Rhode Island Rental Lease Agreement Templates

HOME Program Lease Addendum: Designated for lessees that are enrolled in the HOME Program, a service that grants affordable housing opportunities to low-income individuals.

1.) Identification of the Landlord or Authorized Agents (§ 34-18-20) – Any prospective tenant of a rental unit must be notified in writing of the name and address of the owner for the property they are to rent. If applicable, additional identification of any managing officials for the property is obligated to be disclosed as well. The information is required to be provided either before or at the time the contract is executed.

2.) Lead-Based Paint(42 U.S. Code § 4852d) – Older residences that were constructed in or before 1978 will need an additional notification of the risks involved with contact with paint composed from lead. The Lessor is responsible for including an informational packet on the potential for exposure and warning signs, along with a disclosure form for the tenant to sign.

3.) Code Infraction (§ 34-18-22.1) – When a rental dwelling incurs a housing violation on the local or state level, the tenant must be alerted to the fact within thirty (30) days. If the owner can resolve the issue within the thirty (30) day period, notification is no longer necessary.

Grace Period: Rhode Island does not regulate grace periods; however, it does set up safeguards to protect tenants for 15 days past the due date (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-35).
Unpaid Rent: Whenever rent remains delinquent for 15 days, landlords send a 5-day notice to pay or quit (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-35).

Rental agreements set the late fees in Rhode Island, so long as the lease complies with the law (RI Gen L § 34-18-15).
Oral Lease: Both parties put all fees in an oral lease (e.g., late fees) in writing (RI Gen L § 34-18-15).

One month’s rent is the largest security deposit amount landlords may require for a lease in Rhode Island (RI Gen L § 34-18-19).

Returning to Tenant: Rhode Island explicitly expects landlords to return the security deposit “within 20 days after the later of:”

• Least termination
• Regaining possession of the property
• Receipt of the tenant’s forwarding address (RI Gen L § 34-18-19).

Itemized List: Landlords must deliver a complete account of all deductions from the deposit amount when returning the security (RI Gen L § 34-18-19).

Standard Entry: Rhode Island explicitly mandates that landlords give “at least” 2 days’ notice of their intent to gain access (RI Gen L § 34-18-26).
Emergency Entry: Landlords who must enter the property in an emergency do so accordingly without tenant consent (RI Gen L § 34-18-26).

Landlords are able to assume abandonment specifically when:

• The rent is 15 days or more past due.
• A removal of a significant amount of tenant possessions from the property.
• The landlord receives no reply to a 7-day notice of their intent to re-rent the property due to abandonment in a certified letter (with return receipt) (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-40).

If the repair is not the fault of the tenant (or their guests), they may deduct to correct them; however;

• The tenant must send a 20-day notice stating the intent to repair.
• The repair is “less than five hundred dollars ($500) in the aggregate per year.”
• The tenant submits an itemized statement of the money they deduct from the rent (RI Gen L § 34-18-30).

Duty to Mitigate: Landlords fulfill their obligations in mitigation, specifically by making a reasonable effort to “re-rent the premises” (RI Gen L § 34-18-40).
Domestic Violence: Rhode Island does not excuse abandonment; therefore, tenants seek relief from the courts (Residential Landlord Tenant Act).
Active Military: Military personnel (as well as their dependents and spouses) cancel their lease with 30 days’ notice if the service member must comply with assignment (50 USC 3955).
Landlord Noncompliance: Generally, tenants terminate if a 30-day notice to repair remains without a remedy for 20 days after receipt (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-28).
Landlord Harassment: Rhode Island does not explicitly allow tenants to terminate; they seek injunctive relief or vacate for extreme harassment (RI Gen L § 34-18-45).
Inhabitability: Tenants issue a 30-day termination (20 days to remedy) notice in cases where landlord negligence significantly impacts habitability ((R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-28), (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22(a))).

Rhode Island does not oversee rent control; however, it requires landlords to issue notice to tenants before a rent increase, specifically:

• 60 days’ notice
• 120 days’ notice for month-to-month tenants at least 62 years old (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-16.1).

Rhode Island does not explicitly regulate the disposal of tenant property; however, it forbids most self-help measures, thus requiring landlords to seek court direction (RI Gen L § 34-18-40).

To view the official laws and regulations on relations with property owners and leasing tenants, you can refer to the State of Rhode Island General Laws – Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (§ 34-18).