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US landlord tenant law

Rhode Island landlord tenant law: the rules a landlord meets

What Rhode Island statutes require of a landlord, rule by rule: the security deposit, rent and late fees, rent increases, entering the property, ending a tenancy and the disclosures a lease carries, each with the section it comes from.

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Security deposit cap
1 month’s rent
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19
Deposit back within
20 days
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19
Notice before entry
48 hours
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-26
Month-to-month notice
30 days
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-37

In the order you meet them

Rhode Island landlord tenant laws, rule by rule

From the deposit you take at signing to the notice that ends the tenancy. Every figure names its statute; where none sets it, the page says so.

Rhode Island security deposit law

Most you can take
1 month’s rentR.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19
Back to the tenant within
20 daysR.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19Counted from the latest of termination, delivery of possession, or the tenant giving a forwarding address.

Rent and late fees

Late fee
No statute caps itNo statute sets this

Rhode Island rent increase laws and rent control

Notice before a rent increase
60 daysR.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-16.1At least 60 days' written notice, and 120 days for a month-to-month tenant over 62. No city has rent control and no statewide cap exists.
Rent control
None in forceR.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-16.1

Entering the property: notice to the tenant

Notice before you enter
48 hoursR.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-26

Ending a tenancy and eviction notices

Ending a month-to-month tenancy
30 daysR.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-37
Unpaid rent
5 daysR.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-35, 34-18-56(a)“5-day demand notice”Paying in full within the period stops itSent once rent is 15 days in arrears, in the form of § 34-18-56(a); suit may be filed no earlier than the 6th day after mailing. Paying in full before suit cures, and paying arrears and costs at the hearing also cures unless the tenant had a demand notice in the prior six months.
Another breach of the lease
21 daysR.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-36“notice of non-compliance”The tenant can fix the breach within the periodThe tenant has 20 days from mailing to remedy, and the termination date must be at least 21 days after mailing. A repeat of the same breach within six months allows 20 days' notice with no right to cure.
Lockouts and shutoffs
Banned: lockouts and utility shutoffsR.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-34

The Rhode Island eviction process, step by step

Disclosures a Rhode Island lease has to carry

  • Every fee must be disclosed in the lease in the same section as the rent, with who pays which utilities and any renters' insurance requirement stated in writing. (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-15(a))
  • At or before the start of the tenancy the landlord must disclose in writing the name, address and number of the manager and of an owner or authorised agent. (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-20)
  • The landlord must tell a prospective tenant of any outstanding minimum housing code violations on the building. (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22.1)

Put the Rhode Island rules on paper

Free documents with these figures already in them, one for each moment of the tenancy.

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Dardaris keeps each of these rules for you

It counts the deposit deadline from the day a tenant moves out, drafts the notice before you enter a home, and dates a rent increase so the notice lands in time. Nothing goes out until you approve it.

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88 Maple Street, Apt 2A

Dardaris

I keep the Rhode Island dates for this apartment. You approve, I send.

Deposit back to the tenant
20 days
Notice before the inspection
48 hours
Rent increase notice
60 days
Dardaris keeps each of these rules for you

Where these Rhode Island rules come from

Deposit, entry, fee, notice and disclosure rules read against the official texts on 29 September 2026. Rent increase and eviction rules read on 1 November 2026.

Questions landlords ask

What is the security deposit limit in Rhode Island?

Deposit cap in Rhode Island: 1 month’s rent (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19). Back to the tenant within: 20 days (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19). The conditions are in the security deposit section above.

How much Rhode Island rent increase notice does a landlord give?

Notice before a rent increase in Rhode Island: 60 days (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-16.1). Rent control: None in force. The rent increase section above quotes what the statutes say, exceptions included.

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

Notice before entry in Rhode Island: 48 hours (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-26).

How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Rhode Island?

Notice from the landlord to end a month-to-month tenancy in Rhode Island: 30 days (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-37).

Can a Rhode Island landlord change the locks or shut off utilities?

No. Rhode Island bans lockouts and utility shutoffs as a way to remove a tenant (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-34). Only a court order ends the tenant’s possession.

Does this page cover repairs and mold?

No figures for repairs or mold are on this page. Both fall under the landlord’s duty to keep a home fit to live in and under the state’s own rules; read the Rhode Island statutes and your local housing code before you act.

Landlord tenant law in other states

All 50 states compared

This is not legal adviceThis page summarises statutes as read on 29 September 2026. Laws change, cities add their own rules, and a court reads a statute against the facts of a case. Check the official text, or ask a lawyer, before you act on it.

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