R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 6-13.1 § 6-13.1-23
Disputed credit report
Operative Text
(a) If the completeness or accuracy of any item of information contained in a consumer's file is disputed by that consumer, and the dispute is directly conveyed to the credit bureau by the consumer, the credit bureau shall within thirty (30) calendar days reinvestigate the current status of that information unless it has reasonable grounds to believe that the dispute by the consumer is frivolous or irrelevant. If after the reinvestigation that information is found to be inaccurate or can no longer be verified, the credit bureau shall promptly delete that information. The presence of contradictory information in the consumer's file does not in and of itself constitute reasonable grounds for believing the dispute is frivolous or irrelevant. (b) If the reinvestigation does not resolve the dispute, the consumer may file a brief statement stating the nature of the dispute. The credit bureau may limit statements of dispute to not more than one hundred (100) words if it provides the consumer with assistance in writing a clear summary of the dispute. (c) Whenever a statement of dispute is filed, unless there is reasonable grounds to believe that it is frivolous or irrelevant, the credit bureau shall, in any subsequent consumer report containing the information in question, clearly note that it is disputed by the consumer and provide either the consumer's statement or a clear and accurate codification or summary of that statement. (d) Following any deletion or correction of information that is found to be inaccurate or whose accuracy can no longer be verified or any notation as to disputed information, the credit bureau shall properly furnish a copy of the corrected credit report to the consumer at no charge, and at the request of the consumer, furnish a copy of the corrected report to any person specifically designated by the consumer who has within two (2) years prior thereto received a credit report for employment purposes, or within six (6) months received a credit report for any other purpose, that contained the deleted, corrected, or disputed information. The credit bureau shall clearly and conspicuously disclose to the consumer his rights to make that request. The disclosure shall be made at or prior to the time the information is deleted or the consumer's statement regarding the disputed information is received.
Under Rhode Island General Laws § 6-13.1-23, when a consumer directly notifies a credit bureau that information in their file is incomplete or inaccurate, the bureau must reinvestigate within 30 calendar days unless the dispute appears frivolous or irrelevant. If the reinvestigation confirms the information is inaccurate or unverifiable, the bureau must delete it promptly. If the dispute remains unresolved, the consumer may submit a statement of up to 100 words, which the bureau must include or summarize in future credit reports. After any correction, deletion, or dispute notation, the bureau must provide the consumer a free corrected report and, upon request, send it to recent recipients of the original report.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers who use consumer credit reports in tenant screening should be aware that § 6-13.1-23 gives applicants and tenants the right to dispute information in their credit files directly with the credit bureau. Compliant operators generally understand that a credit report they received may later be corrected or annotated if a consumer successfully disputes its contents. When a corrected report is furnished to a landlord who received the original within the applicable timeframe, operators typically review updated information in accordance with their standard screening policies.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under § 6-13.1-23, Rhode Island law gives you the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your credit file by contacting the credit bureau directly, which must then reinvestigate within 30 days. If the dispute is not resolved, you may submit a written statement of up to 100 words that must appear in future credit reports containing the disputed item. After any correction or notation, you are entitled to a free corrected report and can request that it be sent to landlords or employers who recently received the original — tenant-rights organizations in Rhode Island can help you understand how to exercise these rights.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 15, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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