Landlords won’t be fined yet for missing the deadline to register their rental properties in a new state registry. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
Rhode Island’s rental registry is back to normal after being temporarily plagued by technical issues on Tuesday, Oct. 1, the deadline for landlords to submit information to comply with a new law.
Health department rental registry website crashes as landlords try to meet deadline
The Rhode Island Department of Health isn’t yet imposing fines for landlords who missed the filing deadline either, said spokesperson Annemarie Beardsworth. That would first require the health department to “identify the universe of all rental units and landlords in the state,” Beardsworth said.
But Beardsworth couldn’t say when the department will be ready to start issuing fines for noncompliance with a state law enacted in 2023 to create the online registry. The health department oversees the registry, which went live on Sept. 3, because landlords of older properties are required to submit proof of lead paint mitigation work.
The online registry helps state officials keep tabs on properties built before 1978 when lead-based paint was banned for residential use nationwide.
“RIDOH has already hired a program facilitator and one licensing aide and is in the final stages of procuring a vendor to create a census of all Rhode Island rental properties,” Beardsworth said. “Only once this census is complete will the State be able to fairly identify noncompliant landlords and impose fines equitably across communities.”
Beardsworth confirmed via email Friday that state health officials are close to procuring a vendor to create that census. “It is premature to speculate on when the census will be complete,” she said.
Landlords who fail to register names, unit addresses and contact information for their properties may face a civil fine of $50 per month. Not providing proof of lead mitigation may result in a fine of $125 per month. Beardsworth said the public will be informed via the registry website, as well as the health department website and social media, before fines begin to be issued.
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