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Free Rhode Island Application
Approval Letter Template

Last reviewed September 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Rhode Island Application Approval Letter

This Application Approval Letter is built with Rhode Island as the governing state. These are the Rhode Island landlord-tenant rules that most often bear on it, with the statute for each.

Rhode Island rules at a glance

Rhode Island rules for an Application Approval Letter
Application feesBanned; only the actual cost of a credit or background checkR.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-59
Security deposit limit1 month’s rent (plus an optional furniture deposit for qualifying furnished units)R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-19(a)
Deposit return20 days after the later of termination, delivery of possession, or a forwarding addressR.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-19(b)
Furniture depositFor a furnished unit whose furniture has a replacement value of at least $5,000 when the lease is signed, the landlord may take a separate furniture deposit of up to one month’s rent, handled on the same 20-day timeline (§34-18-19(e)–(f)).
Deposit rulesThe one-month cap and 20-day return rule can’t be waived by the lease (§34-18-19(h)).

Security deposits in Rhode Island

A Rhode Island landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit, however it’s labeled, of more than one month’s periodic rent (R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-19(a)). A lease can’t waive any part of the deposit statute (§34-18-19(h)).

  • Furniture deposit — For a furnished unit whose furniture has a replacement value of at least $5,000 when the lease is signed, the landlord may take a separate furniture deposit of up to one month’s rent, handled on the same 20-day timeline (§34-18-19(e)–(f)).
  • Allowed deductions — Unpaid rent, reasonable cleaning and trash-disposal costs, and physical damage beyond ordinary wear and tear (§34-18-19(b)).
  • 20-day deadline — The landlord must deliver an itemized notice of deductions with the balance within 20 days after the later of termination of the tenancy, delivery of possession, or the tenant providing a forwarding address (§34-18-19(b)).
  • Penalty — A landlord who doesn’t comply owes the amount due plus twice the amount wrongfully withheld, and reasonable attorney’s fees (§34-18-19(c)).
  • Sale of the property — Whoever holds the landlord’s interest when the tenancy ends is bound by the deposit rules (§34-18-19(g)).

Rent, fees & rent increases

Rent is payable without demand or notice at the time and place agreed (R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-15). Rhode Island has tightened its fee rules considerably since 2024, and has no rent control.

  • Fee disclosure — Any fee beyond rent must be disclosed in writing in the same section of the lease as the rent, and any change to a required fee needs 30 days’ written notice. The lease must also say which utilities are included in rent and state any renters-insurance requirement (§34-18-15).
  • Late fees — Rhode Island has no statutory cap on late fees, but a late fee is a fee and must be disclosed alongside the rent. An excessive fee risks being struck as an unenforceable penalty.
  • Convenience fees — Since January 1, 2025, a landlord can’t charge a convenience fee for a particular payment method — card, app or check — unless the landlord also accepts a form of payment with no fee (§34-18-61).
  • Application fees — Rental application fees are banned. A landlord may charge only the actual cost of a required state criminal background check or credit report — and nothing if the applicant supplies one issued within the past 90 days — and must give the applicant a copy (§34-18-59).
  • Rent-increase notice — Any rent increase needs at least 60 days’ written notice; month-to-month tenants over age 62 are entitled to 120 days (§34-18-16.1, as amended June 2024). A 30-day notice is no longer enough.

Tenant protections you can’t waive

  • Prohibited lease terms — A lease can’t make the tenant waive rights under the Act, confess judgment, pay the landlord’s attorney’s fees except as the Act allows, or exculpate or indemnify the landlord for liability imposed by law. A landlord who deliberately uses such terms can owe actual damages plus up to three months’ rent and attorney’s fees (§34-18-17).
  • No lockouts — Unlawfully removing or excluding a tenant, or cutting essential services, costs the landlord three months’ rent or three times actual damages, whichever is greater, plus attorney’s fees (§34-18-34).
  • No retaliation — A landlord can’t raise rent, cut services or bring an eviction because a tenant complained to a code agency, complained about habitability, or joined a tenants’ union; a complaint within six months before the landlord’s action creates a presumption of retaliation (§34-18-46).
  • Deposit rules — The one-month cap and 20-day return rule can’t be waived by the lease (§34-18-19(h)).

Rhode Island Application Approval Letter FAQs

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Rhode Island?

No more than one month’s periodic rent. The only exception is a separate furniture deposit, also capped at one month’s rent, for a furnished unit whose furniture is worth $5,000 or more (R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-19).

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Rhode Island?

20 days after the later of the tenancy ending, the tenant moving out, or the tenant giving a forwarding address — with an itemized notice of deductions. A landlord who doesn’t comply owes twice the amount wrongfully withheld plus attorney’s fees (§34-18-19(b)–(c)).

Can a Rhode Island landlord charge an application fee?

No. Since January 1, 2024, rental application fees are banned. A landlord may pass on only the actual cost of a required credit report or state background check, and can’t charge even that if the applicant provides one issued within the last 90 days (§34-18-59).

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