Rhode Island security deposit law

A landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit, however it is labeled, of more than one month's periodic rent.

R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-11

• A landlord who rents a furnished apartment may also take a separate furniture security deposit of up to one month's rent, but only if the furniture supplied is worth $5,000 or more to replace, valued when the lease is signed. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(e)
• The furniture deposit comes back within the same 20 days, less reasonable cleaning, repair and damage to the furniture beyond ordinary wear and tear. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(f)
• A security deposit is money the tenant gives at or shortly after the start of the tenancy as a deposit against physical damage to the unit. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-11
• A lease may not waive any part of the deposit section. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(h)
• Money a tenant with a disability pays into an escrow account to restore a modified unit does not count toward the one-month limit, though the return rules still apply to it. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-37-4(d)

Within 20 days after the latest of the end of the tenancy, the return of possession, or the tenant giving a forwarding address for the deposit, deliver a written notice itemizing any deductions together with the balance. You may deduct only unpaid accrued rent, reasonable cleaning, reasonable trash disposal, and physical damage beyond ordinary wear and tear caused by the tenant's failure to meet the tenant's duties.

R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-11

• If you do not comply, the tenant may recover the amount due plus damages of twice the amount wrongfully withheld and reasonable attorney's fees. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(c)
• Ordinary wear and tear is deterioration from the tenant's normal, nonabusive living, and includes deterioration caused by the landlord's failure to prepare for expected conditions or to meet the landlord's own obligations. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-11
• Whoever holds the landlord's interest when the tenancy ends is bound by the deposit rules, so a buyer takes on the duty to return it. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(g)
• When a tenant ends the lease because of an uncured serious breach by the landlord, a fire or casualty, or an unlawful lockout or utility shutoff, return all recoverable security and all prepaid rent. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-28(d) R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-33(b) R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-34
• If a tenant dies and a household member stays on under the post-death grace period, you may deduct damage from the existing deposit but may not ask for a new one. The balance goes to that person if the grace period runs longer than one month, and to the estate otherwise. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-38(d)(10)

Chapter 34-18 does not require a landlord to keep a security deposit in a separate account or to pay interest on it.

R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 34-18 R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19

• One exception runs through the fair housing law: where a tenant with a disability agrees to pay toward restoring a modification, the money goes into an interest-bearing escrow account and the interest belongs to the tenant. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-37-4(d)

Chapter 34-18 does not require a move-in inspection or a written condition checklist. The landlord must deliver possession at the start of the term in line with the lease and the duty to keep the home fit and habitable.

R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-21 R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 34-18

• Deposit deductions are limited to damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, so a record of the unit's condition at move-in is the landlord's best evidence. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(b)
• If the landlord fails to deliver possession, rent abates until it is delivered, and the tenant may end the lease on five days' written notice or demand possession. R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-29