Rhode Island Rental Application
Fill out a Rhode Island rental application below and download a print-ready PDF — identity, rental history, employment, references and screening consent. Free, no signup.
Maintained by Rapi Stack · Every state-specific figure on this page is cited to its statute or official agency page · Dataset last verified July 2026 · Not legal advice.
Rhode Island application-fee rule · as of July 2026
Application fees are banned
R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-59 (eff. 1/1/2024) — Exception: actual cost of background/credit check if the applicant does not bring one ≤90 days old.
Source: Rhode Island General Laws ↗. Laws change — confirm the current rule before you rely on it.
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Know your Rhode Island rules
Application-fee rules come from state law, not the form. Rhode Island's rule under R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-59 (eff. 1/1/2024) — Application fees are banned. Cities can add their own caps. Check the current Rhode Island screening rules before charging or paying a fee.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a landlord charge for a rental application in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island bans rental application fees (R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-59 (eff. 1/1/2024)). Exception: actual cost of background/credit check if the applicant does not bring one ≤90 days old. Source: Rhode Island General Laws.
Is the application a lease?
No. The application only collects information for screening. If approved, landlord and tenant then sign a lease — see our Rhode Island lease agreement template, which reflects Rhode Island's deposit and notice rules.
How does Rhode Island compare? See application-fee limits in all 50 states, every rule cited to statute.
How Rhode Island compares
Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of July 2026). Source for Rhode Island: Rhode Island General Laws ↗.
- Rhode Island is one of 4 of 51 jurisdictions that ban application fees outright (33 set no statutory limit on application fees; 8 cap the application fee by statute; 6 limit the fee to the landlord's actual screening cost).
The rest of what Rhode Island requires
The figures below are Rhode Island's, not national averages — each one is the value we verified for this state, with the statute it comes from. Follow a row to the full Rhode Island page for that document.
- Security deposit cap · as of 2026
- 1 month's rent R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-19 ↗
- Deposit return deadline · as of 2026
- 20 days after move-out R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-19 ↗
- Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy · as of 2026
- 30 days R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-19 ↗
- Notice for unpaid rent · as of 2026
- 5 days to pay or quit R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-35; § 34-18-36; § 34-18-37 ↗
- Notice to cure a lease violation · as of 2026
- 20 days R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-35; § 34-18-36; § 34-18-37 ↗
- Small claims limit · as of 2026
- $5,000 R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-16-1 (ch. 10-16, Small Claims and Consumer Claims) ↗
- Where you file · as of 2026
- District Court (Small Claims and Consumer Claims) · filing fee $55 filing fee per the District Court's official Civil Fees and Costs schedule; e-filing adds a one-time $17.50 processing fee + $3.25 technology surcharge. Some 2026 secondary sources report an increase to $75, not yet reflected on the official schedule. R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-16-1 (ch. 10-16, Small Claims and Consumer Claims) ↗
- Bill of sale notarization · as of 2026
- Not required Rhode Island DMV / DMV.ORG ↗
- Power of attorney signing · as of 2026
- Notarization required R.I. Gen. Laws §18-16-2 ↗
- LLC operating agreement · as of 2026
- Not required by statute, but it controls over the default rules R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-2(23) ↗
- Recording a deed · as of 2026
- Town Clerk (recorder of deeds) — Rhode Island records land evidence by TOWN/CITY, not county (R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-11-1, 34-13-1) · no witnesses R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-11-1 ↗
Rental application in other states
More Rhode Island legal forms
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