Rhode Island · Landlord & Tenant
The Rhode Island Landlord-Tenant Guide
Understanding Rhode Island lease requirements, the eviction process, security deposit rules, and your rights and responsibilities.
2026-2027 Edition · Cited to Rhode Island law · Plain language
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Cited to the statute · Legal information, not legal advice
Understand Rhode Island rental rules for tenants and landlords
Security deposits, repairs, the 15-day grace period and 5-day demand, 20-day notices, and the District Court eviction process.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
A repair is not getting done, rent is late, or a security deposit has not come back. In Rhode Island, residential rentals follow the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, G.L. § 34-18-1 et seq., and its notices and deadlines are specific.
The Rhode Island Landlord-Tenant Guide explains what the Act covers, what a lease can and cannot include, and how the landlord's duty to keep a home fit and habitable works. It also explains the ban on self-help evictions and on seizing a tenant's property for rent.
The guide walks through:
• The one-month security deposit limit and the 20-day return deadline
• The 15-day grace period before a 5-day demand for nonpayment
• The 20-day notice of noncompliance for other lease violations
• Rent increase notice periods of 60 days, or 120 days for some older tenants
• District Court eviction, the DC-54 complaint, the DC-53 answer, and the execution for possession
It is written from two points of view: the tenant and the landlord. Chapter 4 answers 22 real-world questions, and the Toolkit includes checklists, a deadlines table, money figures, sample notices, and questions to ask an attorney.
Legal information, not legal advice.
WHAT’S INSIDE
- The Foundation: The Residential Landlord and Tenant Act
- Who and What the Law Covers
- The Rental Agreement: Leases and Terms
- Financial Obligations: Security Deposits and Rent
- Exceptions and Defenses
- Rights of the Landlord
- Step-by-step procedures from each side, with deadlines at a glance
- 22 real-world questions and answers
- Statute index, key court decisions and official forms
- Toolkit: checklists, comparison tables, glossary and common mistakes to avoid
WHY READERS TRUST THIS GUIDE
Plain language. Cited to the statute. Dated so you know it is current.
Every rule is cited to Rhode Island law so you can verify it.
Cited, so you can check it
Every rule names the section of Rhode Island law it comes from, so you can read the source yourself.
Plain language, no filler
Written to be read start to finish by someone with no legal training, with worked examples.
Dated and updated
Each guide carries a law-current date and new editions ship when the law changes.
Bonus toolkit
Register your book for this topic’s checklists, worksheets and starter template, as soon as they are ready.
QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU BUY
Rhode Island landlord tenant law: what to know before you order.
Straight answers about what the guide is, what it covers and how it reaches you.
When must a landlord return a security deposit in Rhode Island?
Within 20 days after the latest of tenancy termination, delivery of possession, or the tenant's forwarding address, with an itemized list of any deductions (G.L. § 34-18-19).
How soon can a Rhode Island landlord send a 5-day demand for unpaid rent?
Only after the rent has been in arrears for 15 days. The eviction complaint can be filed no earlier than the sixth day after the demand is mailed (G.L. § 34-18-35).
Is this legal advice?
No. It is legal information in plain language, cited to the law, so you understand your options and know what to ask. Reading it creates no attorney-client relationship.
Is it written for Rhode Island?
Yes. This guide is written for Rhode Island law and cites the Rhode Island statutes and rules it relies on. If your case is in another state, choose that state's edition.
KEEP GOING
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PLEASE READ
Legal information, not legal advice. STACKED LEGAL® is a publisher, not a law firm. Buying or reading this book creates no attorney-client relationship and promises no outcome. Laws change; verify current law and talk to a licensed attorney in Rhode Island about your situation.
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