Creates an affordable housing business tax credit as well as eliminate sales tax on any materials purchased for use in the renovation of affordable rental housing.
Increases the income range up to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) and tax credit up to eight hundred fifty dollars ($850), for elderly and disabled persons who own or rent their homes.
Expands Rhode Island Housing’s authority to revise the qualified allocation plan to prioritize cost-efficient affordable housing production and total units, while reducing the scoring weight of non-production-related criteria.
Amends the zoning ordinances to allow the town to restrict occupancy to one unrelated person per bedroom in a dwelling, up to a five (5) bedroom unit. Units with more than five (5) bedrooms may be limited to five (5) unrelated persons per unit.
SB 2028 imposes a tiered sales tax on digital advertising services sold within Rhode Island, affecting large digital advertising companies based on their global revenue (2.5% for $100M-$1B revenue, 5% for $1B-$5B, 7.5% for $5B-$15B). The tax revenue will be distributed annually to specific state funds: 10% to public transit (RIPTA), 15% to climate resiliency, 5% to university research, 20% to housing, 10% to school lunches, 20% to municipal resilience, and 20% to the general fund. The tax applies to purchases of digital ads within Rhode Island and takes effect on July 1, 2026. It does not allow companies to add the tax as a separate fee on customer invoices but requires clear disclosure of the amount.
Allows the town of Tiverton, with an aggregate of 500 or more units proposed in a comprehensive permit project, to enact a short-term emergency moratorium until the permit laws are amended.
Expands the Rhode Island rehabilitation and fire code to include existing one, two, and three-bedroom homes, removing their current exclusion and promoting the continued use and reuse of existing residential buildings.
Requires a housing code enforcement officer to give a copy of any housing code violation notice to all tenants of the building affected by an alleged housing code violation, along with any hearing dates scheduled for the violation.
Requires effective January 1, 2027, that upon the execution of a lease agreement for a mobile and manufactured homes in a mobile and manufactured home park, a complete copy of the lease be provided to the tenant within ten (10) days of execution.
SB 2294 would require landlords to have a valid "just cause" reason to evict most residential tenants in Rhode Island, rather than allowing evictions without justification at the end of a lease term. It prohibits evictions for reasons like arbitrary tenant preferences, and specifies acceptable grounds such as non-payment of rent (unless the increase was unreasonable), lease violations, or property damage. The law applies to most rental housing, excluding owner-occupied buildings with fewer than four units, sublet properties where the sublessor needs the space, and job-site housing. This bill directly affects renters and landlords under the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, aiming to prevent arbitrary displacement.
