Facing Eviction in Rhode Island: What Can I Do?
This page covers eviction notices for unpaid rent and for other reasons. It covers paying to stop a case and answering court papers. It also covers retaliation and eviction without a court.
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If your rent is 15 days late, your landlord must send you a written notice. The notice must say how much rent is late and demand it. It must say the rental agreement ends unless you cure the breach (fix it by paying) within 5 days of mailing.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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If you do not pay within 5 days of the date the notice was mailed, your landlord may file an eviction case. It must be filed no earlier than the 6th day after the written demand notice was mailed.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
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You may cure your unpaid rent (fix it by paying) by paying the full rent before your landlord files an eviction suit.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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Rhode Island law says a landlord must send a written notice when rent is 15 days late. If you got no such notice in the 6 months before the case was filed, you may pay after it starts. You pay the full rent owed, plus court costs, at the hearing.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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In an eviction case for unpaid rent, the summons must give the hearing date. It must say you may file and serve your answer before or at the hearing. If you do not answer or come to the hearing, you will be defaulted (the court rules against you because you did not respond).
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
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Unless Rhode Island law says otherwise, a landlord must deliver a written demand notice if you materially (seriously) break the rental agreement. The same is true if you break a tenant duty in § 34-18-24 in a way that materially affects health and safety. One duty is to keep the part of the home you use clean and safe. The notice must list what you did or did not do. It must list the acts, repairs, or payment needed to fix it.
Rhode Island General Assembly R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-24(2) Rhode Island General Assembly R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-36(a)✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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For a material breach of the rental agreement, the notice must say the agreement ends on a set date. It ends then unless the breach is fixed within 20 days of mailing. The date must be at least 21 days after mailing.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
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In most cases, a rental agreement does not end if you adequately fix the breach before the date in the notice. If you do not fix it, the landlord may start an eviction case.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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If the breach of the rental agreement is not fixed, your landlord may file an eviction case. The case must be filed no earlier than the first day after the end date in the written demand notice.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
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In an eviction case for a reason other than unpaid rent, the summons must say you have 20 days from service to file your answer. If you do not answer in that time, you will be defaulted (the court rules against you for not responding).
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
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Your landlord or you can end a month-to-month rental with a written notice. The other side must receive it at least 30 days before the date in the notice.
✓ Sources checked October 2, 2026
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A landlord may not get back at you by raising rent, cutting services, or bringing or threatening an eviction case (an action for possession). The law lists cases where the landlord may still act. The bar applies if you complained to the landlord that they broke a repair duty, such as keeping electric, plumbing, and heating in working order. It also applies if you joined a tenants' union or similar organization.
Rhode Island General Assembly R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-46(a) Rhode Island General Assembly R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22(a)✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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If your landlord gets back at you, you have a defense in an eviction case (an action for possession) against you. Suppose you complained within 6 months before the landlord's act. That creates a presumption (the court assumes the landlord got back at you unless evidence that it did not is introduced). The court makes no such assumption if you complained after notice of a proposed rent increase or less service.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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Your landlord may not take possession of your home by action or otherwise. This includes willfully (on purpose) cutting off heat, running water, hot water, electric, gas, or other essential service. The law allows it in case of abandonment (a tenant leaving for good) or surrender, or as the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act permits.
✓ Sources checked October 3, 2026
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