 34-18-34), the three eviction tracks (§§ 34-18-35, 34-18-36, 34-18-38), termination of periodic tenancies (§ 34-18-37), and the post-judgment sections (§§ 34-18-47 to 34-18-53). The forms section, § 34-18-56, prints the actual five-day demand, notice of noncompliance, termination notice, both complaints, and both summonses — a notice "in substantially the following language" suffices. The newer sections layer modern regulation on the 1986 frame: the rental registry (§ 34-18-58, 2023), application fees (§ 34-18-59, effective January 1, 2024), sealing of eviction files (§ 34-18-60, effective January 1, 2024), convenience fees (§ 34-18-61, effective January 1, 2025), and immigration-status inquiries (§ 34-18-62, effective July 2, 2025). The Fair Housing Practices Act (Chapter 34-37) supplies the civil-rights layer, enforced through the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights.

One structural point matters throughout: most of the Act's pre-filing clocks run from mailing, not from service or receipt — the five-day demand counts from "the date of mailing" (§ 34-18-35(a)), and the breach cure runs "within twenty (20) days of mailing" with a termination date "not less than twenty-one (21) days after the mailing" (§ 34-18-36(a)). The statutory forms each carry a certificate of mailing: keep it, and a copy of every notice.

How much can a Rhode Island landlord charge as a security deposit, and when is it due back? (§ 34-18-19)

The deposit rules are covered in full on the companion page: Rhode Island security deposit law. This summary is consistent with that page in every particular — including two subsection corrections to that page's table, flagged below. Check a proposed deposit against the one-month ceiling with our Security Deposit Max Checker, which applies Rhode Island's one-month cap under § 34-18-19 — the separate furniture deposit under § 34-18-19(e) sits outside that check.

The cap: § 34-18-19(a)

A landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit, however denominated, in an amount or value in excess of one month's periodic rent. The "however denominated" language is the anti-relabelling rule: a "move-in fee" or "pet deposit" that functions as security counts toward the ceiling.

The furniture deposit: § 34-18-19(e) and (f)

The one exception is narrow and has its own subsection pair. Under § 34-18-19(e), a landlord who rents a furnished apartment may demand a separate furniture security deposit of up to one month's periodic rent if the replacement value of the furniture, valued at the time the lease is executed, is $5,000 or greater. Document the valuation at signing — the figure is tested as of execution, not move-out.

Subsection (f) — not (e) — governs the furniture deposit's return, and its deduction list is shorter: the amount due is the whole furniture deposit minus reasonable cleaning expenses and repair, and physical damages to the furniture, other than ordinary wear and tear. Unpaid rent is not on the furniture list. The itemized written notice and the amount due are deliverable within the same 20 days after the later of termination, delivery of possession, or the tenant's providing a forwarding address for the furniture deposit.

The return deadline: § 34-18-19(b)

On termination, the amount due to the tenant is the entire deposit minus only:

• unpaid accrued rent;
• the amount due, if any, for reasonable cleaning expenses;
• the amount due, if any, for reasonable trash disposal expenses; and
• physical damages to the premises, other than ordinary wear and tear, that the landlord suffered by reason of the tenant's noncompliance with § 34-18-24 (the tenant's maintenance duties).

Each deduction must be itemized by the landlord in a written notice delivered to the tenant, and the landlord shall deliver the notice, together with the amount due, within twenty (20) days after the later of (1) termination of the tenancy, (2) delivery of possession, or (3) the tenant's providing the landlord with a forwarding address for the purpose of receiving the security deposit. Ask for the forwarding address in writing at the move-out walkthrough, and keep the request in the file: the latest trigger controls the clock, and the address is usually it. Photo-document every unit at move-in and move-out; see our move-in/move-out inspection checklist.

The penalty: § 34-18-19(c)

If the landlord fails to comply with subsection (b), the tenant may recover the amount due, together with damages in an amount equal to twice the amount wrongfully withheld, and reasonable attorney's fees. The doubling runs on the amount wrongfully withheld — not automatically on the whole deposit — and the fee provision makes small cases economical for tenants to bring. Subsection (d) preserves any other damages recoverable under the chapter; (c) is not the ceiling on exposure.

Interest, transfer, and waiver: what the section does and does not say

• No interest, no escrow account. Section 34-18-19 imposes no interest obligation and no separate-account requirement. Proposals to change that were filed in the 2026 session — House bill H 8113 and Senate bill S 2973 would require landlords of six or more units to hold deposits in interest-bearing federally insured accounts — but neither had been enacted as of this writing, and the codified text contains no such requirement. Do not comply-or-defy something that is not law; watch the bills.
• Sale or transfer: § 34-18-19(g). If the landlord transfers his or her interest, the holder of the landlord's interest at the time of the termination of the tenancy is bound by this section. (The companion deposit page's table cites subsection (e) for this rule; the transfer rule is subsection (g).) A buyer takes the deposit obligations with the building — get the deposits and records transferred at closing. Section 34-18-23 separately relieves a seller in a good-faith sale to a bona fide purchaser of liability for events occurring after written notice to the tenant of the conveyance, which must name the purchaser's name, address, and telephone number.
• No waiver: § 34-18-19(h). No rental agreement shall contain any waiver of the provisions of this section. (The companion page's table cites subsection (f); the waiver bar is subsection (h) — (f) is the furniture-deposit return rule above.)

A worked deposit example

Rent is $1,500 a month and you hold a $1,500 deposit. The tenancy terminates and the tenant delivers possession on Monday, June 1, 2026, but provides the forwarding address in writing on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. The later of the three triggers is June 10, so the itemized notice and the balance are due within 20 days after June 10 — Tuesday, June 30, 2026. You document $180 of reasonable cleaning, $95 of trash disposal, and $260 of physical damage beyond ordinary wear and tear caused by the tenant's noncompliance with § 34-18-24 — $535 in itemized deductions:

• Deposit held: $1,500
• Itemized deductions: $535
• Balance due with the written itemization, by Tuesday, June 30, 2026: $965

Miss June 30 and the § 34-18-19(c) exposure runs from the $965 due, plus twice the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney's fees. Run every move-out against the Security Deposit Deadline Finder, and build the list from the deductions guide.

When is rent due in Rhode Island, and what late fees are allowed?

When rent is due: § 34-18-15(b)–(d)

Rent is payable without demand or notice at the time and place agreed. Unless otherwise agreed, rent is payable at the dwelling unit, at the beginning of any term of one month or less and otherwise in equal monthly installments at the beginning of each month, and is uniformly apportionable from day to day (§ 34-18-15(c)). Absent agreement on amount, the tenant pays the fair rental value (§ 34-18-15(b)). And unless the agreement fixes a definite term, the tenancy is week-to-week for a roomer who pays weekly rent, and month-to-month in all other cases (§ 34-18-15(d)).

Late fees: no grace period, no cap — but the lease and the disclosure rules govern

Rhode Island law sets no statutory grace period before a late fee may be charged, and no statutory cap on the fee's amount. The 15 days in § 34-18-35(a) is an eviction threshold — the point at which rent is sufficiently in arrears to support a five-day demand — and it does not delay a fee the lease lawfully imposes. What disciplines late fees instead:

• The lease must provide for the fee. A fee is a term of the rental agreement; a landlord whose agreement is silent has no statutory fee to fall back on, and every fee beyond rent must now be disclosed as described below.

• No rent free of maintenance duties. Under § 34-18-18, no rental agreement or related instrument may permit the receipt of rent free of the obligation to comply with § 34-18-22(a).

Fee disclosure and convenience fees: the 2025 layer

Two 2024 enactments, both effective January 1, 2025, rewrote the fee rules (P.L. 2024, chs. 308, 309):

• All fees beyond rent must be disclosed in the lease, in the same section as the rent disclosure, with an indication that additional fees may apply (§ 34-18-15(a)(1)) — except where the tenant or unit receives state or federal subsidies requiring a different lease format.
• No written lease? Give the tenant a written list of all fees beyond rent; any change in required fees must be disclosed in writing at least 30 days before it takes effect (§ 34-18-15(a)(2)).
• Utilities must be allocated in writing — which costs are included in rent, which are the tenant's (§ 34-18-15(a)(3)) — and any renters-insurance requirement must be stated in the lease or provided in writing (§ 34-18-15(a)(4)).
• The remedy is a refund: a tenant may recover any fees paid that were not disclosed as required (§ 34-18-15(a)(5)).
• Convenience fees are prohibited (§ 34-18-61): no convenience fee on a rental payment — unless the landlord accepts a form of payment that does not require one. In practice, a card-processing cost may be passed through only if a genuinely free payment route exists alongside it.

Rent increases: 60 days, and 120 days for month-to-month tenants over 62

There is no rent control in Rhode Island — no statute caps the amount of an increase. The regulation is all notice, and the current periods are longer than most national guides state. Under § 34-18-16.1, as amended effective June 24, 2024 (P.L. 2024, chs. 243, 244):

• (a) Every tenant: at least 60 days' written notice before the effective date of an increase, for any residential tenancy — excluding an independent living facility, assisted living facility, or congregate care facility.
• (b) Month-to-month tenants over the age of 62: at least 120 days' notice before raising the rent, with the same facility exclusions. Note the precise scope: the 120-day tier is keyed to month-to-month tenancies and to tenants over 62 — it is not a general senior rule for fixed-term leases, whose rent is set by the lease until renewal.
• (c) Nothing in the section requires notice on a timeframe exceeding what another state or federal law, regulation, or applicable housing-program requirement sets — subsidized tenancies follow their program's clock where it is longer.

Worked example. You deliver a written increase notice on Monday, March 2, 2026. For a tenant under the general rule, the earliest effective date is Friday, May 1, 2026 — 60 days later. For a month-to-month tenant over 62, the earliest effective date is Tuesday, June 30, 2026 — 120 days later. See how to raise rent legally.

Application fees: banned, with one narrow pass-through

Section 34-18-59, "Fair limitation on rental application fees" (P.L. 2023, chs. 319, 320, effective January 1, 2024), provides in subsection (a) that a landlord, lessor, sub-lessor, real estate broker, property management company, or designee shall not require or demand any prospective tenant to pay a rental application fee. Subsection (b) then carves out the only permitted charges, tied to two specific reports — an official state criminal background check from the Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI), the Department of Attorney General, the state police, or the local police department where the prospective tenant resides, and a credit check:

1. If the prospective tenant provides a required official state criminal background check or credit report issued within 90 days of the application, no fee for that check or report may be charged (§ 34-18-59(b)(1)).

2. If the prospective tenant does not provide a current report, the landlord may charge not more than the actual cost of obtaining the official state background check and/or credit report — and a tenant so charged must be provided with a copy of the report (§ 34-18-59(b)(2)).

3. The landlord remains free to obtain an independent background check or credit report at the landlord's own expense (§ 34-18-59(b)(3)).

So the accurate statement is not "screening is free" — it is: no application fee as such, ever; report costs pass through only at actual cost, only when the applicant has not supplied a report less than 90 days old, and the applicant gets a copy of anything they paid for. Build the rest of your screening cost into your operating budget. See how to screen tenants and tenant screening red flags.

The statewide rental registry gates nonpayment evictions: § 34-18-58

The omission most likely to sink a Rhode Island eviction is not in the eviction sections at all. Section 34-18-58 (P.L. 2023, chs. 156, 157) created a statewide mandatory rental registry administered by the Department of Health. Every landlord must register, for each dwelling unit: the landlord's name, an active address, email, and telephone number, any property manager or agent for service with their contact information, and information identifying each unit (§ 34-18-58(a)). Landlords of pre-1978 property not exempt from the lead hazard mitigation law (Title 42, Chapter 128.1) must additionally file a valid certificate of conformance for each unit, or evidence of exemption (§ 34-18-58(b)).

The calendar: landlords subject to the section as of September 1, 2024 had to register by October 1, 2024; a landlord who acquires a property, or begins leasing to a new tenant, after that date must register within 30 days; and every landlord must re-register by October 1 of each year (§ 34-18-58(d)). Non-compliance carries a civil fine of at least $50 per month for the subsection (a) information and at least $125 per month for the subsection (b) lead-certificate filing (§ 34-18-58(e)).

The operative sanction is § 34-18-58(g): notwithstanding § 34-18-35, a landlord may not commence a nonpayment eviction unless, at filing, the landlord is in compliance with subsections (a), (b), and (d) — and must present evidence of compliance to the court in order to proceed.

The lease itself: disclosures and prohibited provisions

Disclosure at the start: § 34-18-20

At or before commencement of the tenancy, the landlord — or anyone authorized to enter into the rental agreement on the landlord's behalf — must disclose to the tenant in writing the name, address, and number of (1) the person authorized to manage the premises, and (2) an owner or a person authorized to act for the owner for service of process and receiving notices and demands (§ 34-18-20(a)). The information must be kept current and is enforceable against any successor (§ 34-18-20(b)); a person who fails to comply becomes, by operation of § 34-18-20(c), an agent of each landlord for service of process and for performing the landlord's obligations, expending for that purpose all rent collected. Three more disclosure duties round out the picture:

• Mortgage delinquency (§ 34-18-20(d)): a landlord delinquent on a mortgage securing the property for 120 days shall notify the tenant that the property may be subject to foreclosure; until foreclosure occurs, the tenant must continue to pay rent to the landlord.
• Housing-code violations (§ 34-18-22.1): a cited landlord must, within 30 days of receiving the citation, deliver a copy of the notice of violation to each residential tenant of the affected building — unless within that period all violations are corrected to the agency's satisfaction — and must inform a prospective tenant of any outstanding violations before entering into any rental agreement.
• Nonresident landlords (§ 34-18-22.3): a nonresident landlord must designate and continuously maintain an in-state agent for service of process, filed in writing with the secretary of state and the clerk of the city or town where the unit is located. Non-compliance carries a civil fine of $100 per month, up to $1,200 per calendar year — or one month's rent for the calendar year if the monthly rent exceeds $1,200 — payable to the municipality.

Prohibited provisions: § 34-18-17

A rental agreement may not provide that the tenant (1) agrees to waive or forego rights or remedies under the chapter; (2) authorizes any person to confess judgment on a claim arising out of the rental agreement; (3) agrees to pay the landlord's attorney's fees inconsistent with this chapter; or (4) agrees to the exculpation or limitation of any liability of the landlord arising under law, or to indemnify the landlord for that liability or its costs (§ 34-18-17(a)). A prohibited provision is unenforceable — and if a landlord deliberately uses a rental agreement containing provisions known to be prohibited, the tenant may recover, in addition to actual damages, an amount up to three (3) months' periodic rent and reasonable attorney's fees (§ 34-18-17(b)). Audit your lease form against the four categories before you sign another tenant; remember § 34-18-19(h) separately voids any clause waiving the deposit section.

Section 34-18-25 adds the rules discipline: a landlord rule is enforceable only if its purpose is proper (tenants' convenience, safety, or welfare; preservation of the property; fair distribution of services), it is reasonably related to that purpose, explicit, applied to all tenants fairly, not adopted to evade the landlord's obligations, and noticed to the tenant at signing or adoption. A later rule working a substantial modification of the tenant's bargain is invalid without the tenant's written consent.

How much notice ends a Rhode Island tenancy without a breach? (§ 34-18-37)

Section 34-18-37 sets the no-cause termination periods for periodic tenancies, each by written notice in a form substantially similar to § 34-18-56(c) — the periods run both ways, for tenants as for landlords:

• Week-to-week: at least 10 days before the termination date specified in the notice (§ 34-18-37(a)).
• Month-to-month — and any periodic tenancy of more than a month and less than a year: at least 30 days before the date specified in the notice (§ 34-18-37(b)).
• Year-to-year: at least 3 months before the expiration of the occupation year (§ 34-18-37(c)) — the tier most summaries omit entirely.

The statutory termination form (§ 34-18-56(c)) directs the tenant to vacate on the first day after the end of the current rental period, with rent continuing to come due until that date. Worked example: deliver a month-to-month termination notice on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, specifying termination at the end of the April rental period, and the tenancy ends Thursday, April 30, 2026 — delivered 30 days before the specified date, as § 34-18-37(b) requires. A fixed-term lease ends by its own terms; a holdover is handled by § 34-18-38 below.

Early termination the Act itself grants

Two statutory exits override a fixed term, both in § 34-18-15:

• Tenants 65 and older entering care (§ 34-18-15(e)): a tenant who is 65 or older, or who will turn 65 during the term, may terminate in order to enter a residential care and assisted living facility (as defined in § 23-17.4-2), a nursing facility, or a federally designated elderly housing complex — by written notice to the usual rent recipient, with documentation of admission or pending admission, effective no earlier than 45 days after the first rental payment due date following delivery of the notice.
• Servicemembers (§ 34-18-15(f)): a lease occupied by a servicemember or dependents may be unilaterally terminated where the servicemember entered service after executing the lease, or, while in service, received orders for a change of permanent station or a deployment of not less than 90 days — on written notice with a copy of the orders. For a monthly-rent lease, termination is effective 30 days after the first date on which the next rental payment is due after delivery; otherwise, on the last day of the following month. Rent is owed only prorated to the effective date; no early termination charge may be imposed; advance rent must be refunded within 30 days; and dependents' obligations end with the lease.

How does eviction work in Rhode Island, and why is there no self-help track?

Every Rhode Island eviction runs through the district court or the appropriate housing court, which exercise jurisdiction in law and equity over conduct governed by the chapter (§ 34-18-9). Self-help is not a fourth track: under § 34-18-44, a landlord may not recover or take possession by action or otherwise — including willful diminution of services by interrupting heat, running water, hot water, electric, gas, or other essential service — except in case of abandonment, surrender, or as permitted in the chapter. The tenant's remedy for an unlawful ouster is § 34-18-34: recover possession or terminate, and in either case recover an amount not more than three (3) months' periodic rent or threefold the actual damages sustained, whichever is greater, and reasonable attorney's fees; on termination, the landlord must return all security recoverable under § 34-18-19 and all prepaid rent.

Full process: how to evict a tenant. Also see our eviction process guide.

Track 1 — Nonpayment: the 15-plus-5 ladder (§ 34-18-35)

Rhode Island's nonpayment track is deliberately slow at the front end:

1. Arrears threshold. Only when rent is due and in arrears for fifteen (15) days may the landlord act (§ 34-18-35(a)). There is no day-5 or day-10 notice in Rhode Island nonpayment law.

2. The five-day demand. The landlord shall send a written notice, in a form substantially similar to § 34-18-56(a), specifying the amount of rent that is 15 days in arrears, making demand for the rent, and notifying the tenant that unless he or she cures within five (5) days of the date of mailing of the notice, the rental agreement shall terminate and the landlord shall commence an eviction action in the appropriate district court or housing court.

3. Filing day. If the tenant does not cure by paying the stipulated rent in arrears within the five days, the landlord may commence the action — filed no earlier than the sixth (6th) day after mailing of the demand — by filing a "Complaint for Eviction for Nonpayment of Rent" in the form provided in § 34-18-56(d) (§ 34-18-35(b)).

4. Registry gate. Before any of this matters, § 34-18-58(g) bars commencing the nonpayment action at all unless the landlord is registry-compliant at filing and presents evidence of compliance to the court.

5. Summons, answer, and hearing. The summons (§ 34-18-56(g)) specifies the hearing date and warns that the defendant may answer prior to or at the hearing, and will be defaulted for failing to answer or appear (§ 34-18-35(c)). If the defendant answers and commences discovery before the hearing and shows good cause, the court may continue the hearing for discovery and may order interim rent to preserve the status quo (§ 34-18-35(d)).

6. Judgment and fees. The landlord may recover possession and actual damages — plus a reasonable attorney's fee where the tenant had received a demand notice within the six (6) months immediately preceding the filing and the nonpayment was willful (§ 34-18-35(d)).

7. The tenant's cure rights (§ 34-18-35(e)). The tenant may cure by tendering the full amount of rent at any time prior to commencement of suit — and, if the tenant has not received a demand notice within the preceding six months, even after commencement, by tendering the full arrears together with court costs, at the time of hearing. A second nonpayment case inside six months is therefore materially stronger than a first: the at-hearing cure is gone.

Worked nonpayment timeline. May rent of $1,500 is due Friday, May 1, 2026 and goes unpaid:

• Saturday, May 16, 2026: the rent is now 15 days in arrears — the first day the demand may be sent.
• Monday, May 18, 2026: you mail the § 34-18-56(a) five-day demand, first class, and complete the certificate of mailing. The five days run from the mailing date.
• Saturday, May 23, 2026: the cure period expires.
• Sunday, May 24, 2026: the sixth day after mailing — the first day the complaint may be filed; in practice you file on the next day the clerk's office is open, with the § 34-18-58(g) registry evidence.

Track 2 — Breach other than nonpayment (§ 34-18-36)

For material noncompliance with the rental agreement, or § 34-18-24 noncompliance materially affecting health and safety, § 34-18-36(a) requires a written demand notice in substantially the § 34-18-56(b) form, specifying (1) the acts and omissions constituting the breach, (2) what is necessary to remedy it, and (3) that unless the breach is remedied within twenty (20) days of mailing, the agreement shall terminate on a specified date not less than twenty-one (21) days after the mailing.

• Cure defeats termination. If the tenant adequately remedies the breach before the date specified, the agreement shall not terminate (§ 34-18-36(b)).
• Filing day. If the breach is not remedied, the action — a "Complaint for Eviction for Reason Other Than for Nonpayment of Rent" under § 34-18-56(e) — may be filed no earlier than the first day following the termination date specified in the notice (§ 34-18-36(b)).
• Answer period. The § 34-18-36 summons (§ 34-18-56(h)) gives the tenant twenty (20) days from the date of service to answer, on pain of default; the matter is then assigned for hearing under the court's rules (§ 34-18-36(c)).
• Relief. Possession, actual damages, and injunctive relief; reasonable attorney's fees if the tenant's noncompliance was willful (§ 34-18-36(d)).
• Repeat violations (§ 34-18-36(e)). If substantially the same act or omission that constituted a prior noncompliance — of which good-faith notice was given — recurs within six (6) months, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement on at least twenty (20) days' written notice specifying the breach and the termination date. No allowance of time to remedy is required. Note both halves of the correction to the common summary: the period is 20 days, not 10 — and what the tenant loses is the cure, not the notice.
• No-notice filings (§ 34-18-36(f)). No notice of noncompliance is required, and the landlord may file immediately, where the tenant has violated § 34-18-24(8), (9), or (10) — maintaining a narcotics nuisance; using the premises or adjacent public property for the manufacture, sale, or delivery of a controlled substance, or possessing one there with that intent (Schedule I or II); or committing a crime of violence on the premises or adjacent public property. The same route applies to a defined seasonal tenant (a written lease within the statute's May 1–October 15 or September 1–June 1 windows, with no renewal right) charged with a municipal-ordinance violation or a legal-occupancy, excessive-noise, or peace-disturbance breach. Outside those categories, "criminal activity" in the abstract does not skip the 20-day notice — the violation must map to § 34-18-24(8), (9), or (10).

Track 3 — Holdover (§ 34-18-38)

If the tenant remains in possession without the landlord's consent after expiration of the term or termination of a periodic tenancy, the landlord may file the § 34-18-56(e) complaint no earlier than the first day following the expiration or termination (§ 34-18-38(a)); the summons gives the tenant 20 days from service to answer (§ 34-18-38(b)). A willful, bad-faith holdover adds up to three (3) months' periodic rent or threefold actual damages, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney's fees (§ 34-18-38(c)). If the landlord instead consents to the occupancy and no term is specified, the tenancy runs week-to-week if the tenant pays weekly, and month-to-month otherwise (§ 34-18-38(c)). If the landlord instead consents to the continued occupancy, the parties may agree to a definite term; if no term is specified, the tenancy is week-to-week if the tenant pays week-to-week, and month-to-month in all other cases (§ 34-18-38(c)).

The deceased-tenant grace period (§ 34-18-38(d), added by P.L. 2024, chs. 409, 410, effective June 28, 2024). If a tenant dies during the term leaving no remaining signatory living in the unit, the deceased's live-in caregiver, or any other person 18 or older residing in the unit, may continue the agreement as a grace period temporary tenant for three (3) months or the remaining term, whichever is shorter (the parties may agree on longer; the temporary tenant may end it sooner). The temporary tenant pays the agreed rent and assumes the agreement's obligations; rent for part of a month is prorated; the deceased's unpaid rent remains an obligation of the estate; no additional security deposit may be required; residency is provable by a long statutory list of documents, rebuttable by the landlord in district court; and a resident who stays more than seven (7) days after the death is assumed to have elected temporary-tenant status. Do not treat a deceased tenant's home as a simple holdover.

After judgment: appeal, execution, and the rent-during-appeal rules

• Appeals and execution. Appeals are taken pursuant to § 9-12-10.1 (§ 34-18-47). If no appeal is claimed and the judgment is unsatisfied, execution shall be issued on the sixth (6th) day following judgment, to the division of sheriffs or a certified constable; it remains in force for one year, and its costs — including reasonable moving costs — may be added on court approval (§ 34-18-48). When a tenant's property is removed under an execution, the tenant bears the moving and prepaid storage costs, payable before the property is released (§ 34-18-50).
• Rent while a stay or appeal runs. A stay of execution is conditioned on the tenant paying sums equal to the rent as it would have fallen due; accepting them is not a waiver of the right to possession and does not reinstate the tenancy (§ 34-18-49) — and the same rule applies on appeal (§ 34-18-52). If the tenant then fails to pay, the judgment court, on the landlord's motion and after a hearing, shall order execution to issue and be promptly served — from that order there is no appeal (§ 34-18-51).
• Sealing the file (§ 34-18-60). Actions under §§ 34-18-35, 34-18-36, and 34-18-38 may be sealed on motion filed at least 30 days after the appeal period expires, where the case was dismissed on motion, resolved by a satisfied stipulation, any monetary judgment has been satisfied in full, or the action was dismissed for lack of prosecution after five years — one request per party per five years, and a live bargaining chip in settlement negotiations.

Repairs and habitability

The landlord's duties: § 34-18-22

A Rhode Island landlord shall:

1. Comply with the requirements of applicable building and housing codes affecting health and safety (§ 34-18-22(a)(1));

2. Make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition (§ 34-18-22(a)(2));

3. Keep all common areas clean and safe (§ 34-18-22(a)(3));

4. Maintain in good and safe working order all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and other facilities and appliances, including elevators, supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord (§ 34-18-22(a)(4));

5. Provide and maintain appropriate receptacles for ashes, garbage, rubbish, and other waste as required by § 45-24.3-6 or more restrictive local codes, and arrange for their removal (§ 34-18-22(a)(5));

6. Supply running water and reasonable amounts of hot water at all times, and reasonable heat between October 1 and May 1, as required by §§ 45-24.3-7 and 45-24.3-9 or more restrictive local codes — except where the building is not legally required to be so equipped, or heat or hot water is generated by an installation within the tenant's exclusive control on a direct public utility connection (§ 34-18-22(a)(6)); and

7. Carry general liability insurance of at least $100,000 for persons injured on the premises due to the landlord's negligence, and give the tenant a copy of the carrier's declaration page with the written lease at the beginning of the tenancy and a fresh copy at each renewal (§ 34-18-22(a)(7), added by P.L. 2021, chs. 210, 323, effective January 1, 2022)

Where the code duty in (a)(1) is greater than any other paragraph's duty, (a)(1) controls (§ 34-18-22(b)). Landlord and tenant may agree in writing that the tenant performs specified repairs or remodeling only if the agreement is in good faith, signed, and supported by adequate consideration; the work is not necessary to cure a code noncompliance under (a)(1); and it does not diminish the landlord's obligations to other tenants (§ 34-18-22(c)). Section 34-18-22.2 adds a purchase-side duty: on acquiring an interest in a dwelling unit, ascertain whether it conforms to minimum housing and zoning requirements and, if not, bring it into compliance prior to leasing.

The tenant's duties: § 34-18-24

The tenant must comply with tenant obligations under codes materially affecting health and safety; keep the premises as clean and safe as conditions permit; dispose of waste cleanly and safely; keep plumbing fixtures clean; use all facilities and appliances reasonably; not deliberately or negligently destroy, deface, damage, impair, or remove any part of the premises, or knowingly permit anyone else to; and conduct himself or herself — and require guests to do the same — so as not to disturb the neighbors' peaceful enjoyment (§ 34-18-24(1)–(7)). Items (8), (9), and (10) — the narcotics-nuisance, controlled-substance, and crime-of-violence prohibitions — are the three whose violation supports immediate filing under § 34-18-36(f).

The landlord has a repair remedy of his own: under § 34-18-39, if the tenant's § 34-18-24 noncompliance materially affecting health and safety can be remedied by repair, replacement of a damaged item, or cleaning, and the tenant fails to comply as promptly as conditions require in an emergency, or within twenty (20) days after the landlord's written notice specifying the breach and requesting a remedy, the landlord may enter, cause the work to be done in a skilled manner, and submit the itemized bill for the actual and reasonable cost (or fair and reasonable value) as rent on the next rent due date — or, if the agreement has terminated, for immediate payment.

Tenant remedies, stated precisely: §§ 34-18-28, 34-18-30, 34-18-31, 34-18-32

The old summaries of Rhode Island tenant remedies compress four distinct sections into one blurry "repair-and-deduct" paragraph. They are four different machines:

General noncompliance — § 34-18-28. If the landlord breaches the rental agreement, or § 34-18-22 in a way materially affecting health and safety, the tenant may deliver a written notice specifying the breach and stating that the agreement will terminate on a date not less than thirty (30) days after receipt if the breach is not remedied in twenty (20) days. Adequate remedy before the date specified — by repairs, payment of damages, or otherwise — defeats termination. If substantially the same breach recurs within six (6) months, the tenant may terminate on at least fourteen (14) days' written notice. There is no termination for a condition the tenant's side deliberately or negligently caused. Separately, the tenant may recover actual damages and obtain injunctive relief, plus reasonable attorney's fees if the landlord's noncompliance is willful (§ 34-18-28(b)). On any termination under this section, the landlord must return all security recoverable under § 34-18-19 and all prepaid rent (§ 34-18-28(d)).

Self-help for limited repairs (repair-and-deduct) — § 34-18-30. If the landlord fails to comply with § 34-18-22(a)(1), (2), (4), (5), or (6), and the reasonable cost of compliance is less than five hundred dollars ($500) in the aggregate per year, the tenant may cause the repairs to be done in a skilled manner, in compliance with state and local codes, and deduct from the rent the actual and reasonable cost — or the fair and reasonable value — of the repairs, if all three conditions are met:

The three conditions: the tenant notifies the landlord of the intention to correct the condition at the landlord's expense; the landlord fails to comply within twenty (20) days after written notification, or fails to demonstrate ongoing, good-faith efforts to comply (in an emergency, the landlord cannot be reached or fails to comply as promptly as conditions require); and the tenant submits an itemized statement of the cost or value. The remedy is unavailable where the tenant, a family member, or a guest caused the condition. Two corrections to the folklore: the cap is $500 aggregate per year, not $125 (P.L. 2023, chs. 286, 287, effective January 1, 2024) — and the remedy is a deduction of the repair's cost, not a general license to withhold rent.

Wrongful failure to supply essential services — § 34-18-31. If, contrary to the rental agreement or § 34-18-22, the landlord willfully or negligently fails to supply heat, running water, hot water, electric, gas, or another essential service, the tenant — after reasonable notice specifying the breach — may elect to (1) secure reasonable amounts of the service during the noncompliance and deduct the actual and reasonable costs from the periodic rent; (2) recover damages based on the diminution in the fair rental value; or (3) procure reasonable substitute housing during the noncompliance, excused from rent for that period and additionally recovering the substitute housing's actual and reasonable cost up to an amount equal to the periodic rent. Reasonable attorney's fees are available — but a tenant who proceeds under § 34-18-31 may not also proceed under § 34-18-28 or § 34-18-30 as to that breach, no rights arise until notice is given, and tenant-caused conditions are excluded.

Noncompliance as a defense — § 34-18-32. In an action for possession based on nonpayment, or an action for rent while the tenant is in possession, the tenant may counterclaim for any amount recoverable under the agreement or the chapter. The court may order the tenant to pay all or part of the accrued and accruing rent into court, determines the amount due to each party, and pays the net amount owed first from the money in court. If no rent remains due after the counterclaim is applied, judgment is entered for the tenant in the possession action. A frivolous or baseless counterclaim exposes the tenant to the landlord's reasonable attorney's fees. The repair paper trail matters in litigation: an unrepaired, well-documented habitability defect can zero out the ledger the nonpayment case stands on.

Two more sections complete the map. Failure to deliver possession (§ 34-18-29): if the landlord fails to deliver possession as provided in § 34-18-21, rent abates until delivery, and the tenant may terminate on at least five (5) days' written notice (prepaid rent and security returned) or demand performance and sue for possession; a willful, bad-faith failure exposes the responsible person to up to three (3) months' periodic rent or threefold actual damages, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney's fees. Fire or casualty (§ 34-18-33): if casualty substantially impairs enjoyment, the tenant may immediately vacate and give written notice within fourteen (14) days of intending to terminate (effective as of vacating), or vacate only the unusable part with rent reduced in proportion to the diminution in fair rental value; on termination, all security recoverable under § 34-18-19 and all prepaid rent come back, accounted as of the casualty date. See how to handle maintenance requests.

Abandonment and mitigation: § 34-18-40

If the tenant abandons the dwelling unit, the landlord shall send a certified letter, return receipt requested, to the tenant's last known address, giving notice that unless a reply is received within seven (7) days, the landlord shall re-rent the premises. If the notice comes back undeliverable, or the tenant does not make contact within the seven days, the landlord shall make reasonable efforts to rent the premises at a fair rental. Re-rental for a term beginning before the original agreement expires terminates the tenancy as of the new tenancy's start; failure to use reasonable efforts — or accepting the abandonment as a surrender — deems the agreement terminated by the landlord as of the date the landlord had notice of the abandonment. The departing tenant's rent exposure thus runs to re-rental or the end of the term, but only through the landlord's reasonable efforts, and only after the certified-letter step. See breaking a lease early.

And a hard boundary: landlord liens are abolished in substance (§ 34-18-42) — a lien or security interest in the tenant's household goods is unenforceable unless perfected before the chapter's effective date (the § 34-18-50 moving-cost rule aside), and distraint for rent is abolished. You cannot hold a departed tenant's furniture hostage for the ledger.

When can a Rhode Island landlord enter a rented unit? (§ 34-18-26)

• Consent (§ 34-18-26(a)): the tenant shall not unreasonably withhold consent to entry to inspect, make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements, supply necessary or agreed services, or exhibit the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers, or contractors.
• Entry without consent (§ 34-18-26(b)): in case of emergency — or during any absence of the tenant in excess of seven (7) days, if reasonably necessary for the protection of the property. Note the qualifier summaries drop: a 7-day absence alone is not enough.
• The 2-day rule (§ 34-18-26(c)): the landlord shall not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant. Except in case of emergency or unless it is impracticable to do so, the landlord shall give at least two (2) days' notice of intent to enter, and may enter only at reasonable times — two exceptions, not one: emergency and impracticability.
• No other access (§ 34-18-26(d)): except pursuant to court order, as permitted by § 34-18-39 (the landlord's repair entry), or where the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the premises.
• Remedies both ways (§ 34-18-45): a tenant who refuses lawful access faces injunctive relief compelling access, or termination. A landlord who makes an unlawful entry, a lawful entry in an unreasonable manner, or repeated lawful demands that unreasonably harass faces an injunction or termination at the tenant's election. In either action the prevailing party recovers actual damages and shall be awarded costs and reasonable attorney's fees. Document every entry — notice date and method, reason, time in, time out; in an abuse-of-access case, that log is the whole defense.

What counts as illegal retaliation by a Rhode Island landlord? (§ 34-18-46)

A landlord may not retaliate — by increasing rent, decreasing services, or bringing or threatening to bring an action for possession — because the tenant (1) complained to a code-enforcement agency about a violation materially affecting health and safety; (2) complained to the landlord of a § 34-18-22 violation; (3) organized or joined a tenants' union or similar organization; or (4) exercised any other lawful rights and remedies (§ 34-18-46(a)).

The tenant's enforcement package is § 34-18-34's remedies (up to three months' rent or treble actual damages, plus fees) plus a defense in any retaliatory possession action. The timing rule is the one to calendar: in an action by or against the tenant, evidence of a complaint within six (6) months before the alleged act of retaliation creates a presumption that the landlord's conduct was in retaliation The presumption does not arise if the tenant made the complaint after notice of a proposed rent increase or diminution of services (§ 34-18-46(b)).

Three possession actions survive the bar (§ 34-18-46(c)): where the violation was caused primarily by the tenant's side's lack of reasonable care; where the tenant is in default in rent; or where code compliance or public action such as eminent domain requires alteration, remodeling, or demolition effectively depriving the tenant of use, with municipal relocation requirements met.

Discrimination: the Fair Housing Practices Act, Chapter 34-37

The federal Fair Housing Act applies in Rhode Island, and the state's Fair Housing Practices Act (§§ 34-37-1 et seq.) goes materially further. Section 34-37-4(a) makes it unlawful for an owner (or agent) with the right to sell, rent, lease, or manage a housing accommodation to inquire about, refuse to rent because of, advertise discriminatorily on the basis of, or discriminate in terms, conditions, privileges, facilities, or services on the basis of:

race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, lawful source of income, military status as a veteran with an honorable discharge or an honorable or general administrative discharge, servicemember in the armed forces, country of ancestral origin, disability, age, or familial status — or on the basis that a tenant, applicant, or household member is, has been, or is threatened with being the victim of domestic abuse, or has obtained, sought, or is seeking a restraining order for protection from domestic abuse.

Definitions sharpen several of these (§ 34-37-3): "age" means anyone over the age of eighteen (18) — not a 40-and-over rule (§ 34-37-3(1)); "lawful source of income" includes child support, alimony, Social Security, SSI, other public assistance, and any rental assistance or housing subsidy program, including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (§ 34-37-3(18)); and "housing status" — having or not having a fixed or regular residence, including living on the streets or in a shelter (§ 34-37-3(17)) — is named in the chapter's policy statement (§ 34-37-1(b)) and in the § 34-37-3(5) definition of "discriminate," though it does not appear in § 34-37-4(a)'s operative list as codified; treat it as protected in practice (a 2026 House bill, H 8105, proposed adding it expressly to § 34-37-4 and had not been enacted as of this writing).

Four operational rules deserve their own lines:

• Source of income (added by P.L. 2021, chs. 3, 4, effective April 15, 2021). You cannot reject an applicant because the rent is paid by vouchers, Social Security, child support, or another lawful source. "No Section 8" in a listing is illegal in Rhode Island — in the advertisement, in the inquiry, in the refusal, and in the terms. You may confirm the source, amount, and expected duration of the income to test nondiscriminatory standards (§ 34-37-4(a)), and a minimum-income standard is assessed only on the portion of the rent to be paid by the tenant, taking the assistance into account (§ 34-37-4(c)). If you take vouchers, see our Section 8 landlord guide.
• Domestic-violence status. The prohibition covers not only refusing a victim but inquiring whether an applicant or household member is, was, or is threatened with being a victim, or has sought a restraining order. Strike the question from your application and your screening calls, not just the decision.
• Disability mechanics. An owner may not refuse to allow a person with a disability to make, at the person's expense, reasonable modifications necessary for full enjoyment — though for a rental the owner may reasonably condition permission on restoring the interior at the end of the tenancy, and may negotiate an interest-bearing restoration escrow capped at the restoration cost, exempt from the § 34-18-19(a) cap but subject to § 34-18-19(b)–(f) (§ 34-37-4(d)). Reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, and services may not be refused (§ 34-37-4(e)(1)), and a guide dog or other personal assistive animal carries full and equal access without extra compensation for the animal, though the person is liable for damage it does (§ 34-37-4(e)(2)). Housing accommodations of four or more units first occupied after March 13, 1991 carry the chapter's accessible-design requirements (§ 34-37-4(f)).

One 2025 addition completes the screening picture. Immigration status (§ 34-18-62, P.L. 2025, chs. 395, 396, effective July 2, 2025): no landlord or agent shall make any inquiry regarding or based on the immigration or citizenship status of a tenant, prospective tenant, occupant, or prospective occupant, or require any statement, representation, or certification concerning it — and no municipality or housing agency may compel such an inquiry. The section does not bar complying with a federal legal obligation, or requesting documentation necessary to determine a prospective tenant's financial qualifications or identity. Screen every applicant with identical written criteria, document decisions, and keep immigration status out of the file entirely. Our fair housing guide covers what you can and can't ask.

Read the statute yourself

Every number in this guide comes from the official text published by the Rhode Island General Assembly. Start at the Act's first section — R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-1, Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (official text, webserver.rilegislature.gov) — and work through Chapter 34-18 section by section; the sections relied on most here are §§ 34-18-15, 34-18-16.1, 34-18-19, 34-18-22, 34-18-28 to 34-18-32, 34-18-35 to 34-18-38, 34-18-56, 34-18-58, and 34-18-59. The fair-housing list is at § 34-37-4 (official text, webserver.rilegislature.gov), with definitions at § 34-37-3. If a blog, a form vendor, or an older version of this page disagrees with the codified text, the codified text wins.

Investing across state lines? Rhode Island's 20-day returns, double-damages penalties, and broadest-in-the-country fair-housing list are just one state's playbook — every state rewrites deposit caps, return deadlines, and eviction clocks. The 50-State Landlord Law Dataset (CSV + JSON) puts all 50 states' key rules in one spreadsheet-ready dataset ($29, one-time purchase).

Rhode Island compliance checklist

Before and at lease signing

1. Register the unit under § 34-18-58 within 30 days of acquiring the property or leasing to a new tenant; calendar the October 1 annual re-registration; pre-1978 units file the lead certificate of conformance or exemption evidence.

2. Cap the deposit at one month's rent, however denominated (§ 34-18-19(a)); for a $5,000+ furnished unit, document the valuation and diary the separate furniture deposit (§ 34-18-19(e)–(f)).

3. Scrub the lease against § 34-18-17 (no waiver, confession of judgment, inconsistent fee clause, or exculpation/indemnity) — a known prohibited provision, deliberately used, costs up to three months' rent plus fees over actual damages.

4. Disclose all fees beyond rent in the rent section of the lease, allocate utilities, state any renters-insurance requirement (§ 34-18-15(a)(1)–(4)); undisclosed fees are refundable (§ 34-18-15(a)(5)); offer a no-convenience-fee payment method (§ 34-18-61).

5. Deliver the § 34-18-20 written disclosure; nonresidents file the § 34-18-22.3 agent designation; disclose outstanding code violations before signing (§ 34-18-22.1(b)); attach the insurance declaration page (§ 34-18-22(a)(7)).

6. Charge no application fee; pass through only actual BCI/credit-report costs when the applicant has not supplied a report issued within 90 days, with a copy to the applicant (§ 34-18-59). Ask nothing about immigration status (§ 34-18-62).

During the tenancy

7. Increases on the § 34-18-16.1 calendar: 60 days in writing for everyone, 120 days for month-to-month tenants over 62.

8. Enter only on at least 2 days' notice at reasonable times, emergency and impracticability aside (§ 34-18-26(c)); log every entry.

9. Work repairs against the § 34-18-28 and § 34-18-30 clocks (20-day cure windows; sub-$500 aggregate annual deduction cap). Never interrupt heat, water, hot water, electric, or gas (§§ 34-18-31, 34-18-44).

10. For six months after any tenant complaint, treat adverse action as presumptively retaliatory (§ 34-18-46(b)) unless a § 34-18-46(c) ground documents it; if a tenant in breach pays rent, give the § 34-18-41 notice within 10 days.

11. Forward housing-code citations to all tenants of the building within 30 days unless fully corrected in that window (§ 34-18-22.1(a)); at 120 days' mortgage delinquency, send the § 34-18-20(d) notice.

At the end of the tenancy

12. Terminate periodic tenancies on the § 34-18-37 periods (10/30 days; 3 months year-to-year) using the § 34-18-56(c) form.

13. Nonpayment: 15 days in arrears, mail the § 34-18-56(a) demand, count five days from mailing, file no earlier than day six — with registry compliance in hand (§§ 34-18-35, 34-18-58(g)).

14. Breach: mail the § 34-18-56(b) notice, 20 days from mailing to cure, termination no earlier than day 21, file the day after (§ 34-18-36(a)–(b)); repeats within six months take 20 days' notice with no cure (§ 34-18-36(e)); § 34-18-24(8), (9), or (10) violations only may be filed immediately (§ 34-18-36(f)).

15. Deliver the deposit itemization and balance within 20 days after the later of termination, possession, or the forwarding address (§ 34-18-19(b)).

16. Suspect abandonment? Send the § 34-18-40 certified letter, wait seven days, re-rent with reasonable efforts — and never hold the tenant's goods for the debt (§ 34-18-42).

17. Never use self-help; possession changes hands only through the court and the sheriff or constable executing on or after the sixth day after judgment (§§ 34-18-44, 34-18-48).

FAQ

How much security deposit can a Rhode Island landlord charge?

At most one month's periodic rent, however denominated (§ 34-18-19(a)). The one addition: for a furnished apartment whose furniture has a replacement value of $5,000 or more when the lease is executed, a separate furniture security deposit of up to one additional month's rent (§ 34-18-19(e)).

What is the deadline to return a Rhode Island security deposit, and what happens if I miss it?

Deliver the written itemized notice, together with the balance due, within 20 days after the later of termination of the tenancy, delivery of possession, or the tenant's providing a forwarding address (§ 34-18-19(b)). Fail to comply and the tenant may recover the amount due, plus damages equal to twice the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney's fees (§ 34-18-19(c)).

How much notice must a Rhode Island landlord give before raising the rent?

At least 60 days in writing before the effective date for any residential tenancy, and at least 120 days for month-to-month tenants over the age of 62 (§ 34-18-16.1). Independent living, assisted living, and congregate care facilities are excluded. The frequently quoted 30/60-day periods were replaced effective June 24, 2024.

Is there a grace period before a Rhode Island landlord can charge a late fee?

No statute provides one. Rhode Island law sets no grace period and no cap for late fees; the fee must come from the rental agreement and be disclosed under § 34-18-15(a). The 15 days landlords cite is § 34-18-35(a)'s eviction threshold — rent must be 15 days in arrears before a five-day demand may be sent — not a fee grace period.

Can a Rhode Island landlord charge a rental application fee?

No. Section 34-18-59(a) prohibits requiring or demanding any rental application fee, effective January 1, 2024. The only pass-through is the actual cost of a required official state criminal background check and/or credit report, charged only when the applicant has not provided a report issued within 90 days of the application — and the applicant must receive a copy of anything charged for (§ 34-18-59(b)).

How does a Rhode Island nonpayment eviction work, step by step?

Rent must first be 15 days in arrears. The landlord then mails a written five-day demand in substantially the § 34-18-56(a) form, specifying the amount 15 days in arrears; the tenant has five days from the date of mailing to cure. The complaint (§ 34-18-56(d) form, district or housing court) may be filed no earlier than the sixth day after mailing (§ 34-18-35), and the landlord must be in compliance with the § 34-18-58 rental registry at filing. The tenant may cure by tendering the full rent before suit — and, if no demand notice was received in the preceding six months, at the hearing, with court costs (§ 34-18-35(e)). To map those clocks against your own dates — 15 days in arrears before the demand may be sent (§ 34-18-35(a)) → five days from mailing to cure → complaint no earlier than the sixth day after mailing, with execution issued on the sixth day following judgment if no appeal is claimed (§ 34-18-48) — run the sequence through our Eviction Timeline Calculator.

My tenant committed the same lease violation again four months after I gave notice. Can I skip the cure period?

Yes, but not the notice. If substantially the same act or omission recurs within six months of a prior noncompliance of which good-faith notice was given, you may terminate on at least 20 days' written notice specifying the breach and the termination date, with no allowance of time to remedy (§ 34-18-36(e)).

When can a Rhode Island landlord file for eviction immediately, with no notice at all?

Only for violations of § 34-18-24(8), (9), or (10): maintaining a narcotics nuisance; using the premises or adjacent public property to manufacture, sell, or deliver a controlled substance, or possessing one there with that intent; or committing a crime of violence on the premises or adjacent public property — plus the narrow seasonal-tenant category in § 34-18-36(f). Other breaches require the 20-day notice-and-cure sequence first.

How much notice must a Rhode Island landlord give before entering the unit?

At least two days' notice, and entry only at reasonable times — except in an emergency or where notice is impracticable (§ 34-18-26(c)). No notice is needed for an emergency entry, or during a tenant absence of more than seven days where entry is reasonably necessary to protect the property (§ 34-18-26(b)). Unlawful or harassing entry exposes the landlord to an injunction or termination, actual damages, costs, and attorney's fees (§ 34-18-45).

Can a Rhode Island tenant repair a defect and deduct the cost from the rent?

Yes, within a tight frame: the defect must be a failure to comply with § 34-18-22(a)(1), (2), (4), (5), or (6); the reasonable cost of compliance must be less than $500 in the aggregate per year; the tenant must notify the landlord in writing of the intent to correct the condition at the landlord's expense; the landlord must fail to comply within 20 days (or fail to show ongoing good-faith efforts); and the tenant must submit an itemized statement. The deduction is the actual and reasonable cost or fair and reasonable value of the repairs (§ 34-18-30). It is not a general right to withhold rent.

Can I be blocked from filing a nonpayment eviction even if the tenant owes rent?

Yes. Under § 34-18-58(g), a landlord may not commence a nonpayment eviction unless, at filing, the landlord is in compliance with the rental registry's registration and lead-certificate requirements, and must present evidence of compliance to the court.

Is it illegal for a Rhode Island landlord to retaliate against a tenant who complains about conditions?

Yes. Section 34-18-46(a) prohibits increasing rent, decreasing services, or bringing or threatening a possession action because the tenant complained to a code-enforcement agency, complained to the landlord about a § 34-18-22 violation, joined a tenants' organization, or exercised other lawful rights. A complaint within six months before the alleged retaliatory act creates a presumption of retaliation (§ 34-18-46(b)), and the tenant's remedies are those in § 34-18-34 — up to three months' rent or threefold actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney's fees — plus a defense to the possession action.

More landlord-tenant law guides

• Landlord-tenant law by state
• Pennsylvania landlord-tenant law
• South Carolina landlord-tenant law
• Oregon landlord-tenant law
• South Dakota landlord-tenant law

This is general information, not legal advice. Consult a Rhode Island landlord-tenant attorney for specific situations.