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H8110A
2026 -- H 8110 SUBSTITUTE A
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LC005380/SUB A
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO PROPERTY -- RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT
Introduced By:
Representatives Cortvriend, Kazarian, Spears, and McGaw
Date Introduced:
February 27, 2026
Referred To:
House Judiciary
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 34-18-20 of the General Laws in Chapter 34-18 entitled "Residential
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Landlord and Tenant Act" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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34-18-20. Disclosure.
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(a) A landlord or any person authorized to enter into a rental agreement on his or her behalf
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shall disclose to the tenant in writing, at or before the commencement of the tenancy, the name,
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address and number of:
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(1) The person authorized to manage the premises; and
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(2) An owner of the premises or a person authorized to act for and on behalf of the owner
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for the purpose of service of process and receiving and receipting for notices and demands.
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(b) The information required to be furnished by this section shall be kept current. This
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section extends to and is enforceable against any successor landlord, owner, or manager.
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(c) A person who fails to comply with subsection (a) of this section becomes an agent of
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each person who is a landlord for:
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(1) Service of process and receiving and receipting for notices and demands; and
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(2) Performing the obligations of the landlord under this chapter and under the rental
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agreement and expending or making available for the purpose of all rent collected from the
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premises.
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(d) A landlord who becomes delinquent on a mortgage securing real estate upon which the
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dwelling unit is located for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days shall notify the tenant that
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the property may be subject to foreclosure; and until the foreclosure occurs the tenant must continue
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to pay rent to the landlord as provided under the rental agreement.
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(e)(1) For any dwelling unit that constitutes shoreline property as defined in § 5-20.8-1, the
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landlord shall provide the tenant, prior to the commencement of the tenancy, with a written
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shoreline access disclosure, which shall include the following information:
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(i) Shoreline Access – Members of the public shall have the right to access shoreline
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property as defined in § 5-20.8-1. The public’s rights and privileges of the shore may be exercised,
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where shore exists, on wet sand or dry sand or rocky beach, up to ten feet (10') landward of the
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recognizable high tide line, subject to the restrictions governed by § 46-23-26 and any general laws
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to the contrary;
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(ii) The landlord is required to notify the tenant of any public rights-of-way on the real
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estate that are known to the landlord. Upon request, the landlord shall provide the tenant with a
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copy of any documentation evidencing such rights-of-way or conditions of public access that is in
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the landlord’s possession; and
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(iii) The tenant is advised to contact the coastal resources management council, the
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municipality, or applicable nonprofit organizations to determine whether any public rights-of-way
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exist.
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(2) The disclosure required by this subsection may be satisfied by incorporating it into any
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written rental agreement or provided in a separate written notice delivered to the tenant in the
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manner prescribed for delivery of written notices pursuant to § 34-18-14.
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SECTION 2. Section 42-63.1-14 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-63.1 entitled "Tourism
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and Development" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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42-63.1-14. Offering residential units through a hosting platform.
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(a) For any rental property offered for tourist or transient use on a hosting platform that
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collects and remits applicable sales and hotel taxes in compliance with §§ 44-18-7.3(b)(4)(i), 44-
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18-18, and 44-18-36.1, cities, towns, or municipalities shall not prohibit the owner from offering
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the unit for tourist or transient use through such hosting platform, or prohibit such hosting platform
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from providing a person or entity the means to rent, pay for, or otherwise reserve a residential unit
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for tourist or transient use. A hosting platform shall comply with the requirement imposed upon
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room resellers in §§ 44-18-7.3(b)(4)(i) and 44-18-36.1 in order for the prohibition of this section to
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apply. The division of taxation shall at the request of a city, town, or municipality confirm whether
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a hosting platform is registered in compliance with § 44-18-7.3(b)(4)(i).
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(b) Any short-term rental property listed for rent on the website of any third-party hosting
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platform that conducts business in Rhode Island shall be registered with the department of business
LC005380/SUB A - Page 2 of 6
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regulation. The registration shall provide the information necessary to identify the property
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pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. For purposes of this section, the term “short-term rental”
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means a person, firm, or corporation’s utilization, for transient lodging accommodations, not to
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exceed thirty (30) nights at a time.
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(c) The department of business regulation shall contact all hosting platforms that list
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property in Rhode Island on their website for rent and that submit hotel taxes to the division of
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taxation and/or the city of Newport and shall provide notice of the registration requirement,
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pursuant to this section, instructing the hosting platforms to notify their listed properties to register
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with the department of business regulation annually or be subject to fines pursuant to subsection (i)
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of this section. Provided further, renewals of registrations pursuant to this section shall become due
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for renewal on the anniversary date of the original registration.
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(d) The state registration pursuant to this section shall include:
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(1) The principal place of business of the owner, or if outside the state, the agent for service
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of process or property manager for the owner;
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(2) The phone number of the owner of the property and/or property manager;
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(3) The email address of the property owner and/or property manager;
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(4) The address of the rental property;
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(5) The number of rooms for rent at the property;
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(6) Whether the registrant rents or owns; and
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(7) Intended use (entire space, private room, or shared space).
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(e) The assigned registration number shall consist of numeric and alpha characters, the
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alpha characters shall correspond to the city/town where the property is located and shall be uniform
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for the remaining properties in said city/town.
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(f) Registration forms and/or any registration materials required by the department shall be
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completed prior to a listing by a hosting platform. The registration number shall be valid for the
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year during which it is assigned, and if a listed property is not duly registered after the expiration
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of the annual registration period, the hosting platform shall remove the property listing from its
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website within fourteen (14) days of notification from the department.
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(g) The department of business regulation shall promulgate rules and regulations to
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correspond with and enforce this section and § 42-63.1-14.1 and may charge a registration fee to
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property owners registering with the department pursuant to this section.
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(h) The department of business regulation shall create an online database to store all
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registered short-term rental units, and each unit shall have an online identification number in said
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database to correspond with subsection (e) of this section.
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(i) Any owner of the property who or that fails to register with the department of business
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regulation as prescribed herein and lists the property as a short-term rental on a hosting platform
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website shall be subject to a civil fine as follows:
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(1) Two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for the first thirty (30) days of noncompliance;
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(2) Five hundred dollars ($500) for between thirty-one (31) and sixty (60) days of
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noncompliance; and
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(3) One thousand dollars ($1,000) for more than sixty (60) days of noncompliance.
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(j) Notwithstanding any other law or provision to the contrary, no person shall list any
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residence for short-term rental for tourist or transient use without the property’s current, valid
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registration number, and its expiration date, which hosting platforms shall require to be displayed
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on the listing advertisement. Any hosting platform that offers short-term rental of residential
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property for tourist or transient use without requiring the owner to display the current, valid
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registration number of a property, and its expiration date, shall be subject to a civil fine of two
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hundred fifty dollars ($250) per day per violation, with each property listing constituting a separate
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violation.
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(k) A hosting platform shall provide to the department of business regulation, on a quarterly
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basis, an electronic report, in a format determined by the department of business regulation, of the
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listings maintained, authorized, facilitated, or advertised by the hosting platform within the state
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for the applicable reporting period. The report shall include a breakdown of the municipality where
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the listings are located, whether the listing is for a room or a whole unit, the total number of short-
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term rentals listed on the platform, the registration number of each short-term rental listed on the
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platform, the URL link of each short-term rental listed on the platform, and shall include the number
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of nights each unit was reported as occupied during the applicable reporting period.
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(l)(1) For any dwelling unit that constitutes shoreline property as defined in § 5-20.8-1, the
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owner shall provide the occupant, prior to the commencement of the short-term rental, with a
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shoreline access disclosure, which shall include the following information:
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"Shoreline Access – Members of the public shall have the right to access shoreline property
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as defined in § 5-20.8-1. The public’s rights and privileges of the shore may be exercised, where
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shore exists, on wet sand or dry sand or rocky beach, up to ten feet (10') landward of the
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recognizable high tide line, subject to the restrictions governed by § 46-23-26 and any general laws
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to the contrary."
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(2) The disclosure required by subsection (l)(1) of this section may be made by:
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(i) Including the disclosure in the listing on a hosting platform, provided that the listing
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clearly and conspicuously displays the disclosure before the booking is completed; or
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(ii) Incorporating the disclosure into a written rental agreement or providing it in a separate
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written notice delivered to the occupant prior to the commencement of the rental in the manner
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prescribed for delivery of written notices pursuant to § 34-18-14.
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SECTION 3. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2027.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO PROPERTY -- RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT
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This act would require owners or landlords who rent shoreline property to provide their
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tenants, before the start of the tenancy, with a detailed, written disclosure regarding public shoreline
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access rights.
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This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.
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