RELATING TO PROPERTY -- RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT
Summary
This bill amends the Rhode Island Residential Landlord and Tenant Act to expand and formalize the statewide mandatory rental registry for residential properties built before 1978. It requires landlords of those properties to register identifying and contact information with the Department of Health, including landlord and property manager contact details and information sufficient to identify each dwelling unit. For properties that are not exempt from lead hazard mitigation requirements, landlords must also provide a valid lead certificate of conformance or proof of exemption.
The bill also directs the Department of Health, contingent on available funding, to create a publicly accessible online database containing only limited registry information, while excluding personal contact details and other sensitive data. It sets registration deadlines for existing landlords and new acquisitions/leases, requires annual re-registration, and establishes civil penalties for noncompliance. The bill further bars a landlord from filing an eviction action for nonpayment of rent unless the landlord is in compliance with the registry and lead-related registration requirements, and it authorizes enforcement actions by the Department of Health and the Attorney General for repeated violations.
Impact
The bill would strengthen and enforce Rhode Island’s lead-safety and landlord disclosure laws by tying rental registration obligations to the ability to pursue nonpayment eviction actions. It would add new compliance duties for landlords of pre-1978 residential properties, create a restricted receipt account for penalty revenue, and channel those funds toward lead hazard mitigation, abatement, enforcement, and poisoning prevention. It also expands the Department of Health’s administrative role and gives the Attorney General a specific enforcement pathway for repeated lead-certificate violations.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a public-health and tenant-protection bill focused on lead safety and landlord accountability. The structure of the bill suggests support for stronger compliance tools and public transparency, especially for older housing stock. No opposing arguments are documented in the provided materials, so the overall sentiment cannot be measured from debate history, but the bill’s design indicates a policy preference for enforcement over voluntary compliance.
Contention
The most likely points of contention are the compliance burden on landlords, the public disclosure of registry information, and the eviction restriction that conditions nonpayment actions on registry compliance. Landlords may object to annual registration, lead certificate documentation, penalties, and the loss of access to eviction remedies if paperwork is incomplete. Tenant advocates and public-health supporters would likely favor the bill’s lead-safety enforcement and transparency provisions, while concerns may also arise over funding availability for the online database and the scope of data made public.
Requires landlords of residential properties built before 1978 to register lead hazard mitigation information with the department of health and the information would be private and only accessible by specific entities.
Requires landlords of residential properties built before 1978 to register lead hazard mitigation information with the department of health and the information would be private and only accessible by specific entities.
Defines squatter as a person occupying a dwelling unit who is not authorized by the property owner, landlord or tenant to occupy the unit and provides remedies for property owner including police assistance to remove a squatter.
Defines squatter as a person occupying a dwelling unit who is not authorized by the property owner, landlord or tenant to occupy the unit and provides remedies for property owner including police assistance to remove a squatter.
Limits the mandatory rental registry to properties constructed prior to 1978, and further push out the effective date of registration to September 1, 2025, with the penalty clause becoming effective as of October 1, 2025.