This section provides news that may affect a landlord property rights and a landlord’s ability to rent. Check back periodically to see the latest news.

-The town of South Kingstown has recently proposed ordinances to control nuisance in their town.

 https://www.independentri.com/news/article_1e7ed76a-4865-11ea-8f00-330dd6212aef.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

https://turnto10.com/news/local/a-proposed-ordinance-could-change-how-people-celebrate-this-summer

-The Narragansett Town Council has passed a 60 day moratorium on new construction in Narragansett. This moratorium was revised in court as follows.

BUILDING MORATORIUM

****UPDATE:  The Narragansett Town Council voted unanimously to institute an emergency building moratorium ordinance for sixty (60) days on 01-21-2020 for all new construction. The Washington County Superior Court issued a Consent Order on Friday 01-31-2020 amending the emergency moratorium ordinance by prohibiting enforcement in R -40 and R-80 zones. Additionally, it narrowed the scope of the emergency moratorium by limiting its application further stating that the moratorium “shall not apply to the issuance of building permits allowing new structures that are four or less bedrooms, or building permits for existing structures seeking approval to increase the number of bedrooms to a maximum of four.”****

Any specific questions that you may have about permits and how it may affect you specifically, should be directed to the Narragansett Building Inspection Department.

-Nationally and regionally, towns and states are implementing new ordinances to counter the growth of Airbn and online rentals companies. Here are some articles concerning these efforts.

 PROVIDENCE – A new short-term rental ordinance is scheduled to go into effect Nov. 30, affecting units in Providence residential areas, the city said Tuesday.

The ordinance says that only owner-occupied dwellings may be offered as short-term rentals, barring non-owner-occupied short-term rentals in R1, R1A, R2 or R3 zoning districts.

Short-term rentals are defined as properties that are available for a fee for less than 28 consecutive days. The ordinance was passed in May by the Providence City Council with a six-month delay to allow renters to fulfill booking obligations.

The rules will affect short-term rental platform users, such as those renting on Airbnb, VRBO HomeAway or others, as well as more traditional short-term renters.

The ordinance dictates that if an entire unit is being used as a rental, it is required to have a temporary use permit from the city Department of Inspection and Standards. Those permits will be reviewed annually. Short-term rental units will also be required to post diagrams of all exits to the unit in both English and Spanish, as well as have clearly marked fire extinguishers.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2019/11/28/boston-tough-rules-governing-airbnb-rentals-are-finally-full-effect/qGyipfGarsWFPfcMmnrvyM/story.html