Banned. A landlord may not take possession by self-help, including willfully interrupting heat, water, hot water, electricity, gas or other essential services, except after abandonment or surrender. An unlawfully excluded tenant may recover possession or terminate, plus up to 3 months' rent or triple damages and attorney's fees.
Yes. A landlord may not raise rent, cut services, or bring or threaten an eviction because the tenant complained to a code agency or to the landlord, joined a tenants' union, or used other lawful remedies. A complaint within 6 months before the landlord's act creates a presumption of retaliation.
For certain code and maintenance failures costing under $500 a year to fix, after written notice and 20 days without compliance (or promptly in an emergency), the tenant may have skilled, code-compliant repairs done and deduct the cost from rent with an itemized statement.
Rhode Island housing code officers may adopt systematic inspection plans for dwelling units and may enter and inspect dwellings on weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to check compliance, after a complaint, or when they have reason to believe a violation exists. Statute text: "The enforcing officer is authorized to enter and inspect between the hours of eight o’clock (8:00) a.m. and five o’clock (5:00) p.m. all dwellings, dwelling units, rooming houses, rooming units, dormitory rooms, and structures subject to this chapter, for the purpose of determining whether there is compliance with its provisions." (R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-24.3-14; § 45-24.3-15).
Get alerts when Rhode Island's landlord laws change
A short email when a rule on this site changes. Free, unsubscribe anytime.
We use cookies for analytics (Google Analytics) and ads (Google AdSense). Analytics and ad cookies are only used after you accept, though Google may set a basic test cookie to check your browser settings. Privacy Policy