Rhode Island Tenants
A professional demand letter citing Rhode Island's security deposit statute (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19), the 20-day return deadline, and the double-damages penalty for non-compliance. Ready in minutes.
Deadline
20 days
to return your deposit after move-out
Penalty
2× damages
for wrongful withholding, plus fees
Statute
§ 34-18-19
Rhode Island General Laws
Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19, your landlord has 20 days after your tenancy ends and you provide a forwarding address to return your security deposit or provide a written, itemized statement of any deductions.
If the landlord fails to comply with the return-and-itemization duty, you may recover:
So a $1,500 deposit wrongfully withheld can support a court judgment of $3,000 plus fees. Most landlords settle quickly once they realize you know the law.
Good to know: Rhode Island caps deposits at one month’s rent; no pet deposit may push the total past that cap. A separate furniture deposit is allowed for furnished units where the furnishings exceed $5,000 in value.
Every letter follows the structure courts expect — your facts, the statute, a specific demand, and a deadline. Here's the skeleton; the generator fills the brackets from your answers and computes Rhode Island's deadlines under § 34-18-19.
[Date]
[Your name]
[Your forwarding address]
[Landlord's name and address]
RE: Security Deposit — Formal Demand for Return of $[Amount]
I am the former tenant of [rental property address]. You accepted a security deposit of $[Amount], and my tenancy ended on [move-out date]. My forwarding address for return of the deposit is stated above, which I am providing to you in writing.
Under § 34-18-19, you were required to [return the deposit or provide an itemized statement] within [the statutory period]. That period has passed, and you have done neither. [The specific consequence Rhode Island law attaches, cited by section.]
I demand return of $[Amount] no later than [deadline]. If I do not receive it, I am prepared to pursue all remedies available under [statute], including filing suit in the appropriate court.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
20 days after you move out.
A landlord who fails to comply with the return-and-itemization duty owes the amount due plus twice the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney fees, under § 34-18-19(c). The trigger is non-compliance itself — the statute requires no showing of bad faith.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19. We verify these against the statute text itself; the date we last checked is shown on this page.
Sources & verification
The Rhode Island rules on this page were verified against the statute text itself:
Last verified against primary sources on .
How we verify this →Laws change. If you spot something out of date, tell us at support@gettenantshield.com and we'll correct it.
Properly formatted, addressed to your landlord by name, citing the exact Rhode Island statutes that apply to your situation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19 and any others triggered by your circumstances — not generic legalese.
The letter computes the exact dollar amount you're entitled to demand based on your deposit and the deductions at issue.
Download instantly, print, sign, and send via USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt.
Most Rhode Island landlords return the deposit within days of receiving a properly drafted demand letter.
Generate my letter — $39