Housing & Tenant · Eviction Notice
Eviction Notice in Rhode Island
How many days of written notice a landlord must give before filing an eviction in Rhode Island, broken down by reason, and what you can do about it, cited to the statute.
Every notice period in Rhode Island
The written notice for each reason a landlord can end a tenancy, and what each one means.
| Reason for the notice | Notice in Rhode Island | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Nonpayment of rent | Can fix and stay5 days from mailing | The notice is available only once part of the rent has been due and in arrears for fifteen days, and it gives the tenant five days from the date of mailing to cure (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-35). Paying within that window keeps the tenancy. |
| Noncompliance with the rental agreement | Can fix and stay21 days from mailing | For a noncompliance, the tenant has 20 days from mailing to remedy it, and termination may not be less than 21 days after mailing (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-36). |
| Same noncompliance recurring within six months | 20 days | If substantially the same noncompliance recurs within six months, no allowance of time to remedy is required (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-36). |
| No cause, month-to-month | 30 days | A no-cause end of a month-to-month tenancy takes 30 days (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-37). A week-to-week tenancy takes 10 days. |
| After the notice | Court | Rhode Island runs its clocks from the date of mailing, not from receipt or service, and requires the notice to be in a form substantially similar to the templates published at R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-56. A non-conforming notice is attackable. Only a court can order a tenant removed. |
| Statute | R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-35; §34-18-36; §34-18-37 | The controlling statute for these notice periods. Read the full text through the source link below. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if you have received an eviction notice in Rhode Island. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Check the rent is actually 15 days late
A Rhode Island rent demand is not valid until the rent has been in arrears for 15 days. If the landlord sent it earlier, the notice may be premature, which can be a defense. Count from the due date.
- Count 5 days from the postmark
The 5-day cure window runs from the date of mailing, not from when you received the notice. Check the postmark and pay the overdue rent within those five days to keep the tenancy, keeping proof of payment.
- Check the notice used the statutory form
Rhode Island publishes the actual notice forms in the statute. A landlord who wrote their own letter instead of using a form substantially similar to the statutory template may have a defective notice, so look at the wording.
- Get local legal help
A local Rhode Island legal aid office can check the timing, the mailing rule, and whether the notice used the required form. Search for legal aid in your area and act before any court date.
This is general legal information, not legal advice. Read your own lease and check for a local ordinance, since either can change the notice that applies to your home.
What Rhode Island renters get wrong
Rhode Island gives renters far more room than the headline five days suggests, because the clock does not start until the rent has been unpaid for fifteen days. Only once part of the rent has been due and in arrears for fifteen days may the landlord send the written demand, and that demand then gives five days from the date of mailing to cure (R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-35). Add the fifteen and the five, and a renter has roughly three weeks from the due date. Rhode Island also runs its deadlines from the postmark rather than from the day the notice lands, which is unusual and worth checking, and it publishes the actual notice forms in the statute. A landlord who writes their own letter instead of using a form substantially similar to the statutory template may have a defective notice. A lease violation gets more time again, with twenty days from mailing to remedy it and termination no sooner than twenty-one days, unless the same problem recurs within six months, which removes the cure right. Ending a month-to-month tenancy without cause takes 30 days. Only a court can order a tenant out.
Common questions
When can a Rhode Island landlord actually send the notice?
Not until the rent has been due and in arrears for 15 days. R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-35 makes that a precondition, so a demand sent before the rent is 15 days late is premature. Once it is sent, you get 5 days from mailing to cure.
Do the five days run from mailing or from when I get it in Rhode Island?
From mailing. Rhode Island measures the 5-day cure window from the date the notice was mailed, not from when you received it. Check the postmark, because a notice that sat in the mail still starts the clock on its mailing date.
Does my Rhode Island landlord have to use the statutory form?
Effectively yes. R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-56 publishes the notice forms, and the notice must be in a form substantially similar to them. A landlord who used a homemade letter that departs from the statutory template may have a defective, challengeable notice.
Why is the Rhode Island lease-violation notice 21 days when rent is 5?
They answer different questions. Unpaid rent, once it is 15 days late, gets a short 5-day cure from mailing. A general lease violation under R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-36 gives 20 days from mailing to remedy and termination no sooner than 21 days, which is far more room to fix the problem.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.