Rhode Island · Renters' rights · Updated Oct 2026
Rhode Island tenant rights
In Rhode Island, your landlord has 20 days to return your deposit. Notice for unpaid rent: 5 days (after rent is 15 days late).
Checked against official sources: Oct 24, 2026
Get your deposit letter ↓ Repair letter ↓ Eviction dates ↓
Guides for Rhode Island renters
Security deposit
Limit, deadline, deductions, penalty and the calculator.
Repairs
The landlord's duty, repair and deduct, withholding rent and a repair letter.
Eviction
Notice periods, court deadlines, illegal lockouts and a timeline tool.
Security deposit in Rhode Island
- Limit
- One month's rent. If the unit is furnished with furniture worth $5,000 or more, the landlord may also charge a separate furniture deposit of up to one month's rent.
- Deadline to return it
- Within 20 days after the latest of: the tenancy ends, you give back possession, or you give the landlord a forwarding address for the deposit. Send your forwarding address in writing.
- Itemized list
- Any deductions must be itemized in a written notice delivered to you with the refund within the 20 days. Receipts are not required by the law.
- What may be deducted
- Unpaid rent, reasonable cleaning costs, reasonable trash removal costs, and physical damage beyond ordinary wear and tear caused by your failure to meet your duties. A lease can't waive these rules.
- Interest
- No statute requires interest.
- If the landlord keeps it wrongly
- The amount owed plus damages equal to twice the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney fees.
How to get your deposit back
- Before you move out, clean, take dated photos and video of every room, and return all keys.
- Give your landlord your new address in writing. In Rhode Island: Within 20 days after the latest of: the tenancy ends, you give back possession, or you give the landlord a forwarding address for the deposit.
- Wait for the deadline: Within 20 days after the latest of: the tenancy ends, you give back possession, or you give the landlord a forwarding address for the deposit.
- If the money or an itemized list doesn't come, or the deductions are wrong, send a demand letter (below). Keep proof of mailing.
- If that doesn't work, sue in small claims court. Limit: $5,000. Small claims court in Rhode Island on RobinClaim
Repairs in Rhode Island
- The landlord's duty
- The landlord must follow building and housing codes, make all repairs needed to keep the home fit and habitable, keep common areas clean and safe, keep electrical, plumbing, heating, air-conditioning and appliances working, provide trash containers and removal, supply running water and hot water at all times and reasonable heat from October 1 to May 1. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22.
- How to ask for repairs
- Give written notice and keep a copy. For repair-and-deduct the landlord has 20 days. For serious violations you may also give written notice under § 34-18-28 to end the lease if not fixed.
- Repair and deduct
- Allowed for repairs costing less than $500 in total per year (raised from $125 on January 1, 2024). Notify the landlord in writing that you intend to fix the problem at the landlord's expense. If the landlord doesn't fix it within 20 days (or as fast as needed in an emergency), and isn't making good-faith efforts, you may have it repaired skillfully and to code, give the landlord an itemized statement, and deduct the cost from rent. If the landlord fails to supply heat, water, hot water, electricity or gas, after notice you may buy it and deduct the cost, sue, or move to substitute housing and stop paying rent for that time. R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-30, 34-18-31.
- Withholding rent
- No general right to withhold rent. But if you are sued for nonpayment, you can counterclaim for the landlord's violations, and the court may order you to pay rent into court while it decides. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-32.
- Law
- R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-22, 34-18-28, 34-18-30, 34-18-31, 34-18-32
Landlord entry in Rhode Island
At least 2 days' notice, and entry only at reasonable times, except in an emergency or when notice is impracticable. The landlord may also enter without consent if you are away more than 7 days and entry is reasonably needed to protect the property. The landlord may not use access to harass you. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-26.
Eviction in Rhode Island
- Notice for unpaid rent
- When rent is 15 days late, the landlord must mail a 5-day demand notice. If you pay the full rent owed (not late fees) within 5 days of the mailing, the eviction stops. The landlord can file no earlier than the 6th day after mailing. If you haven't received a demand notice in the past 6 months, you can still stop the case by paying all rent owed plus court costs at the hearing.
- Notice for a lease violation
- Written notice giving you 20 days from mailing to fix the problem (cure); the lease ends on a date at least 21 days after mailing if you don't. A repeat of the same breach within 6 months allows a 20-day notice with no chance to cure. For some serious violations of your duties under § 34-18-24(8)-(10), and for certain seasonal tenants, the landlord may file for eviction without any notice (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-36).
- Ending a month-to-month tenancy
- At least 30 days' written notice by landlord or tenant. Week-to-week: 10 days. Year-to-year: 3 months before the year ends.
- Time to respond to an eviction lawsuit
- Nonpayment cases: you may file your answer before or at the hearing date on the summons; if you don't answer or appear, you lose by default. Other evictions: you have 20 days from service to file a written answer.
- Lockouts and utility shutoffs
- A landlord may not lock you out or cut off heat, water, hot water, electricity, gas or other essential services to make you leave. You can get back in or end the lease and recover up to 3 months' rent or three times your actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney fees.
- Court self-help
- The court's eviction self-help page
- Law
- R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-34, 34-18-35, 34-18-36, 34-18-37, 34-18-44
Rent increases and rent control in Rhode Island
- Notice of a rent increase
- At least 60 days' written notice before any rent increase. At least 120 days for month-to-month tenants over 62. (Not for assisted or independent living facilities.) R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-16.1.
- Rent control
- No statewide rent control or rent cap.
Late fees in Rhode Island
No statute caps late fees. All fees beyond rent must be disclosed in the lease (in the same section as the rent) or in writing; you can recover any fee that wasn't disclosed. Since January 1, 2025, landlords may not charge a convenience fee for paying rent unless they also offer a free way to pay. R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-15, 34-18-61.
Retaliation in Rhode Island
The landlord may not raise rent, cut services, or file or threaten eviction because you complained to a code agency, complained to the landlord about repairs, joined a tenant union, or used any legal right. A complaint within 6 months before the landlord's action creates a presumption of retaliation. You get the lockout remedies (up to 3 months' rent or triple damages). R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-46.
Small claims court in Rhode Island
Deposit disputes usually go to small claims court, where you don't need a lawyer.
Limit: $5,000.
Where to get free help in Rhode Island
Good to know in Rhode Island
- Landlords can't charge rental application fees. They can charge only the actual cost of a background or credit check, and not at all if you bring one less than 90 days old (since January 1, 2024).
- A landlord can't send the 5-day demand until rent is more than 15 days late.
- Since July 2, 2025, landlords may not ask about your immigration or citizenship status.
Recent law changes
Jan. 1, 2024: repair-and-deduct cap raised to $500 a year; application fees banned; eviction records can be sealed in some cases. June 24, 2024: rent increase notice raised to 60 days (120 days for tenants over 62). Jan. 1, 2025: convenience fees for paying rent banned. July 2, 2025: landlords barred from asking about immigration status. A statewide rental registry with the Department of Health took effect in 2024.
Free tools for Rhode Island renters
Pre-set for Rhode Island. Free, no account needed.
Deposit return calculator for Rhode Island
Find your state's deadline for returning a security deposit, whether your landlord is late and what you may be owed.
Security deposit demand letter for Rhode Island
A short, firm and polite letter asking your landlord to return your deposit by a date. It cites your state's deposit law. Many landlords pay at this step, and the letter is proof that you asked. Fill this in, download the letter as PDF or Word (or copy it), sign it, keep a copy and send it in a way you can prove, such as certified mail with a return receipt.
Repair request letter for Rhode Island
Ask your landlord in writing to fix the problem by a date. A written, dated request is the first step in almost every state, and it is proof that the landlord knew. Check the problems, add dates, then download the letter as PDF or Word (or copy it). Sign it, keep a copy and photos, and send it in a way you can prove.
Eviction notice timeline for Rhode Island
Got a notice from your landlord? Enter the kind of notice and the day you got it to see the dates that follow from your state's rule, what your landlord may not do, and where to get free help fast.
This is not legal advice. Eviction deadlines are short and missing one can cost you your home. Read your notice carefully and contact legal aid or your court's self-help center right away.
Sources
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19
- R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 34-18 index
- § 34-18-30 Self-help for limited repairs
- § 34-18-35 Eviction for nonpayment of rent
- § 34-18-16.1 Rent increase notice
- § 34-18-46 Retaliatory conduct
- Updated RI Landlord Tenant Handbook, September 2024
- Rhode Island Legal Services
Checked against official sources: Oct 24, 2026