Newport, RI local landlord rules
State law also applies. See Rhode Island landlord-tenant law and the Rhode Island landlord FAQ. State rules: Security deposit limit · Deposit return deadline · Notice to enter · Late fees · Eviction notice (nonpayment) · Rent increase notice.
Quick facts
| Topic | At a glance |
|---|---|
| Rental licensing / registration | Rental housing covered by this code must be registered, licensed or permitted with the city. The code states: "All rental dwelling units which are let, leased, or otherwise occupied, in whole or in part, by a tenant for residential and/or dwelling purposes for a period of nine months or less but for more than thirty (30) days, shall be registered by the record property owner thereof with the city clerk" (§ 15.16.040). |
Details & sources
Rental licensing / registration
Rental housing covered by this code must be registered, licensed or permitted with the city. The code states: "All rental dwelling units which are let, leased, or otherwise occupied, in whole or in part, by a tenant for residential and/or dwelling purposes for a period of nine months or less but for more than thirty (30) days, shall be registered by the record property owner thereof with the city clerk" (§ 15.16.040).
Verified Source: Newport Code of Ordinances § 15.16.040 · last checked 2026-10-16
Back to quick facts ↑Research coverage
0 of 13 topics checked at the local level (state law is covered on the state page). A topic counts as checked only when every subtopic in it is checked or no additional requirement was found after a recorded full read. How coverage works.
| Topic | Status | Subtopics done |
|---|---|---|
| Deposits | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
| Deposit return deadlines | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Rent increases and rent control | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Late fees | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Landlord entry | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Repairs and habitability | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Screening and application fees | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Fair housing and assistance animals | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Disclosures | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
| Renewal and termination | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Eviction | Not researched | 0 of 3 |
| Registration and licensing | Partially researched | 1 of 3 |
| Short-term rentals | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
Also applies statewide
Rhode Island rules that also apply in Newport:
- Security deposit limit
- Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(a), a landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit, however denominated, in an amount or value in excess of one month's periodic rent. Subsection (e) does not preclude a landlord who rents a furnished apartment from demanding or receiving a furniture security deposit if the replacement value of the furniture being furnished by the landlord, valued at the time the lease is executed, is five thousand dollars ($5,000) or greater, in which instance the landlord may charge a separate furniture security deposit of up to one month's periodic rent. Subsection (h) provides that no rental agreement shall contain any waiver of the provisions of this section. Subsections (b), (c), (d), (f), and (g) address return, itemization, damages, the furniture-deposit return, and transfers of the landlord's interest; those rules are not fully restated here. Example: a landlord of an unfurnished unit may not demand a security deposit of more than one month's periodic rent, even if the lease calls that payment something else. A separate furniture deposit under subsection (e) is allowed only for a furnished apartment whose furniture meets the $5,000 replacement-value threshold. Verified Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(a) · last checked 2026-11-12 · Full Rhode Island security deposit limit page
- Deposit return deadline
- Within 20 days after the tenancy ends, possession is delivered, or the tenant gives a forwarding address, whichever is later. Verified Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(b) · last checked 2026-10-20 · Full Rhode Island deposit return deadline page
- Notice to enter
- At least 2 days' notice except in an emergency or where impracticable; entry only at reasonable times. Verified Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-26(c) · last checked 2026-10-25 · Full Rhode Island notice to enter page
- Late fees
- The state landlord-tenant statute sets no late-fee cap; the lease terms control (full-text search of R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 34-18 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act)). Verified Source: R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 34-18 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) · last checked 2026-10-23 · Full Rhode Island late fees page
Other Rhode Island cities
- North Kingstown landlord rules
- Pawtucket landlord rules
- Providence landlord rules
- Warren landlord rules
Back to Rhode Island landlord-tenant law
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