Rhode Island landlord-tenant law.

Security deposits

Deposit limit. Security deposit cannot exceed one month's periodic rent; a separate furniture deposit is allowed for furnished units where furnishings are worth more than $5,000, capped the same way (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-19)

Getting it back. Landlord must return the balance with a written itemized statement of deductions (unpaid rent, reasonable cleaning, trash disposal, damage beyond normal wear) within 20 days after the later of lease termination, delivery of possession, or the tenant giving a forwarding address; wrongful withholding lets the tenant recover double the amount withheld plus attorney's fees (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-19)

Late fees and rent

No statutory cap or mandatory grace period; the act is silent on late fees, so any fee must be set out in the lease and is otherwise judged by ordinary contract and unconscionability principles (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-13)

Ending a tenancy

Nonpayment of rent. Once rent is 15 or more days overdue, the landlord must mail a written demand giving the tenant 5 days from the mailing date to pay in full before the rental agreement terminates; the eviction complaint cannot be filed until the 6th day after the demand is mailed, and full payment before filing stops the eviction (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-35)

Month-to-month termination. Either party must give at least 30 days' written notice, in the statutory form referenced in the law, before the stated termination date (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-37(b))

Landlord entry

Landlord must give at least 2 days' notice before entering to inspect, repair, provide services, or show the unit, except in an emergency or when the tenant has been absent more than 7 days (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-26)

Required disclosures

• Federal lead-based paint disclosure and EPA pamphlet for units built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. 4852d)
• Name, address, and phone number of the person authorized to manage the premises, and of the owner or agent authorized to receive service of process and notices, disclosed in writing at or before tenancy start and kept current (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-20)
• Notice to the tenant if the landlord is 120 days delinquent on the mortgage, warning that foreclosure may occur (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-20)
• A nonresident landlord must designate a Rhode Island agent for service of process (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-22.3)

Lease clauses that do not hold up

• Clauses waiving tenant rights or remedies under the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-17)
• Confession-of-judgment clauses (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-17)
• Clauses exculpating or limiting the landlord's legal liability, or requiring the tenant to indemnify the landlord for it (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-17)
• Unconscionable lease terms generally, which a court may refuse to enforce or may limit (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-13)

Notes for landlords

Rhode Island's nonpayment process is slower than in many states: the 15-day threshold before a demand can issue, plus the 5-day cure window, plus the day-6 filing floor, means a landlord typically cannot file an eviction complaint until roughly 20 days after rent first became late. Failing to disclose the manager or owner's agent for service under 34-18-20 makes an unintended party the landlord's legal agent for notices.

Sources

• http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE34/34-18/34-18-19.HTM
• http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE34/34-18/34-18-35.HTM
• http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE34/34-18/34-18-37.HTM
• http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE34/34-18/34-18-26.HTM
• http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE34/34-18/34-18-17.HTM
• http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE34/34-18/34-18-20.HTM
• http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE34/34-18/INDEX.HTM