Rhode Island Department of Health on Tuesday, the deadline for all landlords to register rental properties and provide evidence of lead-based paint removal work done to remove lead-based paint on older properties. ‘s new website pages were plagued with delays and errors.
A law signed in June 2023 requires landlords to register their properties with the Rhode Island Rental Registry by October 1, 2024. The website went live on September 3rd.
For properties built before 1978 (the year lead paint was banned in U.S. homes), property owners must provide evidence of lead abatement work within the unit. Failure to comply will result in a civil penalty of at least $50 per month for failure to register your name, unit address, and contact information. Property owners will be fined $125 per month if they fail to register evidence of mitigation work.
The law also provides for additional civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation for repeat violators.
Tuesday’s deadline prompted landlords to apply en masse, with some receiving error messages when submitting property information. A notice posted on the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) website states that landlords should try to register again later this week or next week. The online notice also states that the legal filing deadline is Oct. 1, but the health department will not impose fines at this time.
“Due to the large number of people accessing the Rhode Island Rental Registry today, some may be receiving an error message when registering their property,” RIDOH spokeswoman Annemarie Beardsworth said in an email Tuesday afternoon. . “RIDOH is aware of this issue and is working to fix it as soon as possible. This information has been shared with those who have already emailed RIDOH and those who are emailing RIDOH today. It is also set as an automatic reply.
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha worked with the General Assembly to pass the registration law along with other lead-related legislation. Before the lead register, landlords already had to obtain a lead certificate. The registry makes information more readily available to renters.
“The registry is designed to hold landlords accountable for ensuring that Rhode Island’s rental housing stock is lead-safe,” Neronha said at a press conference in May. Ta. “And as the housing crisis continues to impact tenants across Rhode Island, families cannot afford to be picky. It is absolutely essential that we are able to provide the necessary information, while also demanding compliance and transparency from landlords, and we will not back down until that takes hold.”
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