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5/27/2025
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Commission studying Landlord and Tenant Act releases final report
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STATE HOUSE — A House commission studying the Landlord and Tenant Act has released its final findings and recommendations.
The commission was created to address recent disputes between landlords and tenants involving issues like housing discrimination, maintenance dilemmas, late payments, termination of tenancy and security deposits. It was also charged with reviewing existing law to determine if any clarifications were needed to modernize the legal language governing the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants.
The commission’s final report provides a report of the testimony presented to the commission by a variety of experts on Rhode Island’s housing market and laws governing landlords and tenants and provides legislative recommendations for the General Assembly to consider.
“First and foremost, I want to thank my fellow commission members for their time and effort as we worked to address some of the most pressing challenges facing renters and landlords in our state,” said Rep. David Morales (D-Dist. 7, Providence), who served as vice chair of the commission. “Despite contrasting perspectives among commission members, I’m proud that we were able to come together and find common ground on a critical issue: the sealing of eviction records, particularly for cases that are dismissed or for minors who are unfairly swept up in the consequences of eviction. No child should carry the burden of housing instability, and no person should have their future limited by an eviction that should have never followed them in the first place. Despite our progress, this commission has made it painfully clear that our work is far from over. The housing crisis in our state is growing. Rents are rising, families are being displaced, and communities are being pushed out of the neighborhoods they’ve called home for generations. The end of this commission’s formal work is not the end of our responsibility. As legislators, we must act boldly and listen to the advocates on the ground, from exploring just-cause eviction policies to accounting for the struggles of mom-and-pop landlords. The stability and dignity of our neighbors depend on it.”
The full commission recommended that the General Assembly consider the following changes to the existing laws governing eviction records: allowing eviction records to be sealed when the case is dismissed because the complaint is defective, the court lacks jurisdiction or when a tenant prevails and the appeal period has expired; allowing any minor or individual between 18 and 21 years of age named in an eviction proceeding who did not sign the lease to have their record sealed; and providing for the continuation of existing legal services for tenants in eviction proceedings, subject to availability of funds and income guidelines.
The commission recommended that the sealing of eviction records under any of these proposed legislative changes not be counted against a tenant’s existing eligibility to request the sealing of one eviction record every five years.
The commission also recommended that the General Assembly consider legislation to require landlords to provide a receipt without delay when a rental payment is received in cash and to develop a model form to document tenant repairs conducted when landlords fail to make the necessary repairs under certain legally prescribed circumstances in the existing Landlord and Tenant Act.
The 11-member commission was charged with studying the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act and recommending updates or clarifications to the law as needed. The panel was established by a House resolution (2024-H 8368) introduced by Representative Morales.
In addition to Representative Morales, the panel included Rhode Island Superior Court Justice Christopher K. Smith, who chaired the commission, Reps. Mary Ann Shallcross Smith (D-Dist. 46, Lincoln, Pawtucket) and David Place (R-Dist. 47, Burrillville, Glocester), retired Rhode Island Supreme Court Justice Francis X. Flaherty, co-chair of Reclaim Rhode Island Daniel Denvir, Gregory Weiss from the Rhode Island Association of Realtors, Executive Director of the Warwick Housing Authority Julie Finn, Attorney Steven Conti, Providence City Solicitor Jeff Dana and RentProv Realty Partner Shannon Elizabeth Weinstein.
Additional information about the commission, including all commission documents and the final report can be found online at the commission webpage.
For more information, contact:
Tristan Grau, Publicist
State House Room B20
Providence, RI 02903
401.222.4935
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