PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Every landlord in Rhode Island is now required by law to register their property with the R.I. Department of Health.

The Rhode Island Statewide Rental Registry requires landlords to get a lead certificate to show their apartments are lead-free and that children aren’t at risk of lead poisoning.

Hilda Barbosa, who owns three properties, said the launch of the registry last week took her by surprise.

“Everybody’s now going to try to scramble to get this done so they don’t get fined. And also, there’s going to be issues with a lack of lead inspectors,” she added.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the majority of rental homes in the state were built before 1978, when the ban on lead paint took effect.

Monica Staaf, general counsel for the Rhode Island Association of Realtors, said their office has been fielding calls from concerned landlords all week.

Staaf said getting a lead certificate is going to be a process for many, especially those who have historic homes.

The R.I. Association of Realtors has been told there is already a backlog on lead inspections until after the new year.

The Health Department told 12 Responds there are currently only 29 licensed and active lead inspectors in Rhode Island.

Staaf said another concern her office is hearing about is the eviction process.

Under the law, landlords cannot evict their tenants for non-payment of rent if their property is not registered with the state.

“They can still evict tenants for other violations of the lease,” Staaf explained. “Someone brings in pets, someone who has noisy parties all the time or trashes the place, or someone has a month to month tenancy instead of a lease.”

The R.I. Department of Health will be issuing fines to landlords who have not registered their properties. It also plans to create a census of all rental properties to make it easier to identify landlords who are not complying with the law.

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