Rhode Island Retaliation Law: What Counts & the Presumption Window (2026)

What counts as retaliation, and the window where the law presumes it

At a glance

• Protection window: 180 days
• Governing authority: R.I.G.L. § 34-18-46(a)

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers landlord retaliation in Rhode Island — what a landlord may not do after you exercise a protected right.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conduct outside the protected window described below.

What the law prohibits

R.I.G.L. § 34-18-46 — 禁止房东因租客投诉健康安全违规、投诉 34-18-22 违规、组织租客工会、或行使其他合法权利，而报复性涨租/减服务/驱逐。

受保护行为 **4 类**（46(a)(1)-(4)）：①向政府投诉健康安全违规；②投诉 34-18-22 违规；③组织/加入租客工会；④行使其他合法权利（比 URLTA 标准多一类）。

R.I.G.L. § 34-18-46(a) ↗

The protection window

For 180 days after a protected act, certain landlord actions are presumed retaliatory.

46(b)：租客投诉后 **6 个月（约 180 天）**内的报复行为 → 可反驳推定，举证责任转房东。

R.I.G.L. § 34-18-46(b) ↗

Protected activities

What a landlord may not do

Burden of proof

6 个月内报复行为 → 可反驳推定，举证责任转房东；投诉在涨租/减服务通知之后 → 无推定（46(b)）。

R.I.G.L. § 34-18-46(b) ↗

Remedies

Exemptions and limits

房东仍可驱逐若：①违规系租客过错；②租客欠租；③需改造/拆除（46(c)）。

R.I.G.L. § 34-18-46(c) ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
R.I.G.L. § 34-18-46(a)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
R.I.G.L. § 34-18-46(b)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
R.I.G.L. § 34-18-46(a)(1)-(2)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
R.I.G.L. § 34-18-46(a)(3)-(4)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
R.I.G.L. § 34-18-46(b), 34-18-34	2026-10-16	official text ↗
R.I.G.L. § 34-18-46(c)	2026-10-16	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More Rhode Island guides

Rhode Island Security Deposit Return · Rhode Island Security Deposit Rules · Rhode Island Eviction Process · Rhode Island Rent Increase Rules · Rhode Island Repairs & Habitability

→ All Rhode Island tenant rights topics

Common questions