Rhode Island
Portable Tenant Screening Reports
A solution to limitations on application fees law
FCRA-Compliant CRA
100% Secure Data
For Landlords & Renters
Acceptance guarantee:If no landlord accepts your report within 30 days, we refund you in full.
Rhode Island
Portable Tenant Screening Reports
Guide for Landlords and Tenants
FCRA-Compliant CRA
100% Secure Data
For Landlords & Renters
Acceptance guarantee:If no landlord accepts your report within 30 days, we refund you in full.
Valid up to 90 days
Apply to unlimited properties
No more fees
Stop paying $35–$75 every time
No paper forms
Your SSN is safely encrypted
Rhode Island’s landlord-tenant law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-59) limits application fees to actual costs — and a tenant-provided screening report is the cleanest way to satisfy that requirement while protecting your wallet and your data.
What you need to know
Unlike Colorado, Washington, Illinois,
California, or Maryland — which have
dedicated statutes specifically
defining and requiring acceptance of
portable/reusable tenant screening
reports — Rhode Island does not
have a dedicated statewide
portable screening report law.
Unlike Colorado, Washington, Illinois, California, or Maryland — which have dedicated statutes specifically defining and requiring acceptance of portable/reusable tenant screening reports — Rhode Island does not have a dedicated statewide portable screening report law.
What Rhode Island does have is
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-59: Fair
Limitation on Rental Application
Fees — a provision within the
Rhode Island Residential
Landlord and Tenant Act (Title 34,
Chapter 18) that creates the
practical foundation for using
portable reports.
What Rhode Island does have is R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-59: Fair Limitation on Rental Application Fees — a provision within the Rhode Island Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Title 34, Chapter 18) that creates the practical foundation for using portable reports.
days based on your selected package.
What a Rhode Island PTSR should include
To be credible and accepted by landlords, your report should be comprehensive.
Portable Tenant’s PTSR includes:
Identity verification and contacts
Income and employment verification
Credit history and score
Criminal background check results
Eviction history
Rental and housing history
Package note: Portable Tenant’s PTSR is valid for 30–60 days depending on your selected
package. Rhode Island’s practical maximum is 90 days — choose the package that fits your
search timeline.
For landlords
Accepting PTSRs is 100% voluntary in RI
Portable tenant screening reports aren’t mandatory in Rhode Island — but the landlords
who embrace them spend less time chasing paperwork and more time filling vacancies.
Get verified applications instantly
What Rhode Island law says about
application fees
What Rhode Island law says about application fees
Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-59, application and screening fees in Rhode Island must cover only actual costs when a third-party report is used. There is no statewide fee cap, and no refund requirement — but fees that go beyond actual costs may expose landlords to consumer protection risk under R.I. Gen. Laws § 6‑13.1 (deceptive trade practices).
When a tenant provides their own screening report:
Landlords often cannot charge additional application or screening fees, as those costs have already been covered by the tenant
Charging fees beyond actual uncovered costs when a report is already provided risks conflict with Rhode Island’s consumer protection framework
Acceptance is at your discretion — you are not legally required to accept a tenant-provided report, and you may run your own screening (charging only actual costs)
If any denial is based on information in a consumer report
Whether tenant-provided or landlord-run — you must issue a written adverse action notice under federal FCRA and Rhode Island law.
If any denial is based on information
in a consumer report
Whether tenant-provided or landlord-run — you must
issue a written adverse action notice under federal FCRA
and Rhode Island law.
Why smart Rhode
Island landlords accept
Portable Reports
Zero effort on your end
Attract more serious applicants
Pre-qualify before the showing
Tamper-proof reports
What Portable Tenant does for Rhode Island landlords
When an applicant uses Portable Tenant, their report:
Includes all five screening components — credit, criminal, eviction, income, and identity — so you never have to chase missing data
Arrives via a secure, tamper-proof link — not a printout or PDF that can be altered (though PDF is also available)
Auto-refreshes to the most current version of the credit report at the time of submission within the validity window
Eliminates redundant paperwork — your standard screening criteria are covered in one document
For renters
Why Rhode Island Renters Are Choosing Portable Reports
And for the ones who don’t? You find properties that do.
Either way, you’ve already paid for the report. You control it. You share it on your terms.
Rhode Island doesn’t require landlords to accept your portable screening report — but many do, especially when it saves them time and you arrive pre-qualified.
What you get with a Portable Tenant PTSR
Real cost savings
Avoid repeated application and screening fees by choosing properties that accept your report — or by presenting it upfront to landlords who are open to it. One report cost instead of five.
No more redundancy
Your Portable Tenant PTSR can be the last rental application you ever fill out. From there, you only update it with your next move. Obtain one comprehensive report and reuse it for up to 90 days with any landlord who accepts it.
See your report before any landlord does
Review everything in your report before sharing it with anyone. Spot an error? Dispute it directly with the Consumer Reporting Agency — before it affects your application.
Your SSN is encrypted and hidden
Gone are the days of paper applications with your Social Security Number written out twenty times. Portable Tenant encrypts and masks your SSN from landlord view. Your identity stays protected throughout the process.
Revoke access anytime
Changed your mind about a property? Revoke the landlord's access to your report instantly. Your most sensitive information doesn't live in some filing cabinet. You take it back — eliminating the risk of identity theft.
Apply once. Rent anywhere in Rhode Island.
Get startedTestimonials
What Rhode Island
renters are saying
What renters are saying
Marcus T.
Providence • RI
"I applied to five apartments in Providence using my Portable Tenant report. Landlords who accepted it didn't charge me a thing. I saved over $200."
Why Portable Tenant?
We built Portable Tenant specifically for what landlords prefer in tenant screening across multiple property types, cities, and states.
Why
Portable
Tenant?
We built Portable Tenant specifically for what landlords prefer in tenant screening across multiple property types, cities, and states.
Secure portal delivery to
landlords at no charge
One report reusable for 90
days across unlimited
applications
Rhode Island Residential
Landlord and Tenant Act —
R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-59
Portable Tenant is a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) that provides FCRA compliant tenant screening reports. Rhode Island does not have a dedicated portable or reusable tenant screening report statute. The information on this page is provided for general guidance and does not constitute legal advice. Landlord acceptance of tenant-provided screening reports is discretionary in Rhode Island. Report validity is 30–90 days based on your selected Portable Tenant package.
Rhode Island PTSR - FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Rhode Island landlords have to accept my portable report?
COPY PENDING — no answer exists for this question in the Figma design. Needs copy from Jitka before publish.
Can a landlord still charge me a fee if I provide my own report?
COPY PENDING — no answer exists for this question in the Figma design. Needs copy from Jitka before publish.
How long is the report valid?
COPY PENDING — no answer exists for this question in the Figma design. Needs copy from Jitka before publish.
Is my personal information safe?
COPY PENDING — no answer exists for this question in the Figma design. Needs copy from Jitka before publish.
Does this work in Providence and other Rhode Island cities?
COPY PENDING — no answer exists for this question in the Figma design. Needs copy from Jitka before publish.
What if a landlord denies my application based on the report?
COPY PENDING — no answer exists for this question in the Figma design. Needs copy from Jitka before publish.
About Rhode Island's rental application fee law
