How to become a landlord in Rhode Island

In the lease, list every fee beyond the rent in the rent section, say which utilities the rent covers and which the tenant pays, and state any renters insurance requirement. Before signing, tell the tenant about any outstanding minimum housing code violations on the building. Carry at least $100,000 of general liability insurance and give the tenant the policy's declaration page with the written lease and a new copy at each renewal (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-15; R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22; R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22.1; R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-58).

• If you are cited for a housing code violation during the tenancy, deliver a copy of the notice to every tenant of the affected building within 30 days of receiving it, unless you correct every violation within that time (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22.1(a)).
• Every landlord must register with the Department of Health's statewide rental registry, re-register by October 1 each year, and register a newly acquired or newly rented property within 30 days. For a pre-1978 home that is not exempt, file a lead certificate of conformance or proof of exemption. Fines start at $50 a month, or $125 for the lead filing (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-58).
• For a pre-1978 rental that is not lead safe, give the tenant basic information on lead hazard control, a copy of the independent clearance inspection, and instructions for reporting deteriorating conditions (R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-128.1-8(a)(4)).
• If you fall 120 days behind on the mortgage on the property, tell the tenant it may be subject to foreclosure (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-20(d)).
• Give the names, addresses and phone numbers of the manager and of the owner or owner's agent for notices (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-20(a)).See Owner and manager disclosure on the Rhode Island page
• Starting January 1, 2027, for a unit that is shoreline property, give the tenant before the tenancy starts a written shoreline access disclosure covering the public's shore rights, any public rights of way you know of, and whom to contact about them (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-20(e) (P.L. 2026, ch. 165)).

At or before the start of the tenancy, give the tenant in writing the name, address and phone number of the person authorized to manage the premises and of an owner or the owner's agent for service of process and notices. Keep it current; a successor landlord is bound too (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-20; R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22.3).

• Anyone who fails to disclose becomes the landlord's agent for receiving notices and for performing the landlord's duties (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-20(c)).
• A landlord who does not live in Rhode Island must designate and keep an in-state agent, filed with the Secretary of State and the city or town clerk, or face a civil fine of $100 a month up to $1,200 a year, or one month's rent if the rent exceeds $1,200 (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22.3).
• A seller stays liable until written notice of the sale gives the buyer's name, address and phone number and certifies housing code compliance; a departing manager gives similar notice (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-23).
• Landlords in Providence and Warwick also register their name, home address and phone number with the city clerk (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-57).
• The statewide rental registry requires the landlord's and any manager's contact details for each unit (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-58(a)).

Chapter 34-18 requires no flood disclosure to a tenant. Other parts of Rhode Island law were not searched for one for this page (R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 34-18).

Rhode Island's smoke and carbon monoxide alarm rules sit in the state Fire Safety Code and its regulations, which were not read for this page. Chapter 34-18 has no alarm section of its own (R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 23-28.1).

Since July 1, 2026, when a tenant or household member reasonably believes they face an imminent threat of abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking at the unit, you must, at the request of all tenants in possession or on a court order, make a good faith effort within two business days to change the locks, or let the tenant change them, and give the requester a key. Chapter 34-18 sets no other rule on locks or rekeying between tenants. The state housing and fire codes were not fully read for this page, so check them and local codes (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-65 (P.L. 2026, ch. 147); R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 34-18).

• You may charge a fee no higher than the reasonable price customarily charged for changing locks in that community, and you may ask in good faith for written verification of victim status (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-65(b), (d) (P.L. 2026, ch. 147)).
• If you do not act within two business days, the tenant may change the locks with locks of similar or better quality and must try to give you a key within two business days (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-65(e) (P.L. 2026, ch. 147)).
• If the threat comes from another tenant or household member, you may change the locks and deny that person a key when the request comes with a protective order or other court order (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-65(c), (f) (P.L. 2026, ch. 147)).
• Blocking a lawful lock change, or changing the locks without a good faith effort to give the requester a key, can cost two months' rent plus costs and attorney's fees, unless the court finds you acted in good faith (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-65(g) (P.L. 2026, ch. 147)).
• The general duty to comply with building and housing codes affecting health and safety still applies (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22(a)(1)).

A landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit, however it is labeled, of more than one month's periodic rent (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19; R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-11).

• A landlord who rents a furnished apartment may also take a separate furniture security deposit of up to one month's rent, but only if the furniture supplied is worth $5,000 or more to replace, valued when the lease is signed (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(e)).
• The furniture deposit comes back within the same 20 days, less reasonable cleaning, repair and damage to the furniture beyond ordinary wear and tear (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(f)).
• A security deposit is money the tenant gives at or shortly after the start of the tenancy as a deposit against physical damage to the unit (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-11).
• A lease may not waive any part of the deposit section (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(h)).
• Money a tenant with a disability pays into an escrow account to restore a modified unit does not count toward the one-month limit, though the return rules still apply to it (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-37-4(d)).

Chapter 34-18 does not require a landlord to keep a security deposit in a separate account or to pay interest on it (R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 34-18; R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19).

• One exception runs through the fair housing law: where a tenant with a disability agrees to pay toward restoring a modification, the money goes into an interest-bearing escrow account and the interest belongs to the tenant (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-37-4(d)).

Chapter 34-18 does not require a move-in inspection or a written condition checklist. The landlord must deliver possession at the start of the term in line with the lease and the duty to keep the home fit and habitable (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-21; R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 34-18).

• Deposit deductions are limited to damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, so a record of the unit's condition at move-in is the landlord's best evidence (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(b)).
• If the landlord fails to deliver possession, rent abates until it is delivered, and the tenant may end the lease on five days' written notice or demand possession (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-29).

A landlord, broker, property manager or anyone acting for them may not require a prospective tenant to pay a rental application fee. You may require an official state criminal background check or a credit check, but if the applicant provides one issued within the last 90 days you may not charge for it. If the applicant does not, you may charge no more than the actual cost of obtaining it, and you must give the applicant a copy (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-59; R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-62; R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-37-4).

• You may always run your own background check or credit report at your own expense (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-59(b)(3)).
• The official state criminal background check can come from the Bureau of Criminal Identification, the Attorney General, the state police or the local police where the applicant lives (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-59(b)).
• Since July 2, 2025, a landlord may not ask about, or require any statement about, the immigration or citizenship status of a tenant, applicant or occupant. You may still ask for what you need to verify an applicant's identity or finances, or to meet a federal legal duty (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-62).
• You may ask whether an applicant is 18 or older and confirm the source, amount and expected duration of a lawful source of income, but not ask about any protected characteristic (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-37-4(a)).
• A minimum income requirement must be measured only against the part of the rent the tenant will pay, counting any rental assistance or housing subsidy (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-37-4(c)).