Rhode Island · Senate Bill · January Session, A.D. 2024
SB2892
Rhode Island S 2892 — An Act Relating to Property — Residential Landlord and Tenant Act

Status ● Failed Effective N/A Passage Likelihood N/A

WHAT THIS BILL REGULATES · 2 REQUIREMENT TYPES

How Is This Bill Enforced

Enforcement Authority
Private right of action. Any person aggrieved by a violation may pursue a civil action for injunctive relief and compensatory damages. Violations also constitute deceptive trade practices under R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 6-13.1, which provides an additional enforcement channel through the Attorney General.
Private Right of Action
Private right of action.
Penalties
A prevailing plaintiff may recover compensatory damages, treble damages, injunctive relief, and attorneys' fees and costs. Violations also constitute unconscionable conduct under § 34-18-13 and a deceptive trade practice under R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 6-13.1, which may carry additional remedies.

What This Bill Requires

Verbatim statutory text on the left; plain-language analysis and a per-section checklist on the right. Numbered markers cross-link to the matching checklist row.

Statutory Text
Analysis & Obligations
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-15.1
Rent based on algorithms and price fixing prohibited
Deployer

(a) 1 No landlord or person shall use an algorithm, a commercial computer program or digital technology to include, but not be limited to, artificial intelligence technology to set or determine the rent for residential property subject to the provisions of this chapter.

(b) 2 No landlord or person shall use or share with another any information, data or rental information with the intent to stabilize rental pricing among rental units owned by different entities or engage in any act to set uniform rental rates or rent increases among landlords.

(c) Any action by a landlord or person in violation of subsections (a) or (b) of this section shall constitute a violation of the good faith requirements of § 34-18-12, shall be deemed unconscionable pursuant to the provisions of § 34-18-13 and shall be a deceptive trade practice pursuant to the provisions of chapter 13.1 of title 6 ("deceptive trade practices").

(d) Any person aggrieved as a result of a violation of the provisions of this section may pursue a civil action for both injunctive relief and compensatory damages. A prevailing plaintiff may be awarded treble damages, attorneys' fees and costs.

This section creates two distinct prohibitions within the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. The first bans any landlord or person from using algorithms, commercial computer programs, digital technology, or AI to set or determine residential rent — a sweeping prohibition that reaches even standalone, single-landlord pricing tools with no coordinated data-sharing component. The second prohibits sharing rental information among landlords with the intent to stabilize or fix rental pricing across different ownership entities, targeting coordinated algorithmic rent-setting of the type associated with tools like RealPage.

Violations trigger three overlapping legal consequences: a breach of the statutory good-faith obligation, unconscionability under the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, and classification as a deceptive trade practice. The private enforcement provision allows any aggrieved person to seek injunctive relief, compensatory damages, treble damages, and attorneys' fees.

Compliance actions 2 items
1
Landlords must not use any algorithm, commercial computer program, digital technology, or artificial intelligence to set or determine rent for residential property.
CP-01.11
2
Landlords must not use or share rental information, data, or pricing information with other landlords with the intent to stabilize rental pricing among units owned by different entities or to set uniform rental rates or rent increases.
CP-03

Passage Likelihood

Failed
Status Failed
Final action Committee recommended measure be held for further study

Legislative History

2024-03-22 Introduced, referred to Senate Judiciary
2024-04-26 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (05/02/2024)
2024-05-02 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

Entry Last Reviewed

2026-05-16
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