The Overview

Rhode Island homeowners can no longer have their properties pulled into a court takeover as “abandoned” without first being warned and given a chance to fix any problems. Gov. Dan McKee (D) signed Senate Bill 2912 on June 18, and it took effect right away. ​

The state’s Abandoned Properties Act lets cities and towns, neighbors and some nonprofits ask a court to hand a rundown building to a receiver, a court-appointed lawyer who takes control and fixes it up. RIHousing, the state’s housing finance agency, told lawmakers that some petitioners swept dozens of properties into a single filing without checking whether they were empty, including three recently bought, well-kept homes carrying its mortgages. James Zagrodny, whose family has owned a Woonsocket triple-decker since 1974, told The Boston Globe he found his locks changed and a petition notice on the building last October with no prior warning.

What the Law Does

Under the revised bill, a property counts as abandoned only if its owner shows intent to walk away, judged by factors such as unrepaired safety code violations, vacancy, upkeep and how long those conditions lasted. Homes that are vacant but maintained, under contract to be sold or part of a publicly funded redevelopment plan do not qualify.

Owners must first receive an official notice of violation and fail to fix it in time, and a court must confirm they were notified and had a real chance to make repairs before it appoints a receiver. The law also defines which nonprofits can file: groups registered in Rhode Island whose main purposes include building, preserving or repairing homes. Properties owned by RIHousing are exempt.

Legislative Status

Sen. Jake Bissaillon (D-Providence) and Sen. Matt LaMountain (D-Warwick) sponsored the bill, and Rep. June Speakman (D-Warren) sponsored the House version. The Senate passed it unanimously June 4, the House approved it 60-10 with a change on June 10, and the Senate signed off on that change the next day.

RIHousing, the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors and the mayors of Providence, Pawtucket and Woonsocket backed the bill. Bill Fegley of Helping Hands Community Partners, a Providence nonprofit that RIHousing says filed at least 20 petitions since 2016, told the Globe his group drops any property where someone is living and aims to push owners to fix or give up abandoned buildings.

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