'Just cause' for evictions? How a bill would make it harder to raise rents, evict tenants
A group of lawmakers in the House and Senate is pushing to end those practices by bringing "just cause" evictions to the state via House Bill 5503.
Why is it needed? Tenants testified that, especially in a constricted housing market, they are often afraid to ask for repairs or complain about conditions over worries that their leases won't be renewed.
Redfin declared the Providence metro area as the least affordable for renters in the country.
"Just cause" evictions aren't just about evictions; they're about people being forced to leave for reasons that are, right now, entirely legal.
Just cause evictions require landlords to have a "just cause," or a good reason, listed in the bill, to evict tenants or not renew their leases.
Multiple tenants said they were afraid to report bad conditions, ask for repairs or take steps to hold their landlords accountable for fear that either their lease won't be renewed in retaliation, or their landlord will exponentially increase the rent, effectively forcing them to not renew.
Tenants who testified before the House Judiciary Committee on March 18 talked about horrible conditions and landlords who refuse to repair problems, such as leaks, or allow issues to continue unabated, such as crippling mold.
During a rally before the hearing, Melissa Potter, of Cranston, talked about how her landlord has been trying to evict her from 1890 Broad St. for attempting to start a tenants union. Among her chief complaints was a 6-foot trench that appeared in front of her front door.
The bill would prevent tenants both from being evicted and from having their leases not renewed, unless it's for "good cause."
Here's what the bill defines as good cause for an eviction/non-renewal of a lease:
Failure to pay rent
Violating the lease
"Committing or permitting a nuisance"
Conduct that interferes with "the comfort of the landlord or other tenants" or neighbors
Using their housing for "an illegal purpose"
Refusing to give the landlord access to make repairs or improvements, or show to a prospective buyer
The landlord, in a building of 11 units or fewer, needs the unit for themselves or a family member, unless the tenant is 62 or older or disabled
Landlords came in droves to the hearing to decry both the "just cause" eviction bill and to ask that the lead paint registry law be pushed out or rescinded.
Many contended that rent control doesn't work, despite the bill not proposing rent control. Instead, it proposes rent stabilization.
Rent control means a hard cap on rent, limiting the amount that a landlord can charge.
Rent stabilization broadly means that the rate of rent increases is regulated or capped, the way cities and towns have a cap on how much they can raise property taxes each year (4%).
Under the bill, rent increases would be capped at 4% annually or 1½ times the annual percentage change in the consumer price index (CPI), whichever is greater.
During the pandemic, the consumer-price index increased drastically. In 2021, the national increase was 4.7%, in 2022 it was 8%, in 2023 it was 4.1% and in 2024, it was 3.2%.
According to the bill, a landlord could still raise the rent above the prescribed percentage, but if they tried to evict a tenant for not paying an increase above that amount, it becomes a "rebuttable presumption" in housing court that the rent increase was unreasonable.
Providence city councilors Miguel Sanchez, Althea Graves and Justin Roias jointly penned a letter in support, noting that the consequences of an eviction can be devastating and that evictions have contributed to the rapid rise in homelessness.
Among the changes from past years was exempting owner-occupied landlords with five units or fewer, and general landlords with four or fewer units from the law. Sen. Tiara Mack, D-Providence, said she heard the criticisms loud and clear and took steps to address them in this year's version of the bill.
In the House, the bill is being sponsored by, among others, Rep. Cherie Cruz, D-Pawtucket.
Providers of services for homeless people across the state have cited the rapid rise in rents as a large reason for the huge rise in Rhode Island's unhoused population since the pandemic.
How much rent has gone up differs, depending on who is doing the counting. That Redfin study put the current median rent at $2,145. A report by the company Rent put it at $2,618 last year, with a baseline of $1,845 in 2019, a 42% increase.
The HousingWorks RI Housing Fact Book put rent at $2,107 in the state for its latest iteration, and at $1,869 in 2017, before the pandemic run-up in rents, a 13% increase.
The number of units that are affordable for the poorest residents has decreased drastically in the state because of rising rents. The National Low Income Housing Coalition's newest "GAP" report finds there are 47 "affordable and available" rental units for every 100 extremely low-income people, compared with 74 before the pandemic.
Just like last year's report, this year's report notes that the shortage of housing units available across all income spectrums pushes up rents for the poorest renters.
"As a result of this shortage, most extremely low-income renters are forced to rent homes they cannot afford and that would otherwise be available to higher-income renters who could afford them," according to the report.
Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Providence Journal subscription. .
Follow Wheeler Cowperthwaite on X, @WheelerReporter, or reach him by email at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: These bills would make it harder to evict tenants, raise rent in RI
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