Rhode Island landlord and tenant rules

Seayora publishes 11 Rhode Island rules, covering security deposits, notice periods, applications, fair housing, tenant protections, repairs, contractor sales tax. Every one is composed from the statute it cites and links to that statute on the state’s own code site.

Rhode Island at a glance

RuleRhode Island
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Rhode Island?20 days
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Rhode Island?1 month of rent
How many days does a tenant get to pay late rent in Rhode Island?5 days to pay
How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering in Rhode Island?48 hours
How much notice does a landlord have to give before raising the rent in Rhode Island?60 days
How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in Rhode Island?30 days
How much can a landlord charge for a rental application fee in Rhode Island?Not permitted (actual cost of checks only)
Can a landlord refuse a Section 8 voucher in Rhode Island?Protected: a landlord may not refuse one
Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in Rhode Island?Presumed within 6 months
Can a tenant repair and deduct from rent in Rhode Island?Up to $500 a year
Do contractors charge sales tax in Rhode Island?Consumer of materials

Security deposits in Rhode Island

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island, a landlord has 20 days after the tenancy ends to return the security deposit, together with an itemised statement of any deductions. This is R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island, a security deposit is capped at 1 month of rent. One month's rent. This is R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Notice periods in Rhode Island

How many days does a tenant get to pay late rent in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island, before starting a nonpayment case a landlord must serve a written notice giving the tenant 5 days to pay the rent due. The five days run from the date the demand is MAILED, and the demand may be sent only once the rent is 15 days in arrears — so a tenant is at least 20 days late before an eviction can be filed. This is R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-16.1, 34-18-37(b), 34-18-26(c), 34-18-35.

Written notice of a rent increase must be given at least 60 days before it takes effect, and at least 120 days for a month-to-month tenant over 62 (since June 2024). Either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with written notice, in substantially the statutory form, at least 30 days before the date named in it. Entry: at least two days' notice, at reasonable times, except in an emergency or where impracticable.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island, a landlord must give 48 hours notice before entering an occupied rental, other than in an emergency. This is R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-16.1, 34-18-37(b), 34-18-26(c), 34-18-35.

Written notice of a rent increase must be given at least 60 days before it takes effect, and at least 120 days for a month-to-month tenant over 62 (since June 2024). Either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with written notice, in substantially the statutory form, at least 30 days before the date named in it. Entry: at least two days' notice, at reasonable times, except in an emergency or where impracticable.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How much notice does a landlord have to give before raising the rent in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island, a landlord must give 60 days written notice before raising the rent. A month-to-month tenant over 62 must be given at least 120 days. This is R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-16.1, 34-18-37(b), 34-18-26(c), 34-18-35.

Written notice of a rent increase must be given at least 60 days before it takes effect, and at least 120 days for a month-to-month tenant over 62 (since June 2024). Either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with written notice, in substantially the statutory form, at least 30 days before the date named in it. Entry: at least two days' notice, at reasonable times, except in an emergency or where impracticable.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island, a landlord must give 30 days written notice to end a tenancy or decline to renew it. This is R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-16.1, 34-18-37(b), 34-18-26(c), 34-18-35.

Written notice of a rent increase must be given at least 60 days before it takes effect, and at least 120 days for a month-to-month tenant over 62 (since June 2024). Either party may end a month-to-month tenancy with written notice, in substantially the statutory form, at least 30 days before the date named in it. Entry: at least two days' notice, at reasonable times, except in an emergency or where impracticable.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Applications in Rhode Island

How much can a landlord charge for a rental application fee in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island, since 1 January 2024 a landlord, broker or property manager may not charge a rental application fee — only the actual cost of a credit check or criminal background check, and not even that where the applicant provides both dated within the past 90 days. An applicant who is charged for a check is entitled to a copy of it. This is R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-59.

An applicant who is charged for a check is entitled to a copy of it.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Fair housing in Rhode Island

Can a landlord refuse a Section 8 voucher in Rhode Island?

No, not in most cases. In Rhode Island, a landlord may not refuse to rent to anyone, or set different terms, because of lawful source of income, which the law defines to include Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and any requirement of a housing subsidy program. This is R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-37-3, 34-37-4.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Tenant protections in Rhode Island

Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in Rhode Island?

No. In Rhode Island, a landlord may not retaliate by raising the rent, cutting services, or bringing or threatening an eviction after a tenant complains to a code agency, and a complaint within six months before the landlord’s action creates a presumption of retaliation. Separately, the federal Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to threaten or interfere with anyone for exercising fair housing rights. This is R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-46.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Repairs in Rhode Island

Can a tenant repair and deduct from rent in Rhode Island?

Yes, within limits. In Rhode Island, if a landlord does not make certain required repairs within twenty days after written notice, or show ongoing good-faith efforts, the tenant may have them done in a skilled manner and to code and deduct the cost, up to $500 in total a year, after giving the landlord an itemized statement. The $500 annual limit took effect on January 1, 2024. Each step has to be followed as the statute sets it out, including the written notice and the waiting period, or the deduction can be treated as unpaid rent. This is R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-30.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Contractor sales tax in Rhode Island

Do contractors charge sales tax in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island a contractor is treated as the CONSUMER of the materials they build into real property. That means the contractor pays sales tax when they buy the materials, and does not add sales tax to the customer's invoice for that work — the tax is already inside the price. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws §44-18-18; contractors are the consumers of materials incorporated into realty.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Sources

  • R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19
  • R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-30
  • R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-46
  • R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-59
  • R.I. Gen. Laws §44-18-18; contractors are the consumers of materials incorporated into realty.
  • R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-16.1, 34-18-37(b), 34-18-26(c), 34-18-35
  • R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-37-3, 34-37-4

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.

This is a summary of a state’s published guidance, not tax or legal advice. Rates and rules change, local jurisdictions add their own, and the treatment of a specific job depends on the contract and the work. Check the citation and speak to a CPA or a state tax adviser before relying on it.

How Seayora uses these rules

Security deposits. Seayora computes the deadline this rule sets from the tenancy’s own dates, shows it on the deposit statement, and reminds the landlord before it falls due — so the answer above is not reference material sitting beside the product, it is the rule the product enforces.

Notice periods. Seayora computes the notice this rule requires from the tenancy’s own dates — for a renewal offer, a rent increase or a served notice — and will not serve one that is short unless the owner records a reason. The answer above is the rule the product enforces.

Applications. This page states what the state allows a landlord to charge somebody applying to rent, so a fee can be checked against it before it is advertised or collected.

Fair housing. This page states whether the state protects renters who pay with a housing voucher, so a listing and its screening rules can be checked against it before they are published. Seayora’s rental search assistant never filters homes by how a renter will pay the rent.

Tenant protections. When an owner prepares an eviction in Seayora, it lists any repair request opened on the unit in the last 180 days that is still open, not to stop the case but because the tenant will raise retaliation and the owner should have an answer. Every repair request keeps the date it was filed.

Repairs. Every deadline on this page runs from the tenant’s notice. A repair request filed in Seayora keeps the date it was made and every update after it, on the website and both phone apps, so owner and tenant are working from the same date.

Contractor sales tax. Seayora resolves this rule on every invoice a contractor raises — per line, from the job site’s own address — and prints the rate, the jurisdiction and this citation on the document itself, so the estimate a customer accepts is the invoice they are billed. Where the rule is more nuanced than a single answer, Seayora refuses to guess a total rather than quoting a confident wrong one.

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