A Rhode Island lease agreement is a document a landlord uses to rent out their property to a tenant. It establishes an arrangement between these two parties and records information like the property’s address, both parties’ contact details, pet allowances, health/safety risks, and rent specifics.
Rental Lease Laws Overview
- Rent Control: No.
- Limit on Late Fees: No.
- Late Fees in Rental Agreement: Yes.
- Grace Period: Yes.
- License Required for Landlord: No.
Landlords use a rental application to assess tenants’ suitability before entering an agreement.
By Type (6)
Month-to-Month Rental Agreement
Allows tenants to reside in a property on a month-to-month basis without a set long-term obligation.
Commercial Lease Agreement
Lets a business entity rent a space for conducting its commercial activities.
Room Rental Agreement
Specifies the terms of renting a room within a property, including duration, payment, and rules.
Sublease Agreement
Permits the sublessee to lease the entire or a portion of the rented property for a designated duration.
Rent-to-Own Lease Agreement
Includes an option to purchase the property at the end of the lease.
Required Lease Disclosures
Rhode Island requires landlords to include the following disclosures in their lease agreements:
- Identification. A landlord must provide the names of all individuals who manage the premises to the tenant. The tenant must also receive the information of the property owners and anyone who collects legal correspondence on the owner’s behalf. [1]
- Code Violations. A landlord must inform tenants of any outstanding minimum housing code violations, if applicable. [2]
- Lead-Based Paint Disclosure. The landlord must inform the tenant of lead-based paint hazards if the property was built before 1978. [3]
Security Deposit
- Maximum Amount: A landlord can charge up to one month’s rent for a security deposit from a tenant. [4]
- Receipts: Not specified.
- Interest Payments: Not required.
- Bank Account: Not required.
- Returning Requirements: A landlord must return a tenant’s security deposit within 20 days of whichever event occurs latest: the tenancy terminates, the tenant delivers possession of the property to the landlord, or the tenant gives the landlord a new forwarding address. [5]
- Withholding Rules: The landlord can withhold any amount of unpaid rent or reasonable amounts for cleaning expenses, trash disposal expenses, and physical damages (besides ordinary wear and tear) caused by the tenant’s non-compliance. The landlord must itemize each expense and deliver written notice to the tenant. [5]
Rent Payments
- Laws: Rent is due at the dwelling unit at the beginning of the month unless the lease specifies otherwise. [6]
- Rent Control: State law doesn’t establish an upper limit on the amount of rent a landlord can charge. However, a landlord can only raise the rent when a standard lease ends or in a month-to-month tenancy. Landlords must provide 30 days’ notice for rent increases in month-to-month leases (or 60 days’ notice if the tenant is older than 62). [7]
- Landlords may not raise the rent for retaliatory reasons. [8]
- Late Fees and Grace Period: The state doesn’t restrict how much landlords can charge for late fees. However, they must provide a grace period of 15 days. If the tenant doesn’t pay rent within this grace period, the landlord may issue a 5-day notice to quit for non-payment of rent. [9]
- Withholding Rent: The tenant can enlist repairs themselves under $500 and deduct them from the cost of their rent if the tenant provides proper notice and issues an itemized statement. The landlord must also fail to comply within 20 days for the tenant to withhold their rent payment in a valid manner. [10]
Landlord Right of Entry
- Notice Requirements: A landlord must provide at least two days’ advance notice to a tenant to enter the rental property and may only enter at reasonable times. If there’s an emergency, a landlord can enter without prior notice. [11]
- Keys, Locks, and Security: Not specified.
Property Repairs
- Landlord Responsibilities: A landlord should perform all repairs and do everything in their power to keep the premises in fit and habitable condition. [12]
- Tenant Repairs: A tenant should keep all plumbing fixtures clean as their condition permits, use all systems, facilities, and appliances in a reasonable manner, and not deliberately damage or destroy any part of the premises. [13]
- Abandonment: A lease may require the tenant to provide notice if they will be absent from the property for more than ten days. [14] If a tenant fails to maintain utilities and consequently breaches the lease, the landlord can issue a 20-day notice to quit for non-compliance. [15]
Terminating a Lease
- Month-to-Month Tenancy: The landlord can end a month-to-month tenancy by issuing a 30-day notice. [16]
- Unclaimed Property: If a tenant abandons a property, the landlord should store their items for a reasonable period and make a good-faith effort to contact them. [17] . If the landlord removes the tenant’s personal property because the tenant was evicted, the tenant must pay moving and prepaid storage costs. [18]
Sample
Below, you can explore our Rhode Island lease agreement template. Download it as a PDF or Word file to get started:
