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Rent Regulations

R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 45-25 § 45-25-18.12

Housing for people who are elderly — Criminal records check

In Force
Verified 10/26/2026 · Next check 11/2/2026
effective 10/15/2026Rhode IslandTenant Screening

Operative Text

R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 45-25 § 45-25-18.12
Every housing authority or any housing for people who are elderly subsidized by the
federal government shall, as part of the application process for prospective tenants
of housing for people who are elderly projects, request that the division of criminal
identification in the department of the attorney general conduct a criminal records
investigation of the prospective tenant. This request shall be made immediately prior
to the final approval of the application. The division of criminal identification
shall not assess a fee for providing the service.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-25-18.12, housing authorities and federally subsidized elderly housing programs in Rhode Island are required to request a criminal records investigation of prospective tenants as part of the application process. This request must be submitted to the Division of Criminal Identification in the Department of the Attorney General immediately before an application receives final approval. Notably, the Division of Criminal Identification is prohibited from charging a fee for conducting this service.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 15, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Housing authorities and operators of federally subsidized elderly housing projects in Rhode Island must incorporate a criminal records check into their standard application workflow under § 45-25-18.12. Compliant operators typically time this request to the Division of Criminal Identification so that it occurs immediately before final application approval — not earlier in the process. Because the Division is barred from charging a fee for this service, no cost should be passed along to applicants for this particular step.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Under § 45-25-18.12, prospective tenants applying to Rhode Island elderly housing programs should be aware that a criminal records investigation through the state's Division of Criminal Identification is a mandatory step before any final approval decision is made. This process is fee-free by law, meaning applicants cannot be charged for the criminal records check itself. Tenants who believe this process was applied improperly or inconsistently may wish to consult a tenant-rights organization or legal aid provider familiar with Rhode Island housing law.

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.

Effective Timeline

Current
Oct 15, 2026
Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.

References Out

No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-25-18.1

Related Rules

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§ 1022.38
§ 1022.38 Duty of consumer reporting agencies regarding medical debt information.

Source Information

Source:https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE45/45-25/45-25-18.12.htm
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