S3158AReal Estate

Property - Residential Landlord and Tenant Act

Landlords must provide tenants with a detailed written receipt immediately upon receiving a rent payment in cash.

Introduced37 Yea0 Nay1 Not voting

Population
Affected

Introduced Mar 27, 2026Committee Senate Housing & Municipal Government

Plain-English Summary

This bill requires landlords to provide a written receipt to tenants whenever they pay their residential rent in cash. The receipt must be given to the tenant at the exact time the cash payment is made. Additionally, the receipt must include the amount of rent paid, the date the payment was received, the printed or typed names of both the landlord and the tenant, and the name of the specific person who accepted the cash payment.

For younger readers

If a family pays for their apartment or house using paper money (cash), the person who owns the building (the landlord) has to give them a receipt right away. A receipt is a piece of paper that proves you paid for something. The receipt has to show exactly how much money was paid, the date it was given, the printed names of both the family and the owner, and the name of the person who took the money.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

TenantsLandlordsProperty ManagersUnbanked IndividualsLow-income Renters

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely. The bill simply regulates commercial residential lease transactions by requiring a standard receipt for cash payments. This does not infringe on free speech, due process, or protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Estimated cost

None

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Protects low-income and disadvantaged tenants, who are disproportionately unbanked and rely on cash payments, from exploitation or false claims of unpaid rent.
Promotes systemic fairness in the housing market by ensuring a clear paper trail exists for cash transactions, reducing the power imbalance between landlords and vulnerable renters.
Helps prevent unjust evictions by providing tenants with undeniable, immediate proof that they have met their financial housing obligations.
The bill lacks specific penalties or enforcement mechanisms if a landlord refuses to provide the mandated cash receipt, potentially making it a toothless protection in practice.
Does not mandate language translation requirements for the receipts, which could leave non-English speaking immigrant communities at a disadvantage.
Fails to address other forms of unbanked payments, such as money orders, which are also commonly used by low-income tenants and require similar protective documentation.

For Conservatives

Promotes the rule of law and business transparency by ensuring accurate record-keeping of cash transactions, which can help prevent tax evasion.
Protects honest property owners from false claims by tenants who might falsely assert they paid their rent in cash, as the required receipt establishes a clear factual record for both parties.
Imposes a very simple, zero-cost, common-sense business practice rather than creating complex, heavily funded new government oversight boards or assistance programs.
Imposes a new government mandate on private property owners, dictating exactly how they must conduct and document private financial transactions with their tenants.
Creates a strict liability for landlords to provide the receipt "at the time the payment is received," which could be burdensome or impractical in certain fast-paced or informal situations.
Increases the regulatory burden on small-scale, independent landlords who may not have formal receipt books readily available for spontaneous cash payments.

Votes

Loading votes...

Full Bill Text

2 versions

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 5 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 34-18 of the General Laws entitled "Residential Landlord and Tenant Act" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 34-18-63. Receipt for cash payment of rent. A landlord shall provide a receipt to any tenant that makes a rental payment in cash at the time the payment is received. The receipt shall indicate the amount of rent paid, when the payment was received, the printed or typed names of both the landlord and tenant, and who accepted the payment.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.