Can a domestic violence victim end a lease early in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island, a tenant may end a lease without an early-termination penalty or liability for future rent if the tenant or a household member was a victim of abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking within the most recent 150 days and the tenant gives the landlord written verification, such as a protective order, a police report or a statement from a qualified professional or advocate, then vacates within 30 days of giving notice. The right also applies when, within the most recent 150 days, an event related to past abuse causes the victim to fear for their safety. Accepted verification is a valid protective order, proof of having started legal action for one, a report to a law enforcement agency, or written verification from a law enforcement official, attorney, health care provider, social worker, mental health counselor, therapist or a victim’s advocate at a nonprofit, college, university or state agency. The landlord must keep the verification and the household’s personal information confidential unless the tenant consents in writing or the law requires disclosure. The tenant owes rent only through the date of termination or the date the tenant actually vacates, whichever is later, and is entitled to the security deposit refund and any prepaid rent if full possession is returned without damage. On a request by all tenants in possession, or with a court order, the landlord must within two business days make a good faith effort to change the locks or let the tenant do so, and where the threat is a co-tenant or household member the request must come with a valid protective order or other court order. The section took effect on July 1, 2026. This is R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-63, 34-18-65.

WhatRhode Island
Ending the lease earlyWritten verification, then move out within 30 days

What the statute says

“A tenant may terminate their lease or rental agreement without penalty or fees for early termination, or liability for future rent when: (1) The tenant or household member within the most recent one hundred fifty (150) days has been a victim of abuse …”

Quoted word for word from the section’s text.

Source

R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-63, 34-18-65

Read the statute in the Rhode Island General Laws (Rhode Island General Assembly): webserver.rilegislature.gov.

Checked against the statute on November 15, 2026.

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

How Seayora uses this rule

Seayora keeps every lease’s term, rent and signers in one record and dates every change to it. This page states the state’s rule so a lease’s own early-termination and sublet clauses can be checked against it before the lease is signed.

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