Are You A Tenant Living In Unsafe Conditions?

Rhode Island Tenants Can Enforce Their Rights To Safe Housing

Despite legal obligations to do so, landlords often fail to provide safe housing to tenants. If you are a tenant living in unsafe housing, you may be able to force your landlord to act. If you have tried to get your landlord to fix dangerous conditions, but they refuse to do it or ignore you, you can file a Temporary Restraining Order (or TRO) in District Court to compel a landlord to fix unsafe conditions, including:

• Broken Heat;
• Non-Working Utilities (If They Are The Landlord's Responsibility);
• Broken Appliances (Like A Stove, If Provided By The Landlord);
• Unsafe Exterior Doors;
• Exposed Wiring; or
• Rodent or Insect Infestations (If More Than One Unit Is Impacted).

TROs should be sought only to address emergencies. Tenants who want to file a TRO in District Court do not need an attorney to do so - the required form is available HERE. You can fill out the forms, explain your problem, file it with the clerk's office, and get a prompt hearing. It is the fastest way to get in front of a judge.

Still have questions or need more help? Thanks to support from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, RILS may be able to help you further. Call us to learn more.