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Tools · Security Deposit

Rhode Island Security Deposit Calculator (2026)

Enter your rent and move-out date to see the most a Rhode Island landlord can charge and the exact date your deposit is due back — up to 1 month of rent, returned 20 days after the later of the tenancy ending, the tenant handing back possession, or the tenant giving the landlord a forwarding address for the deposit.

Cited to R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-19Source: R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-19 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act).

Rhode Island security deposit calculator

Security deposit · Rhode Island
Rhode Island rule applied to your numbers
Maximum deposit
$2,000
Up to 1 month’s rent under Rhode Island law. A landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit greater than one month's rent. For a furnished unit where the replacement value of the furniture is more than $5,000, the landlord may collect a separate furniture security deposit of up to one additional month's rent.
Return deadline
20 days
20 days after the later of the tenancy ending, the tenant handing back possession, or the tenant giving the landlord a forwarding address for the deposit. Enter your move-out date for the exact deadline.

These are the Rhode Island figures applied to what you entered: a plain summary of the rule and the dates, not a determination that anyone did or did not comply.

If a deposit is wrongly kept
A landlord who fails to comply is liable for the amount wrongfully withheld, plus damages equal to twice that amount, and the tenant's reasonable attorney fees. In practice, keeping $300 without justification can cost the landlord $600 in damages on top of returning the money, plus fees.
Interest on the deposit
Rhode Island law does not require a landlord to pay interest on a residential security deposit. The statute is silent on interest.

Informational only, not legal advice. Security-deposit rules carry exceptions (lease type, small landlords, city ordinances) this summary cannot weigh. See the full statute and exceptions on the Rhode Island security deposit reference, cited to R.I. Gen. Laws §34-18-19.

How Rhode Island security deposits work

Rhode Island caps a residential security deposit at one month's rent under R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-19, part of the state's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. After you move out, the landlord has 20 days to return the deposit, but that clock starts at the latest of three events: the tenancy ending, you handing back possession, or you giving the landlord a forwarding address for the deposit. Along with any refund, the landlord must send a written notice itemizing every deduction, and deductions are limited to unpaid rent, reasonable cleaning and trash costs, and damage beyond ordinary wear and tear. If the landlord keeps money without justification, you can recover the amount wrongfully withheld plus damages equal to twice that amount, along with your reasonable attorney fees. Rhode Island does not require interest on the deposit or a separate account. One extra rule applies to furnished units: if the furniture is worth more than $5,000, the landlord may collect a separate furniture deposit of up to one more month's rent.

This calculator shows the Rhode Island figures applied to your own rent and dates. It is informational only and not legal advice — exceptions this summary cannot weigh may apply. For the full rules, penalties, and citations, see the Rhode Island security deposit reference.

Security deposit calculators for other states

Same tool, each with its own cap and return deadline.