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.
Laws
Required Lease Disclosures
Rhode Island requires landlords to include the following disclosures in their lease agreements:
- 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 (RI Gen L § 34-18-20).
- A landlord must inform tenants of any outstanding minimum housing code violations, if applicable (RI Gen L § 34-18-22.1).
In addition to these state-specific disclosures, all Rhode Island landlords must issue a lead-based paint disclosure if their property was built before 1978 (42 U.S. Code § 4852d).
Security Deposit
A landlord can charge up to one month’s rent for a security deposit from a tenant. A landlord must return a tenant’s security deposit within 20 days of the end of the lease (RI Gen L § 34-18-19).
Rhode Island doesn’t have any statutes that dictate if a tenant needs to receive interest or if a landlord needs to keep the security deposit in a separate bank account.
Landlord Right of Entry
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 (RI Gen L § 34-18-26).
Small Claims Court
In small claims court in Rhode Island, the maximum amount a tenant can sue a landlord for is $5,000 (RI Gen L § 8-8-3).
Sample
Below, you can explore our Rhode Island residential lease agreement template. Download it as a PDF or Word file to get started:
