R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 34-18 § 34-18-22.1
Landlord's duty to notify tenant of violation
Operative Text
(a) A landlord, when cited by a state or local minimum housing code enforcement agency for a housing code violation, shall, within thirty (30) days of receipt of the notice, deliver a copy of the notice of violation to each residential tenant of the building affected by said violation, unless within said thirty (30) day period the landlord has corrected all violations set forth in the notice of violation to the satisfaction of the state or local minimum housing code enforcement agency which issued the notice of violation. (b) A landlord, prior to entering into any residential rental agreement, shall inform a prospective tenant of any outstanding minimum housing code violations which exist on the building that is the subject of the rental agreement.
Under Rhode Island General Laws § 34-18-22.1, when a landlord receives a housing code violation notice from a state or local enforcement agency, the landlord must pass a copy of that notice along to every affected residential tenant within 30 days — unless all cited violations are fully corrected to the agency's satisfaction within that same window. Separately, before any new rental agreement is signed, the landlord must disclose to prospective tenants any outstanding housing code violations on the building. These two duties work together to keep both current and incoming tenants informed about the condition of the property.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators subject to § 34-18-22.1 generally maintain a clear process for tracking housing code violation notices the moment they arrive, so the 30-day delivery clock can be managed promptly. A compliant landlord either distributes copies of the notice to all affected tenants within that window or documents that every cited violation was fully resolved to the issuing agency's satisfaction before the deadline. Before executing any new lease, compliant operators also disclose all outstanding code violations to prospective tenants in writing, creating a record that the disclosure was made prior to signing.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 34-18-22.1 gives Rhode Island tenants the right to receive a copy of any housing code violation notice that affects their building within 30 days of the landlord's receipt, and prospective tenants have the right to be told about outstanding violations before signing a lease. If a landlord fails to provide these disclosures, tenants may be able to raise that failure in connection with other rights under Rhode Island's landlord-tenant law, Chapter 34-18, or file a complaint with the state or local housing code enforcement agency that originally issued the violation notice. Tenant-rights organizations in Rhode Island can help residents understand what options may be available when these notification duties are not met.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 15, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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