Requires owners of accessory dwelling units that are not occupied by family members be permitted to charge only affordable rental rates.

Rhode Island Accessory Dwelling Unit Affordability Bill

This bill focuses on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — sometimes called in-law apartments, garage apartments, or backyard cottages — which are small, secondary living spaces built on the same property as a main home. Under this proposal, if a property owner rents out their ADU to someone who is not a family member, they would only be allowed to charge rent that qualifies as "affordable" under established guidelines. Property owners who live on-site and rent to relatives would not be subject to this rental rate restriction.

The bill would directly affect Rhode Island homeowners who have or plan to build an ADU and want to rent it out to non-family tenants. These landlords would no longer be able to charge market-rate rents for those units — instead, they would need to keep their rental prices within affordability limits, which are typically tied to a percentage of the area's median income. Renters looking for smaller, lower-cost housing options could potentially benefit from having access to more affordably priced units.

The bill has been introduced and referred to the Senate Housing and Municipal Government Committee, meaning it is in the early stages of the legislative process and has not yet been voted on. If passed, it would represent a significant change to how ADU rentals are regulated across Rhode Island's cities and towns.