Rhode Island
Rhode Island: statutes read at the official source for people acting for themselves, each with its citation and the date it was read.
Acting for yourself
the doing of any act for another person usually done by attorneys at law in the course of their profession
R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-27-2 · rilegislature.gov · read 2026-08-20 · official source
Renting and landlord-tenant
No landlord-tenant provision has been read at Rhode Island’s own code yet, so none is shown. An empty section here means nobody checked, never no law exists.
Small claims
The court that hears these in Rhode Island is the Small claims (chapter 10-16 procedure; the section read does not name the court).
$5,000
Applies to ex contractu actions, tax recovery, retail-sale/services damages claims, and negotiable-instrument actions, each capped at $5,000 exclusive of interest and costs. Procedure applies AT THE PLAINTIFF'S ELECTION, shown by waiver of appeal.
In all ex contractu civil actions and in any action to recover the amount of any tax for money only not in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000) exclusive of interest and costs, and in all actions or suits to recover damages resulting from a retail sale of tangible personal property to a member of the general public or from services rendered to a member of the general public in which the plaintiff seeks to recover an amount of money only not in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000) exclusive of interest and costs, and in all actions or suits based upon a negotiable instrument involving an amount of money only not in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000) exclusive of interest and costs, the procedure shall, at the plaintiff's election, shown by his or her waiver of appeal, be as provided by this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-16-1 · read 2026-08-21 · official source
Rhode Island publishes its own self-help pages
Not verified: The court is not named in § 10-16-1; not asserted.; Attorney representation not read.; Self-help URL recorded is the District Court landing page (verified HTTP 200); a small-claims-specific page was not verified.
What this page is, and is not
Everything above was read at the source named next to it, on the date named next to it. Nothing is summarised from memory and nothing is carried over from a neighbouring state. Statutes are amended, so read the source before relying on it.
This is general legal information about Rhode Island. It is not advice about your situation, and it is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.