Rhode Island Lease Termination Rules (R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 34-18-37)

R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 34-18-37 governs ending a periodic tenancy without alleging fault. It provides that 'the landlord or the tenant may terminate a month-to-month tenancy... by a written notice... delivered to the other at least thirty (30) days before the date specified in the notice,' and may terminate a week-to-week tenancy 'by a written notice... delivered to the other at least ten (10) days before the termination date.' The notice must be in a form substantially similar to that referenced in Sec. 34-18-56(c). A fixed-term lease generally ends on its stated expiration date. These no-cause termination notices are separate from the nonpayment and for-cause eviction notices used to remove a tenant who breaches the agreement.

Terminating a periodic tenancy without the required 30-day (month-to-month) or 10-day (week-to-week) written notice is ineffective, and a possession action filed on a defective notice can be dismissed for failure to comply with Sec. 34-18-37.