Housing advocates weigh in on housing bills heading to Gov. McKee’s desk

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The State of Rhode Island General Assembly said it is moving several housing bills forward  and is looking to address an ongoing housing shortage.

Two bills are heading to Gov. Dan McKee’s desk; one for residents looking for housing, the other if they’re trying to keep the housing they are in.

“If you’re notified of them within 30 days as currently exists under the law, it can induce a lot of stress and a lot of panic,” Rep. Jennifer Stewart of District 59 said.

Stewart’s bill would double the notice landlords need to provide if they’re looking to raise rents, giving tenants a 60 day notice and elderly tenants 120 days.

The average rent for a two-bedroom in the state is just under $2,000, meaning someone would need to make nearly $80,000 a year to not be considered housing-burdened.

More than a dozen cities and towns restrict the number of unrelated tenants living in one home, making it hard to find roommates.

The second bill aims to combat this, changing restrictions on how many unrelated people can rent in the same homes, making sure it doesn’t drop below one person per bedroom.

“Almost 87 percent of the state is zoned single family,” Executive Director of HousingWorks RI Brenda Clement said. “Denser developments, walkable neighborhoods and communities like a Pawtuxet village or a Wickford village or the more densely developed areas around the North Main Street corridor and other places are not replicable under existing zoning ordinances.”

Stewart said she’s confident that both bills will be signed.