Pet Addendum in Rhode Island

Adds pet terms to a lease. Assistance animals for people with disabilities are not pets: no pet fee or pet rent may be charged for them under federal fair housing rules.

What Rhode Island law says

Pet deposits and fees	No pet-specific statute, but the deposit cap covers any security deposit 'however denominated': a landlord may not demand or receive more than one month's rent in total security deposit, so a refundable pet deposit counts toward that one-month limit. The only separate deposit allowed is a furniture deposit (up to one month's rent) for furnished units with furniture worth $5,000 or more. The Act does not address monthly pet rent. The statute does not say whether a nonrefundable 'pet fee' is a security deposit; the 'however denominated' language suggests labels do not avoid the cap. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(a), (e)
Service & support animals (state law)	Rhode Island's fair-housing law requires owners to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services when necessary for an occupant with a disability to use and enjoy a dwelling, which covers assistance animal requests. A person with a disability who has a guide dog or other 'personal assistive animal' (an animal trained by a certified training program to help with independent living tasks) is entitled to full and equal access to housing and may not be charged extra for the animal, but is liable for damage it causes. There is no housing-specific statute on emotional support animal documentation. Misrepresenting a pet as a service animal is a civil violation (up to 30 hours of community service), but that law applies to public areas, not housing. Misrepresentation statute: https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE40/40-9.1/40-9.1-3.1.htm. Federal Fair Housing Act rules on documentation and fees apply. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-37-4(e)(1)-(2), 40-9.1-3.1

Pet deposits and fees

No pet-specific statute, but the deposit cap covers any security deposit 'however denominated': a landlord may not demand or receive more than one month's rent in total security deposit, so a refundable pet deposit counts toward that one-month limit. The only separate deposit allowed is a furniture deposit (up to one month's rent) for furnished units with furniture worth $5,000 or more. The Act does not address monthly pet rent.

The statute does not say whether a nonrefundable 'pet fee' is a security deposit; the 'however denominated' language suggests labels do not avoid the cap.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19(a), (e)

Service & support animals (state law)

Rhode Island's fair-housing law requires owners to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services when necessary for an occupant with a disability to use and enjoy a dwelling, which covers assistance animal requests. A person with a disability who has a guide dog or other 'personal assistive animal' (an animal trained by a certified training program to help with independent living tasks) is entitled to full and equal access to housing and may not be charged extra for the animal, but is liable for damage it causes. There is no housing-specific statute on emotional support animal documentation. Misrepresenting a pet as a service animal is a civil violation (up to 30 hours of community service), but that law applies to public areas, not housing.

Misrepresentation statute: https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE40/40-9.1/40-9.1-3.1.htm. Federal Fair Housing Act rules on documentation and fees apply.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-37-4(e)(1)-(2), 40-9.1-3.1

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PET ADDENDUM to the lease for [rental address] dated [lease date]

Tenant: [tenant name] Pet(s): [type, breed, name, weight]

Pet deposit: $[pet deposit] (counts toward any state deposit limit where the law says so). Monthly pet rent: $[pet rent]

The tenant keeps the pet under control, cleans up after it, and pays for damage it causes beyond normal wear and tear.

Signatures and dates: [signatures]

Pet Addendum for other states · Rhode Island tenant rights

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.