Rhode Island security deposit law: know your rights.
Understand the return, deduction and notice rules in Rhode Island. Check which conditions apply to your rental, then choose your next step.
Your deposit rights in Rhode Island
- Return timing
- Itemized notice plus the amount due within 20 days after termination, delivery of possession, or the tenant's providing a forwarding address for receiving the deposit, whichever comes last.
- Accounting for deductions
- Deductions (unpaid rent, reasonable cleaning and trash-disposal expenses, damage beyond ordinary wear under § 34-18-24) must be itemized in a written notice delivered with the balance.
- Deposit interest
- The state deposit statute does not require interest. Check any additional lease or local rule.
Registry review: August 2026. Review dates refer to the cited rules, not an attorney review of your case.
Does this rule apply to your rental?
Check the type of tenancy, the lease and any local or housing-program rules before relying on the statewide summary.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 ↗What starts the return clock?
Itemized notice plus the amount due within 20 days after termination, delivery of possession, or the tenant's providing a forwarding address for receiving the deposit, whichever comes last.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 ↗Check your return timing
Optional estimate from your move-out date. Read the start conditions above before treating that estimate as the return deadline. You can start the free analysis without completing this check.
Check what the landlord deducted
No statutory receipt requirement; RI Legal Services recommends obtaining one as practical protection.
Match each charge to the work alleged, the lease provision and the records supporting the amount. Keep refunds and charges you accept separate from those you dispute.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 ↗What could you recover?
The statute reads as the amount due together with damages equal to twice the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney fees (§ 34-18-19(c)) - textually a 3x exposure. Note: in the only Rhode Island Supreme Court application (Tambor v. Miller, 2002), the court recited liability for 'twice that amount' and approved a 2x total, so our estimates use the conservative 2x total.
Start with the unpaid amount you dispute. Any additional statutory recovery depends on the conditions in R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(c), including applicable notice requirements. A multiplier that already includes the deposit should not be added to that deposit again.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 ↗Put the rules to work
See how the rules fit your deposit dispute
Free analysis
Add the refund, charges and records. Review the deductions and possible remedies with an explanation tied to your facts.
Full case package $29-$49
Turn your case into a demand letter, organized exhibits and a next-step plan. Review the analysis before deciding to buy.
Your entered dates and deposit amount carry forward. Additional timing details are saved in case notes. The next step asks for the refund and charges so you can build on this check.
Choose your next step
Small-claims limit: $5,000. Filing: ~$75-76 + service. The court guide explains the applicable limits and additional costs.
Questions about Rhode Island deposit rights
How long does a Rhode Island landlord have to return a security deposit?
Itemized notice plus the amount due within 20 days after termination, delivery of possession, or the tenant's providing a forwarding address for receiving the deposit, whichever comes last.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 ↗See the timing rules →What happens if my landlord does not follow the deposit return rules in Rhode Island?
Noncompliance means the tenant recovers the amount due together with damages equal to twice the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney fees (§ 34-18-19(c)); waiver clauses are void, and buyers of the property are bound. Keep proof of the dates, any refund, and the itemized statement.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 ↗Understand the possible recovery →What accounting should I ask for in Rhode Island?
Deductions (unpaid rent, reasonable cleaning and trash-disposal expenses, damage beyond ordinary wear under § 34-18-24) must be itemized in a written notice delivered with the balance. No statutory receipt requirement; RI Legal Services recommends obtaining one as practical protection.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 ↗