Requires landlords to register certain information for residential properties constructed prior to 1978 with the department of health on a statewide registry and defines which information may be viewed on a public database.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would require landlords who own rental properties built before 1978 to register specific information about those properties with the Rhode Island Department of Health. The focus on pre-1978 buildings is significant because homes built before that year may contain lead-based paint, which was commonly used at the time and is known to pose serious health risks, particularly to young children. The bill would create a statewide registry to collect and store this property information.

The bill also establishes rules about what information from that registry would be made available to the public through an online database. This means that while landlords would need to provide certain details about their older rental properties, only some of that information would be visible to the general public — the rest would remain private or restricted. The exact details of what must be registered and what becomes public would be defined within the bill's specific provisions.

This legislation would primarily affect landlords who own and rent out older housing stock built before 1978, requiring them to take action to register their properties. Tenants and prospective renters could potentially benefit by being able to look up publicly available information about older rental properties before signing a lease. Local health and housing advocates, as well as public health officials, would also be affected, as the registry could help track and address potential lead hazards in Rhode Island's older housing.

As of now, the bill has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee and is scheduled for a hearing in March 2026, but it has not yet been passed into law.