Rhode Island Apartment Rentals and Home Sales

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Remember the criticism Sabina Matos received after speaking at the North Kingstown High School graduation?There was plen...
09/10/2026

Remember the criticism Sabina Matos received after speaking at the North Kingstown High School graduation?

There was plenty of discussion online about her visibility, her role and whether Rhode Islanders really knew their Lieutenant Governor.

Yesterday, voters gave us an interesting data point.

Matos won a five-way Democratic primary, receiving 45,815 votes — 37.44% of the vote.

For perspective, that’s almost twice as many votes as were cast in the entire Republican primary for Governor.

Whatever you think of Matos politically, that’s an interesting contrast between online perception and actual votes.

Sometimes social media can make a political controversy appear much larger—or more representative of the electorate—than it actually is.

The ballot box is a different measurement.

Does the Rhode Island Republican Party have the numbers to win the Governor’s office?The primary turnout raises an inter...
09/10/2026

Does the Rhode Island Republican Party have the numbers to win the Governor’s office?

The primary turnout raises an interesting question.

Democratic Governor primary: 127,753 votes
Republican Governor primary: 22,967 votes

That’s roughly 5.6 Democratic primary votes for every 1 Republican primary vote.

Of course, a primary is not a general election. Rhode Island has a large number of unaffiliated voters, and November turnout will look very different.

But the numbers still matter.

In the 2022 general election, Republican Ashley Kalus received about 139,000 votes, compared with more than 207,000 for Dan McKee — a gap of roughly 68,000 votes.

So maybe the bigger question isn’t simply who Republicans nominate.

Does the Republican Party have enough voters to win statewide in Rhode Island?

Or does the path to the Governor’s office require a Republican candidate who can build a much broader coalition of Republicans, unaffiliated voters, and moderate Democrats?

Primary turnout doesn’t answer that question.

But it certainly makes it worth asking.

RHODE ISLAND LANDLORDS: A SERVICE ANIMAL IS NOT A PET.A recent Rhode Island Superior Court decision provides an importan...
09/08/2026

RHODE ISLAND LANDLORDS: A SERVICE ANIMAL IS NOT A PET.

A recent Rhode Island Superior Court decision provides an important reminder for rental property owners.

A prospective tenant required a diabetic-alert service dog.

After learning about the dog, the landlord imposed:

$500 additional security deposit

$25 per month in additional animal rent

The landlord argued that the tenants were still allowed to have the dog and therefore weren’t denied housing.

The Rhode Island Superior Court rejected that argument.

The court affirmed the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights’ finding that requiring additional payment for the service animal amounted to a denial of a reasonable accommodation.

The case also involved retaliation claims after the accommodation request.

The Commission awarded more than $40,000 in compensatory damages, plus $1,390.40 for related charges and expenses.

The lesson for Rhode Island landlords is important:

Service and qualifying assistance animals should not automatically be treated the same as pets.

A standard “no pets” policy, pet deposit or monthly pet fee can create a fair-housing problem when a tenant is requesting a reasonable accommodation for a disability.

Landlords can have rules.

Landlords can protect their properties.

But those rules still have to comply with fair-housing law.

Elmwood Realty, LLC, et al. v. Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights, et al.
Rhode Island Superior Court
C.A. No. NC-2024-0515
Decision filed August 19, 2026

Link in comments

Rhode Island Rental ReformThe rental conversation shouldn’t always be landlords vs. tenants.Tenants deserve safe, habita...
09/08/2026

Rhode Island Rental Reform

The rental conversation shouldn’t always be landlords vs. tenants.

Tenants deserve safe, habitable housing, reasonable notice and accountability when landlords fail to meet their obligations.

Landlords deserve to collect the rent that was agreed upon, protection from serious property damage and a timely process when agreements are broken.

Both can be true.

If a landlord refuses to make legally required repairs, there should be a fast and effective way to enforce the law.

If a tenant stops paying rent without a legitimate legal defense, there should be a timely process for the landlord to regain possession.

Rhode Island needs housing policy that protects responsible tenants and responsible landlords while holding bad actors on either side accountable.

Rental reform should be about balance, fairness and a system that actually works.

Rent affordability in Providence is about more than whether rents are going up or down. It’s about the gap between incom...
09/08/2026

Rent affordability in Providence is about more than whether rents are going up or down. It’s about the gap between income and housing costs.

Consider a first-year Providence teacher.

Starting salary: $50,156

Using the traditional guideline of spending no more than 30% of gross income on housing, that salary supports approximately $1,254 per month in rent.

As of September, Zillow reports the average Providence rent at $2,100, while a one-bedroom averages about $1,850 per month.

That means even the average one-bedroom is about $596 per month above the traditional affordability benchmark for this salary.

And the 30% calculation is based on gross income — before federal and state taxes, retirement contributions, health insurance, union dues and other payroll deductions.

This isn’t only a teacher issue.

It affects healthcare workers, municipal employees, first responders, service workers, young professionals and many of the people a city depends on every day.

Providence rents have actually softened somewhat from last year according to Zillow.

The affordability problem remains because what people earn and what housing costs are still too far apart.

RI RENTAL NEWS | PROVIDENCEThe proposed 4% Providence rent cap is not law.Providence City Council passed the rent-stabil...
09/05/2026

RI RENTAL NEWS | PROVIDENCE

The proposed 4% Providence rent cap is not law.

Providence City Council passed the rent-stabilization ordinance in April, but Mayor Brett Smiley vetoed it. The Council’s May 15 attempt to override the veto failed.

That means the proposed 4% annual rent cap never took effect.

This is important for both renters and landlords because older articles and social media posts discussing the proposal are still online and can easily be mistaken for current law.

Bottom line: Providence does not currently have a 4% annual rent cap.

RIHousing Mortgage Rates | September 4, 2026Here’s a look at today’s posted RIHousing mortgage rates:FHA / VA / RD Purch...
09/05/2026

RIHousing Mortgage Rates | September 4, 2026

Here’s a look at today’s posted RIHousing mortgage rates:

FHA / VA / RD Purchase
6.250% | 7.047% APR

FHA 203(k) Purchase/Rehab
7.375% | 8.327% APR

FHA Refinance
7.125% | 7.940% APR

Conventional Purchase/Refinance
7.000% | 7.563% APR

Rates were posted by RIHousing as of 10:00 AM today and are subject to change without prior notice. Posted rates are for 20- or 30-year terms with zero points; 20-year terms are conventional only.

I’ll be sharing the updated RIHousing rates as they’re posted so Rhode Island buyers can keep an eye on where financing is moving.

Something is changing in Rhode Island’s rental market.Statewide asking rent is sitting at $2,200 and below last year, Pr...
09/05/2026

Something is changing in Rhode Island’s rental market.

Statewide asking rent is sitting at $2,200 and below last year, Providence is around $2,100 and below last year, available rental inventory has increased, and Zillow is now describing renter demand in Providence as cool.

That gives you three audiences from one story:

Renters: More choices may mean more negotiating opportunity.

Landlords: Pricing a vacancy correctly is becoming more important.

Investors: Don’t underwrite tomorrow’s deal using yesterday’s rent-growth assumptions.

PC offers a Pre-Engineering B.S. and a 3+2 engineering program. Students spend their first three years at Providence Col...
08/31/2026

PC offers a Pre-Engineering B.S. and a 3+2 engineering program. Students spend their first three years at Providence College studying engineering, physics and mathematics before completing the engineering portion at an affiliated university.

So I’m sure there are a few engineering students in this crowd who can tell us whether this is a good idea.

School is back in session. The parties have started. College students are doing what college students do.

But seeing this many people packed onto elevated decks should get everyone’s attention.

The homes immediately surrounding Providence College are generally well maintained, but Providence also has plenty of older student rentals with older decks, porches and balconies. You don’t necessarily know their condition, when they were last inspected, or what kind of load they were designed to support.

Parents, this might be one of those random conversations worth having with your college student.

If the deck is packed, stay off it.

Have fun. Make memories. Look out for each other.

RHODE ISLAND RENTAL NEWSRhode Island renters may finally be seeing a little relief.Average asking rent across the state ...
08/31/2026

RHODE ISLAND RENTAL NEWS

Rhode Island renters may finally be seeing a little relief.

Average asking rent across the state is now $2,200 per month, according to Zillow’s latest rental data.

That’s unchanged from last month and $99 lower than a year ago.

There were also roughly 2,905 rentals available in Zillow’s dataset.

After years of rising rents and renters competing for a limited number of apartments, this is worth watching.

More available rentals means more choices. More choices create more competition between landlords. And that can eventually lead to slower rent increases, better pricing and more concessions.

Rhode Island is still an expensive place to rent.

But for once, the rental market may be moving a little more in the renter’s direction

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