Locked Out by the Landlord
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-44 — no self help, and three months' rent or three times the damages for a lockout
No self help. A landlord may not take possession by action or otherwise, including by cutting heat, water, hot water, electric, gas or another essential service, except after abandonment, surrender, or as the act permits.
A tenant unlawfully removed or excluded, or whose services were willfully cut, may recover possession or end the lease, and in either case recover the greater of three months' rent or three times the actual damages, plus reasonable attorney's fees.
If the lease ends, the landlord returns the recoverable deposit and any prepaid rent.
A particular lockout is a question for a licensed Rhode Island attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-44 — Self-help recovery of possession prohibited
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-34 — Tenant’s remedies for landlord’s unlawful ouster, exclusion, or diminution of service
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Rhode Island attorney.