Rental properties that are rented for 30 nights or fewer at a time on a hosting platform, which includes real estate brokerage sites, must be registered with the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation (DBR).  A new law S2410Aaa.pdf (rilegislature.gov) will require the following changes to the registration to take effect on January 30, 2025:

▪The property  must be registered before it is listed on a hosting platform. The hosting platform remove the listing from its web site within 14 days after notification from DBR if the owner fails to renew the registration.

▪Listings of short-term rental properties on hosting platforms must include the registration number issued by the Department and the expiration date of the registration.

▪The registration must state whether the rental unit is in a single-family home, multi-unit, apartment, condominium, or timeshare.

▪The registration will expire after one year instead of two years.

▪The registration fee will change to $25 per year instead of $50 every two years.

DBR is revising its regulations to comply with the new law.   Short-Term Rental Property Registration, 230-RICR-30-20-4.https://rules.sos.ri.gov/Promulgations/part/230-30-20-4.

DBR will hold a public hearing on these proposed regulations remotely via Teams on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at 10am. You can join the hearing here: https://bit.ly/STR-RegHearing. [Teams Meeting ID: 264 577 254 529 and Passcode: EZBYmq]

To submit written comments, email them to Donald DeFedele at [email protected] by November 10, 2024.

REALTORS®:  For more information, please contact the RIAR Legal Department at 401-432-6945 or email [email protected].