All rental properties, units, or rooms that will be listed on a hosting platform, such as Airbnb, Vacation Rental by Owner, etc., and rented for not more than thirty (30) nights, will be required to register with the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation as a result of a law that went into effect earlier this year.
Public Law 425 S0501B.pdf (state.ri.us)
Public Law 429 H5505A.pdf (state.ri.us)
To implement the law, the Department of Business Regulation has proposed new regulations. To read the four-page proposal, click here: 230-RICR-30-20-4.
The regulations would require owners of residential rental units or rooms that they offer for rentals of 30 days or less on a third-party hosting platform to register the unit and pay a registration fee of $50 per property every two years. If the owner stops renting the property as a short-term rental, the owner must submit a notice of termination and affidavit to DBR.
Public comments are accepted by clicking on the proposed regulations link and then clicking on the Comments tab or via email at DBR@[email protected]. The deadline for public comment is Saturday, August 27th.
For more information, please contact the Department of Business Regulation at [email protected] or the RIAR Legal Department at 401-432-6945 or [email protected].