Housing Stability & Shelter

Eviction sealing now includes evictions that were resolved before September 1, 2022.

Last-reviewed: March 9, 2026

Table of Contents

Latest news

  • Information about seasonal shelters and warming centers can be found here.
  • People seeking shelter should access one of the six Regional Access Points (RAPs) in order to receive housing related services. Additional information about RAPs here.
  • The National Housing Law Project has a resource that answers questions about tenant’s rights in HUD housing during the government shutdown. Most tenants in HUD housing should not experience a disruption during the shutdown.
  • Section 8 tenants can use this resource answering how the shutdown impacts their vouchers. Through November, Housing authorities will receive payments from HUD.
  • RI passed a new law prohibiting landlords from asking prospective or existing tenants (or occupants) about their immigration or citizenship status. Landlords may still ask for information about income or identity verification.
    • The National Housing Law Project issued a new resource to help educate HUD tenants about sharing their immigration information status with HUD housing providers.

Renter’s rights

  • The RI Rental registry now has a public database that allows users to search which landlords have complied with the registration requirement.
  • Effective January 1, 2025, landlords cannot charge “junk fees.” This means that landlords:
    • Must have a way for tenants to pay their rent without additional “convenience fees.”
    • Can not have hidden fees. All fees must be disclosed in the rental agreement or a separate written notice. Changes to fees require written notice to the tenant at least 30 days before going into effect.
    • Must also provide a list of utility companies that serve the unit and be clear which the landlord pays and which the tenant pays.
  • Under a 2024 law, landlords must give 60 days notice before increasing the rent for tenants under 62 years old, and 120 days’ notice before increasing the rent for tenants over 62 years old.
  • Tenants’ rights resources

Eviction

  • The eviction process has many requirements, including notices to tenants, a judicial decision and order, and execution of the court order for eviction. Only a judge can order a tenant to be evicted. Self-help evictions, where landlords circumvent the required court process, are illegal.
  • Free legal assistance:
    • RI Legal Services
    • RI Center for Justice
    • The Eviction Help Desk, staffed by RWU Law students and experienced housing attorneys. It is open M-F (9am-noon) in Providence and in all other court houses on days there are eviction cases being heard in District Court.
  • Eviction information resources.
    • RILS has a handbook on representing yourself in an eviction case.
  • Eviction Sealing
    • On January 8, 2026, the District Court issued a new administrative order allowing any eviction that meets criteria to be eligible for record sealing. Prior to this date, only evictions that had been resolved before September 1, 2022, could be considered.
    • If a case is sealed, it means the eviction won’t show up on a tenant’s record. Tenants who have been to court on an eviction case can ask their lawyer or the lawyer for the day at court whether they will be eligible for eviction sealing.
    • The District Court has forms that tenants can use to seal their cases; they will have to file a motion to seal and an affidavit, and have the affidavit witnessed by a notary. Notaries are often available in libraries and banks.

Housing search

  • Under this law, landlords cannot charge application fees to prospective tenants.
    • Landlords may charge the actual cost of a credit report or criminal background check, unless the prospective tenant has a copy of a credit report or criminal background check from not more than 90 days prior to the application
  • Tenants may have access to housing assistance programs that require tenants to pay a certain amount of their income for rent, and a voucher pays the rest. There are Section 8 Rental Assistance Vouchers through the housing choice voucher program, project based vouchers, and section 8 subsidized apartments. RI Housing has information about these rental assistance programs. Waitlists for housing assistance are long. Tenants can now sign up for many lists at once through the centralized wait list.
  • Faith based organizations, like St. Vincent de Paul, may have discretionary funds to help individuals and families with rental assistance.

Housing conditions resources for homeowners, including landlords

Housing conditions – tenants’ rights

Steps tenants can take to address problematic rental conditions:

  • Write a letter listing the conditions that need repairs.
  • File a complaint with their town/city hall code inspection department.
    • For more information, contact the specific town/city hall code inspection department.
  • Use the Repair and Deduct Rule which was increased to $500/year.
    • Tenants start by giving a written notice to a landlord of a deficient condition and if the repair is not made after 20 days, the tenant may make the repair and reduce their rent by the amount the repairs cost (must share the receipts with the landlord and should be sure to keep copies of the letter and receipts).
    • Help RI Law: Rhode Island Legal Services has more information.
  • For households with asthma, try the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Home Asthma Response Program and Breathe Easy at Home programs.
  • For households concerned about lead paint exposure, contact the RI Department of Health’s Environmental Lead Program for more information.

Tenants with disabilities

  • Tenants with disabilities who need modifications to make their apartments accessible are entitled to reasonable accommodations. Paying for modifications in private rentals can be challenging. Check with insurance companies to see if modification costs can be covered or check with local organizations like the Ocean State Center for Independent Living.
  • Hoarding is a disability that can impede a person’s ability to stay in their home; paying to clean up and organize their home can maintain housing stability.
    • Westbay Community Action Program has been helping clients with hoarding disabilities.

Homelessness and shelter

  • As of October 1, 2025, the Regional Access Point (RAP) is the first stop for shelter and housing services.  RAPs will support people at risk of homelessness with emergency shelter, housing-related services, housing navigation, mental health and substance use services. This replaces the Coordinated Entry System.
  • Federal law ensures that public school students experiencing homelessness have equal access to public education. Each school has a local homeless education liaison. RIDE has resources for students experiencing homelessness.
  • RI’s legislature approved funding for the “Pay for Success” program that will create additional permanent supportive housing for Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness.
  • The RI Coalition to End Homelessness has several resources to support individuals who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk.
  • SOAR is a program aimed at helping eligible adults and children who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have a serious mental illness, medical impairment and/or a co-occurring substance use disorder, access disability income benefits.

Unlocking Access® Resources for Care Teams

One-Pager

Navigating Unhealthy and Unsafe Housing Conditions (RI)

Topics:
Resource Guide

Criminal Systems Involvement and Housing: Access Public and Subsidized Housing through Mitigation Strategies

Topics:

There are many ways care teams can support people with housing and shelter-related needs. For more specific legal information and strategies, care team members who have access to Legal Key’s Unlocking Access® Hub should log in.

Unlocking Access Hub
Education
Resource Guide

RI McKinney-Vento Rights of Students Experiencing Homelessness

Topics:
Training Deck

Unlocking Access in RI: Housing

Topics:

If you are a Legal Key partner who does not have their login information, or you’d like to learn more about how to gain access to the Unlocking Access® Hub, get in touch with us!

Partner With Us

Spotlight on Equity

  • In Rhode Island, it is illegal for landlords to discriminate against tenants based on the tenant’s membership to a “protected class” such as Race, Color, National, Religion, Family Status (having children under 18), Mental or Physical Disability, Marital Status, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, Age (18+), Status as a Victim of Domestic Violence, or Income Source (e.g., Section 8 vouchers).
  • If you are supporting a person who believes they have experienced housing discrimination, connect them to the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights (RICHR). RICHR conducts impartial investigations into claims of housing discrimination.
  • RI was the first state to pass the “Homeless Bill of Rights” which prohibits discrimination based on housing status. Specifically, a person’s rights, privileges, or access to public services cannot be denied solely because that person is experiencing homelessness. This includes the right for people to enter into a homeless shelter with their service animal.
  • If a person believes they have experienced housing discrimination for these reasons, they can file a complaint with the RI Commission for Human Rights by phone or on-line.

Key Resources

Advocacy Corner

Individual Advocacy

Care team members help support people seeking and maintaining healthy and affordable housing. Eviction prevention, housing searches and housing conditions are all common forms of individual housing advocacy.

Policy Advocacy

Ensuring lead pipe replacement, requiring healthy housing conditions, improving the homeless bill of rights, working on tenants’ rights to for-cause only eviction or limits to rent increases are all forms of policy advocacy happening in Rhode Island. Ways care teams can help include:

Back to RI Digest Home
Our Work
Resources
Partner With Us