Rhode Island renter rights: the basics for first-time renters

Last reviewed: October 2026 · First Apartment Kit

Rhode Island's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act is Chapter 18 of Title 34 of the General Laws. This guide summarizes the Act as published by the Rhode Island General Assembly, along with the state Executive Office of Housing's Landlord-Tenant Handbook, which the state is required by law to publish for renters and landlords.

Quick facts

Security deposit max	1 month's rent (plus a furniture deposit of up to 1 month only for furniture worth $5,000+)
Deposit returned within	20 days after you move out and give a forwarding address, itemized
Rental application fee	Not allowed (actual-cost background or credit check only, in limited cases)
Rent increase notice	60 days' written notice; 120 days for month-to-month tenants over 62
Late fee cap	No cap in the Act, but fees must be disclosed with the rent — check your lease
Month-to-month: notice to end	30 days' written notice (either side); 10 days for week-to-week
Landlord entry	At least 2 days' notice, at reasonable times
Eviction notice for unpaid rent	Rent 15 days late, then a 5-day demand notice

Quick facts are simplified. Read the sections below for exceptions, and check your city or county too.

Security deposits

Cap: no more than one month's rent. If you rent a furnished unit and the furniture is worth $5,000 or more, the landlord may also charge a separate furniture deposit of up to one month's rent.
Deductions: unpaid rent, reasonable cleaning, reasonable trash disposal, and physical damage beyond ordinary wear and tear caused by your failure to meet your duties as a tenant.
Return: the landlord must send a written, itemized notice with whatever is owed to you within 20 days after the latest of: the end of the tenancy, your move-out, or your giving a forwarding address. Give one in writing.
Penalty: if the landlord doesn't comply, you can recover what's owed plus damages of twice the amount wrongfully withheld, and reasonable attorney's fees.
A lease can't waive these rules. If the property is sold, the owner at move-out is responsible for the deposit.

Rent increases and late fees

Rent increases: at least 60 days' written notice before the increase takes effect, or 120 days for month-to-month tenants over age 62. The Act doesn't cap the amount.
Fees must be disclosed: a lease must list any fees beyond rent in the same section as the rent, and say which utilities are included. If there's no written lease, the landlord must give you a written list of fees and 30 days' written notice before changing them. You can recover fees that weren't properly disclosed.
Late fees: we didn't find a dollar cap in the Act, so check your lease.
Application fees: landlords and brokers can't charge a rental application fee. They can require an official state criminal background check or a credit report. If you supply ones issued within the last 90 days, you can't be charged. Otherwise you can only be charged the actual cost, and you get a copy.
Convenience fees: a landlord can't charge a convenience fee on rent payments unless it also accepts a way to pay without one.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

Either side can end a month-to-month tenancy with written notice at least 30 days before the termination date, a week-to-week tenancy with 10 days' notice, or a year-to-year tenancy with 3 months' notice before the year ends. A fixed-term lease generally runs to its end date.

Special early-termination rights exist for tenants 65 or older moving into assisted living, a nursing facility, or federally designated elderly housing (effective no earlier than 45 days after the next rent due date after notice), and for servicemembers who enter service or receive qualifying orders.

When the landlord can come in

You can't unreasonably refuse entry for inspections, repairs, services, or showings. Except in an emergency or when it's impracticable, the landlord must give at least two days' notice and enter only at reasonable times. The landlord may enter without consent in an emergency, or if you've been away more than seven days and entry is reasonably necessary to protect the property. The landlord can't abuse access or use it to harass you.

Repairs and living conditions

The landlord must follow building and housing codes affecting health and safety, keep the home fit and habitable and common areas clean and safe, maintain electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and supplied appliances, provide trash receptacles, supply running water, hot water, and reasonable heat as state code requires, and carry at least $100,000 in liability insurance (giving you the declaration page with the lease). If the landlord gets notice of a code violation, the law requires telling tenants.

Repair and deduct: if repairs cost less than $500 total per year, tell the landlord in writing that you'll fix the problem at their expense. If they don't fix it or show good-faith progress within 20 days (or as promptly as an emergency requires), you can have it repaired skillfully and to code, then deduct the reasonable cost after giving the landlord an itemized statement.
No heat, water, power, or gas: after reasonable notice, if the landlord willfully or negligently fails to supply essential services, you can get the service and deduct the cost, recover damages for reduced rental value, or move to substitute housing and stop paying rent for that period, plus attorney's fees.

These remedies don't apply if you or your guests caused the problem.

Write it all down from day one. The 12-page First Apartment Move-In Kit has a first-week timeline, lease and building facts, a utilities board, room-by-room unpacking, and a first-month money sheet — so your lease facts, notice dates, and move-in notes live in one place. $9.99 on Etsy. Undated.

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Eviction basics

Unpaid rent: once rent is 15 days late, the landlord must mail a written demand. If you pay the full rent owed within 5 days of mailing, the tenancy continues. The court case can be filed no earlier than the 6th day. The summons sets a hearing date. You can answer before or at the hearing, and you'll be defaulted if you don't answer or appear. If you haven't received a demand notice in the prior 6 months, you can also stop the eviction by paying all rent owed plus court costs at the hearing.

Other lease violations: the landlord must give a written notice that the lease will end at least 21 days after mailing unless you fix the problem within 20 days. In that kind of case the summons gives you 20 days after service to file an answer.

After judgment: according to the state handbook, either side can appeal a District Court judgment to Superior Court within 5 days. If there's no appeal, the landlord can seek a writ of execution on the 6th day.

No self-help: a landlord can't lock you out or cut heat, water, electricity, gas, or other essential services to force you out. If that happens, you can recover possession or end the lease and collect up to three months' rent or three times your actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney's fees.

Retaliation and discrimination

Retaliation: a landlord can't raise rent, cut services, or bring or threaten an eviction because you complained to a code-enforcement agency or to the landlord about repairs, joined a tenants' union, or used other lawful rights. A complaint within 6 months before the landlord's action creates a presumption of retaliation (with some exceptions, such as if you're behind on rent).

Unfair lease terms: a lease can't make you waive your rights, confess judgment, or excuse the landlord's legal liability. A landlord who knowingly uses such terms can owe up to three months' rent plus damages.

Immigration status: landlords can't ask about a tenant's or applicant's immigration or citizenship status, though they can verify identity and finances.

Discrimination: the state handbook explains that landlords can't discriminate based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestral origin, disability, familial status, experience of domestic abuse, lawful source of income, or military or veteran status. The Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights takes complaints.

City and county rules

Rhode Island's statewide minimum housing code applies, and cities and towns can enforce stricter local codes. Contact your city or town's code enforcement or housing office about conditions.

Move-in checklist for Rhode Island renters

☐ Get a written lease and read all of it before signing
☐ Get a receipt for the deposit and any move-in money
☐ Photograph every room, dated, before you unpack
☐ Fill out (or write your own) move-in condition list and keep a copy
☐ Note the rent due date, grace period, and late fee
☐ Write down how to request repairs, and do it in writing
☐ Save the landlord's legal name and address for notices
☐ Put your notice deadline for moving out in your calendar

Still apartment hunting? Our list of questions to ask a landlord before signing a lease covers deposits, fees, repairs, and move-out rules you will want answered in writing.

Where to get help in Rhode Island

RI Executive Office of Housing — Landlord-Tenant Handbook — the official state guide, in English and Spanish.
Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights — housing discrimination complaints; (401) 222-2661.
Rhode Island Judiciary — court information and forms.
Find free legal aid near you — the federal Legal Services Corporation's directory of local legal aid offices.
File a housing discrimination complaint with HUD — the federal fair housing agency.

More help

Nonprofit and legal aid resources (not government sources):

Rhode Island Legal Services — free civil legal help for eligible renters (nonprofit).

Official sources

These are the official state law and government pages we checked for every fact on this page. The law itself controls if anything here differs.

Not legal advice; laws change and cities may add rules. Check the official sources below or a local legal aid office. This page is a plain-language summary written by First Apartment Kit, not the law itself. Last reviewed: October 2026.

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